Miami’s 5-0 start has the Hurricanes sitting still in the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, and that’s just fine for a team headed into its bye week with bigger concerns than where the voters placed it.
The Hurricanes remain No. 4 nationally after beating Clemson, and the bigger takeaway for Miami is that the ACC is showing up more prominently in the rankings picture. Wake Forest still isn’t ranked, but it was listed among the league’s better teams behind Miami. Pitt also cracked the poll after a road win over Virginia Tech, though the Panthers lost their quarterback for the year.
For Miami, the focus stays on the field and on the injury situation, not the number next to its name. The program is 5-0 for the third straight season, and the latest win came on the road against Clemson.
“It’s an awesome win for our program, getting on the road," Head coach Mario Cristobal said after the Clemson victory. "Three straight conference road games for us.
Started really, really fast and put a lot of pressure on them. Could have started a little bit faster, cost ourselves with an emotion penalty that could have put us in real command of the game, but overcame a lot of injuries.
Defense really became physical, particularly in the second half. Only allowed six points in the first half, missed a lot of big plays in the second half that led to their touchdown.
"But I felt we really put a lot of pressure on their quarterback, knocked around the running game, and then I think we had to, the first half play count was 25 Miami, 47 Clemson, and then we flipped the script on that. And this was good because four years ago we came here when we had just got to Miami, with a roster that wasn't what it was supposed to be, and we got our faces kicked in. So it was good to come out today and play good football and to give ourselves a chance to control our own destiny”
The latest poll movement also brought some changes elsewhere. Penn State and Michigan dropped out of the rankings.
Others receiving votes in the AP poll: Kentucky 160, Wake Forest 142, Wisconsin 88, Duke 83, Northwestern 59, Nebraska 48, Minnesota 19, Arizona 19, James Madison 12, North Dakota State 7.
Others receiving votes in the Coaches Poll: Oklahoma State 187; Boise State 161; Nebraska 117; Wake Forest 87; Northwestern 70; Wisconsin 47; James Madison 42; Minnesota 40; North Dakota State 29; Arizona 15; New Mexico 7; Baylor 3; Virginia Tech 1; Texas A&M 1; Kansas State 1.
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 🡒]