The U is back at No. 1, and that alone is enough to send Miami fans straight into a familiar kind of hype. After a wild Week 7 that took down the likes of Georgia and Notre Dame, the Hurricanes are sitting atop the country again.
It has been a long wait. The last time Miami was ranked No. 1 was 24 years ago, during the 2002 season, when the Canes were coming off the 2001 national title.
That team arrived with all the confidence of a defending champion and all the talent to match. Miami opened the year as the preseason No. 1, landing ahead of Oklahoma, Florida State, Texas and Tennessee, and stayed at the top for most of the season. Under second-year head coach Larry Coker, who had already guided the program to a national championship in his first year in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes looked every bit like a powerhouse built to stay there.
The one wobble came after Week 10, when Miami slipped to No. 2 following a sluggish 42-17 win over 1-8 Rutgers. The Canes were actually trailing in the fourth quarter before pulling away.
Even then, they did not lose again. Miami closed the season with ranked wins over Pitt and Virginia Tech before heading to the Fiesta Bowl for the BCS National Title Game against Ohio State.
That one went to overtime, and the Buckeyes pulled out a 31-24 win aided by a controversial pass interference call.
What made that 2002 roster so dangerous was the sheer volume of future NFL players packed into it. There were 26 draft selections on the team, more than a quarter of the roster.
The offense was loaded. Ken Dorsey ran the show at quarterback and threw for 3,369 yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Andre Johnson was his top target, finishing with 1,092 yards and nine touchdowns. On the ground, Willis McGahee was a wrecking ball, piling up 1,753 yards and 28 touchdowns.
The defense had its own headline name in Sean Taylor, and the secondary produced 12 interceptions overall, with Taylor grabbing four of them.
A long list of those Hurricanes went on to hear their names called in the NFL Draft:
2003 - 1st round: Andre Johnson, Jerome McDougle, Willis McGahee, William Joseph; 3rd round: Andrew Williams; 4th round: Jamaal Green; 5th round: Matt Walters; 7th round: Ken Dorsey.
2004 - 1st round: Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow II, Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, Vernon Carey, Vince Wilfork; 7th round: Darrell McClover, Al Marshall, Carlos Joseph.
2005 - 1st round: Antrel Rolle; 2nd round: Roscoe Parrish; 6th round: Chris Myers.
2006 - 1st round: Kelly Jennings; 2nd round: Roger McIntosh; 3rd round: Eric Winston; 4th round: Leon Williams, Orien Harris; 5th round: Marcus Maxey.
Johnson’s pro career eventually put him in the Hall of Fame, where he was elected in 2024 as a seven-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans. Over 14 NFL seasons, he finished with 1,062 catches for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns.
Several others built decorated careers of their own. Wilfork won two Super Bowls in New England and made five Pro Bowls.
Rolle won a Super Bowl with the Giants and was selected to three Pro Bowls. Vilma won a Super Bowl with New Orleans in 2010.
McGahee spent 10 seasons in the league and rushed for 8,474 yards with the Ravens, Bills, Broncos and Browns.
That is the standard Miami is being measured against now, though this current team is not expected to churn out the same flood of NFL talent. Still, there are names to watch for 2027 and beyond, starting with quarterback Darian Mensah, running backs Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher, and receiver Malachi Toney. On defense, linebacker Mahomed Toure leads the way with 30 total tackles so far.
As for the rankings, Miami looks well positioned for the short term. The Hurricanes get Pitt at home next, then travel to UNC on Oct.
- After that comes the biggest challenge on the schedule: No.
4 Notre Dame in South Bend on Nov. 7.
Even if the stay at No. 1 turns out to be brief, it is still a welcome sight for Miami to be back in that spot after all these years.
In Other News...
Miami Independence Debate Comes Down To One Massive Risk
The idea of Miami football striking out on its own has a certain appeal, especially for a program that has long viewed itself as a brand bigger than any one league. Any real move toward independence would come with plenty of moving parts, though, from lining up enough high-level opponents to making sure the school can still create a workable path for its other sports. The Hurricanes would not just be reshaping Saturdays, but the entire structure around them.
Broadcast money and scheduling flexibility are part of the lure, but so is the catch: Miami would need to solve the problem of where its non-football Olympic sports fit in a world without conference membership. Any independence conversation has to account for television partners, valuation, and the practical challenge of giving the rest of the athletic department a home. For now, it remains an intriguing possibility with one major unanswered question hanging over it. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Fans Get A Full Day To Watch One CFP Threat
The weekend schedule gives Miami fans a little extra reason to keep an eye on the ACC race, with several league games carrying clear ripple effects for the Hurricanes path. Duke at Virginia, Virginia Tech at Clemson and Syracuse at North Carolina all matter in different ways, while the broader national picture is just as crowded with LSU at Auburn and BYU at UCF also drawing attention.
For Miami, the key is not just which teams win, but how the results shape the College Football Playoff conversation around the league and beyond. With ranked programs and hopeful contenders spread across the slate, the Hurricanes could spend the day watching one potential threat after another, even if the most important answers still have to wait until the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Finally Has The ACC Spotlight And A Real Test Ahead
Miamis climb to No. 1 in the polls brought a rare kind of attention to Coral Gables, and it came after a double-overtime escape against Florida State that only added to the drama. It also arrived on a day when several top-10 teams fell, turning the rankings shakeup into one of those college football Saturdays that leaves the sports hierarchy looking a little shaky and gives Miami an even brighter spotlight.
Now the Hurricanes have to live with the view from the top, and the ACC calendar does not offer much room to breathe. Around the league, Duke, Virginia, NC State, Stanford, SMU, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Syracuse and UNC are all part of a conference slate that keeps shifting from week to week, which means Miamis position will be tested in a league where recent results have already made the race feel unsettled. [Read more 🡒]