The first College Football Playoff rankings arrive Tuesday, and Miami is the team most people expect to see at No. 1. But the opening poll is rarely that simple, and Georgia and Utah have enough on their résumés to force a real conversation at the top.
The AP Top 25 may not drive the committee’s final call, but it still offers a useful clue. When the two rankings start to diverge, that usually tells you something about what the committee is valuing from week to week. This first release should do exactly that.
Miami’s strongest selling point is what it already proved last season. The Hurricanes reached the CFP Championship Game and brought back a healthy chunk of that roster, which matters when the committee weighs teams that have already been through playoff pressure. The offense has been one of the nation’s best, and Malachi Toney is the most must-see player in college football.
Still, there are cracks. Miami’s defense has been a major concern, and the last three games have exposed it.
During that stretch, the Hurricanes have allowed more than 300 passing yards and 10 total touchdowns. The schedule has not helped much either, though the Wake Forest win looks better now that the Demon Deacons have won five straight.
A win over Notre Dame on Saturday would go a long way toward changing that schedule conversation.
Georgia brings a different profile to the table. The Bulldogs are built on defense and a strong running game, and that formula has kept them in the mix.
If Georgia can run the ball and suffocate opponents, it can win just about any week. Gunner Stockton is more of a game manager than a downfield threat, but he has played enough big games to be viewed as a strength rather than a liability.
The issue for Georgia is the loss to Auburn, which looks REALLY bad now that the Tigers have not been competitive since that game. Even with the polls typically tilted toward the SEC, the Bulldogs’ schedule outside of Alabama has not offered much.
There are still some tests ahead, and the road trip to Ole Miss should be a fun one. But Georgia also avoided LSU, Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and that matters in a close race.
Utah has a case too, even if it may be the most fragile of the three. The Utes have mostly taken care of business, with the road scare at Colorado standing out as the main blemish. Their AP rise after handling Cincinnati was significant, and the score did not really reflect how one-sided that game was.
The concern with Utah is the same one hanging over Miami and Georgia: the schedule has been very friendly. The biggest challenges are still ahead, and among the top three AP teams, Utah is the one that feels most likely to land outside the top four when the first rankings are revealed.
In Other News...
Miami Gets A Big Opening In Notre Dames Secondary
Notre Dames secondary will look different when the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes arrive, with cornerback DJ McKinney sidelined for an extended stretch after suffering an ankle injury on Oct. 17. McKinney had been a fixture in the Irish back end all season, starting every game and giving them stability on the outside before the injury forced a change.
Sophomore Jayden Sanders is expected to step into the lineup in McKinneys place, which gives Miami a notable opening to test a defense that has leaned on continuity at corner. The timing matters, too, with McKinneys return now pushed toward the College Football Playoffs, leaving Notre Dame to sort out a key spot just as the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Escaped UNC But A Bigger Problem Should Worry Hurricanes Fans
Miamis escape at North Carolina was the kind of win that keeps a season moving, but it also left plenty for Mario Cristobals staff to sort through. The Hurricanes survived 38-35 in Chapel Hill for their first victory over the Tar Heels in six tries, yet the final score did not hide how shaky things looked on defense for long stretches. North Carolina kept finding answers on third down, and the Tar Heels ability to extend drives put Miami under constant pressure.
Cristobal pointed to tackling and finishing plays as problem areas afterward, and those issues are hard to ignore when a defense is trying to handle a mobile quarterback on the road in conference play. Pro Football Focus coverage grade for Miami was historically low, a jarring mark for a unit that has bigger goals than simply escaping with a win. The Hurricanes got the result they needed, but the performance raised a more pressing question about how sustainable that formula will be against better opponents. [Read more 🡒]
Malachi Toney Is Chasing Even More Miami History This Season
Malachi Toney has already carved out a place in Miami history, and he is still only a sophomore with four regular-season games left to play. The Hurricanes receiver has become the kind of weekly problem defenses have to plan around, and his latest milestone underlines just how quickly he has climbed into rare company for one of the programs most storied positions.
Against North Carolina, Toney kept producing even while drawing heavy double teams, finishing with seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. His season total has pushed him into record territory for Miami, and with more games still ahead, the only question now is how much more he can add to a season that already belongs alongside some of the biggest names in Hurricanes history. [Read more 🡒]