Miami made the kind of statement that tends to move the AP Top 25 voters. While Notre Dame handled North Carolina 37-26, the Hurricanes went into Clemson and rolled to a 41-13 win that never really felt close. If the poll is about what happened on the field Saturday, Miami has the cleaner case to move ahead of the Fighting Irish and into the No. 3 spot.
The rest of the top of the board stays pretty straightforward. Texas did not play and should remain No. 1, with Georgia holding at No. 2 after its 38-14 win over Vanderbilt. Notre Dame sits right behind Miami after the Irish were stretched by North Carolina before pulling away with 16 straight points.
Below that, the next cluster of teams also made their cases in different ways. Indiana beat Rutgers 47-15, Ohio State took care of Iowa 31-14, and Alabama put up 56 points in a 56-23 win over Mississippi State. BYU stayed in the mix with a 17-10 win over TCU, while Ole Miss did not play and LSU blasted McNeese State 63-14.
There’s room for debate on Alabama, but not much for me. The Crimson Tide were impressive, sure, but Mississippi State looked more like a team that had caught lightning in a bottle than a true top-15 threat. Ohio State’s win over Iowa on the road should carry more weight, especially since Iowa has been a familiar presence in the back end of the rankings.
Further down, Missouri delivered the kind of result that can reshape the middle of the poll, hammering Florida 45-17. That loss sent the Gators tumbling 10 spots, and it also took a major bite out of the dream Miami-Florida College Football Playoff matchup.
Missouri climbs nine spots with the win, though there’s still skepticism about how long the Tigers can stay there. Iowa also slipped, but not nearly as hard as Florida, with the Hawkeyes hanging around against Ohio State longer than the final score suggests.
The lower half of the projection starts with Texas Tech at No. 11 after a 29-7 win over Colorado. Oregon and Utah both did not play and stay put, while Tennessee moved to 24-14 over Auburn and USC edged Washington 25-21.
SMU beat Boston College 25-16, UCLA did not play, Boise State handled Utah State 37-18, and Kentucky survived South Carolina 35-34. The biggest addition here is Pittsburgh at No. 24 after a 35-33 road win over previously unbeaten Virginia Tech.
Mississippi State drops out, and Pitt gets the nod. The Panthers had earned that spot with what they did on the road, even with Mason Heintschel’s season-ending ACL injury in the picture.
If football is truly a team sport, Pittsburgh belongs in the Top 25.
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 🡒]