Miami’s surge through Clemson didn’t vault the Hurricanes any higher in the AP Top 25, but the No. 4 spot still reflects just how cleanly they handled Week 5.
After the 41-13 win in Death Valley, there was at least some buzz that Miami could climb into the top three. Instead, the Hurricanes stayed put behind Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame, with the Irish holding at No. 3 after their own game against North Carolina.
Miami is 5-0 heading into a bye week, and that break comes at a good time. The Hurricanes have a month before their long-awaited matchup with Notre Dame, and first they’ll get a chance to rest and heal up before Florida State comes to town. Right now, the biggest thing that could slow Miami down is its health.
The full AP Poll after Week 5 had Texas at No. 1 with 61 first-place votes, followed by Georgia with six, Notre Dame, Miami with two first-place votes, and Ohio State rounding out the top five. Alabama checked in at No.
6, Indiana at No. 7 with one first-place vote, BYU at No. 8, Ole Miss at No. 9 and LSU at No.
The rest of the top 25 was packed out with Texas Tech, Utah, Oregon, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, USC, Iowa, UCLA, Houston, Boise State, SMU and Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh’s move into the rankings gave the ACC another team in the poll. The Panthers landed at No. 25 after jumping Kentucky, and the vote made sense given that Pittsburgh is still unbeaten and has a couple of decent wins on its résumé.
Pat Narduzzi’s tough talk may have had something to do with it, too. The Mason Heintschel news is a blow, but the Panthers still get a chance to prove they can handle it.
Indiana’s 32-point road win wasn’t enough to move the Hoosiers up, since Alabama’s 33-point road win over Mississippi State kept the Crimson Tide ahead of them. Mississippi State only slipped one spot despite losing by nearly five touchdowns, which says plenty about where the voters are right now.
Florida took the biggest hit among the teams off this week, dropping eight spots after getting blasted by Missouri. That slide makes a Miami-Florida dream CFP matchup a lot less likely, at least for now. Those Gators will do anything to avoid playing the Canes.
In Other News...
Miami Looked Like A Title Contender But One Concern Is Growing
Miamis win over Clemson did a lot more than add another quality result to the rsum. The Hurricanes backed it up with a defense that held Clemson to 13 points and just one touchdown, while the offense found enough explosive plays to keep control of the game. Cooper Barkate delivered the kind of breakout performance that can change the feel of a season, highlighted by a 61-yard touchdown catch, and Darian Mensah added scoring through both the air and on the ground.
The problem for Miami was everything that happened around the win. The Hurricanes were dealing with multiple injuries by the end of the game, including to key offensive linemen and cornerbacks, and while some players were able to return after leaving, the list of in-game issues kept growing. For a team that just looked every bit like a title contender, the concern now is less about whether Miami can beat top competition and more about how long it can keep doing it with so many bodies being asked to hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Biggest Worry After Clemson Has Nothing To Do With The Score
Miami left Clemson with a convincing 40-13 win in a primetime matchup, and the performance had the feel of a complete road statement even with several key players banged up along the way. The Hurricanes absorbed injuries on both lines and in the secondary, yet the defense still smothered Clemsons rushing attack and finished with six sacks while the ground game produced 192 yards and three touchdowns.
The bigger concern now is less about the scoreboard and more about how Miami comes out of it physically as the calendar turns to Florida State. A rivalry game of that size demands depth and health, and the Hurricanes have already seen how quickly their margin can shrink when the injuries start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Gave The ACC No Real Case Against No. 1
Miamis win over Clemson did more than add another eye-catching result to the ledger. It gave the Hurricanes a weekend built on both style and substance, the kind of showing that tends to linger in the ACC pecking order. With Miami stacking up as the leagues benchmark in scoring and defense, the argument around the top spot is starting to look less like a debate and more like an acknowledgment of what has already happened on the field.
Around the conference, a few teams flashed enough to keep the race interesting, from Pitt and Duke to SMU and Louisville, while others like Florida State, Virginia Tech and Clemson continue sorting out where they really fit. But Miamis combination of a statement win and season-long consistency leaves the ACC with a familiar problem: if the No. 1 team keeps handling its biggest tests, there may not be much left to argue about. The next stretch will show whether anyone can make that case anyway. [Read more 🡒]