Miami’s grip on the top spot got even tighter Saturday night, and now the Hurricanes are in position to claim a rare clean sweep at No. 1.
After Miami escaped North Carolina 38-35 and Ohio State fell 30-18 at USC, the Hurricanes could emerge as the unanimous No. 1 when the Week 10 polls come out Sunday. The only thing standing in the way is whether undefeated UCLA and Utah hold onto the lone first-place votes they picked up in the previous rankings.
The AP Top 25 already had Miami on top in Week 9, with 1,735 points and 59 first-place votes. Ohio State sat second with 1,681 points and 10 first-place votes. Utah was the only other team to receive a first-place vote in that poll.
The Coaches Poll told a similar story. Miami led with 1,839 points and 67 first-place votes, while Ohio State followed with 1,767 points and six first-place votes. UCLA was the only other team to earn a first-place vote there.
Ohio State’s second loss figures to send the Buckeyes tumbling at least nine spots in the Week 10 rankings.
The bigger picture now points straight to South Bend. Miami’s win at North Carolina and Notre Dame’s 35-13 victory over Navy set up a matchup between two top-five teams next Saturday. Notre Dame was No. 5 in the Week 9 AP Top 25 and No. 6 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
That Miami-Notre Dame game is already being billed as one of the biggest 2026 regular-season college football games. If Miami wins, the Hurricanes would go a long way toward locking up the nation’s top spot when the final College Football Playoff rankings arrive in December. If Notre Dame gets the win, the Fighting Irish would move ahead of Miami in the playoff rankings.
In Other News...
Miami Escaped North Carolina But One Problem Just Got Harder To Ignore
Miami survived a Halloween scare in Chapel Hill, edging North Carolina 38-35 to snap a five-game skid in the series and pick up its first win there since 2017. The No. 1 Hurricanes needed plenty of offense to do it, with Darian Mensah throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes, and Malachi Toney adding seven catches for 75 yards and two scores.
Still, the bigger takeaway may have been on the other side of the ball, where Miami had to lean on a late defensive stand to finish the job. Marquise Lightfoot came up with two sacks and a forced fumble in the closing stretch, a reminder that even in a win, the Hurricanes are still searching for more consistent answers when games tighten up late. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Escaped North Carolina But One Problem Should Worry Hurricanes Fans
Miami left Chapel Hill with a 38-35 win, but it was the kind of victory that still gives a fan base plenty to chew on afterward. Darian Mensah threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and Mark Fletcher, Jr. found the end zone both on the ground and through the air, giving the Hurricanes enough offense to survive a night when the game never felt fully under control.
Miamis late key plays were enough to close it out, yet the defensive issues that showed up against North Carolina are hard to ignore. The Hurricanes did enough to protect the win, but the way they had to do it will linger as the bigger concern, especially with tougher tests still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Fletcher Jr. Just Reached A Miami Milestone Few Ever Touch
Mark Fletcher Jr. keeps adding to a Miami rsum that already looked sturdy, and his latest score against North Carolina pushed him into a place few Hurricanes have ever reached. The senior running back found the end zone on a 31-yard receiving play, a fitting way to claim the programs all-time lead in total touchdowns and move past a standard that had been shared by Stephen McGuire and Edgerrin James.
For a player who has been a steady part of Miamis offense across four seasons, the milestone says as much about durability and consistency as it does about one big play. Fletcher has been one of the offenses most reliable pieces, and now his name sits alone atop a list that carries real weight in Hurricanes history, with the rest of his final season still offering chances to add to it. [Read more 🡒]