Miami did exactly what it was supposed to do, but the bigger shakeup came elsewhere. Texas’ wild comeback against Ohio State opened the door for a new No. 1, and Oregon’s collapse created even more movement in the AP Top 25 prediction.
At the top, Texas takes over first after its 24-23 win over Ohio State. Georgia slides to No. 2 after a 70-20 win over Western Kentucky, Notre Dame checks in at No. 3 following a 52-0 win over Rice, Indiana lands at No. 4 after a 55-0 win over Howard, and Miami rounds out the top five after its 77-7 win over Florida A&M.
That setup makes Miami vs. Notre Dame a top-five matchup if the rankings hold.
It also leaves a top tier filled with blowouts, which is part of the problem here. The combined score of Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami’s wins came out to 254-27, and that kind of slate makes it hard to separate style from substance.
Ohio State’s 20-point lead vanished in the loss to Texas, so the Buckeyes drop to No. 6.
There’s still a case that they could remain in the top five, but the bigger picture is simple enough: if Ohio State wins 10 games, it’s still in the playoff conversation. Behind the Buckeyes, the SEC pack stays crowded, with LSU at No. 7 after a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech, Texas A&M at No. 8 after a 48-20 win over Arizona State, Ole Miss at No. 9 after a 41-9 win over Charlotte, and Alabama at No. 10 after a 45-17 win over Kentucky.
Texas A&M moves ahead of Ole Miss here because of the win over a decent Power 4 opponent. The idea is that a team should get credit for putting someone with a real pulse on the non-conference schedule.
The middle of the poll is where things get especially messy. USC comes in at No. 11 after beating Louisiana 49-30, followed by Texas Tech at No. 12 after a 35-24 win over Oregon State, BYU at No. 13 after a 28-17 win over Arizona, SMU at No. 14 after a 56-10 win over UC-Davis, Tennessee at No. 15 after a 45-24 win over Georgia Tech?, Penn State at No. 16 after a 27-9 win over Temple, Utah at No. 17 after a 43-3 win over Arkansas, and Washington at No. 18 after edging Utah State 16-14.
If Oregon and Oklahoma are falling out of the top 15, this is the group that stands to gain. The two teams below them feel interchangeable, but USC looks like the biggest beneficiary. That also sets up a strange reality: USC could end up ranked higher than Oregon when they meet in two weeks.
SMU and BYU are worth watching too, because both still have Notre Dame on the schedule. Either one could make a run at an upset and force its way into the playoff picture.
Michigan returns to the rankings at No. 19 after a one-week absence, with Iowa at No. 20 after a 16-13 win over Iowa State, Houston at No. 21 after a 77-6 win over Southern, Oklahoma at No. 22 after a 17-10 loss to Michigan, Missouri at No. 23 after a 38-21 win over Kansas, Louisville at No. 24 after a 59-13 win over Villanova, and Virginia at No. 25 after a 59-3 win over Norfolk State.
Oregon is the glaring omission. The Ducks could not be kept in the top 25 after being destroyed by an Oklahoma State team that had lost 21 of its past 22 games and 12 straight, including multiple losses to Tulsa. That kind of result makes the case against them pretty hard to ignore.
Michigan’s return is built on a simple view of who it is this season: a grind-it-out team with a strong defense and a quarterback who will win more games with his legs than his arm. Oklahoma stays in the mix, but the Sooners are not being treated like a playoff team. Not with that offense and lack of running game.
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