Will the real No. 1 team please stand up?
That’s the question hanging over the top of the college football world right now, with the first College Football Playoff rankings set to drop Tuesday and no clear answer yet on who deserves the top spot. Every team in the mix has stumbled somewhere it shouldn’t have, and that has turned the AP Top 25 into a weekly puzzle with very few clean edges.
In the ballot submitted to the Associated Press, Miami stays at No. 1 after surviving a serious upset scare against North Carolina. The Hurricanes pulled away for the win, but the resume still doesn’t look especially convincing, even if Wake Forest has helped the case the most. The real measuring stick comes this week against Notre Dame.
Georgia checks in at No. 2 after handling rival Florida with little trouble. Even with that inexplicable loss to Auburn a few weeks ago, the Bulldogs still look like the safest bet in the sport right now.
Utah makes the biggest move near the top, landing at No. 3 after a dominant first half on the road against Cincinnati. The Utes were rolling on both sides of the ball and built a 42-6 halftime lead against a team that had just beaten a top-10 opponent.
Utah eased off some in the second half, but the result was never in doubt. The next test is coming fast.
UCLA sits at No. 4 after a nonconference game against Nevada that didn’t reveal much, though the Bruins remain one of three undefeated teams and still look like a real threat in the Big Ten. Notre Dame comes in at No. 5, moving ahead of BYU after what has felt like two straight weeks of the Irish and Cougars trending in opposite directions. That wasn’t the easiest swap to make, especially with the results still fresh, but the upcoming showdown with Miami should tell us plenty about both teams.
Indiana lands at No. 6 after another wild week. The Hoosiers are not the same team they were last season, but they keep finding ways to win. Curt Cignetti is getting the most out of his roster, and this time it took another nerve-rattling finish and a game-saving 60-yard field goal from Paddy McAteer to get it done.
Kentucky holds at No. 7 after a bye week, with a resume that includes wins over LSU, Texas A&M, South Carolina and Oklahoma. Some of those victories carry more weight than others, but it’s still a strong body of work for Will Stein and his team.
BYU slides to No. 8 after the loss to UCF, and the drop goes a little further this time. The Cougars are still a dangerous team, but the consistency just hasn’t been there lately, and the football hasn’t been especially sharp.
Alabama remains at No. 9 after its bye, while Texas rounds out the top 10. The Longhorns are one of the toughest teams to pin down this season, capable of looking elite one week and frustrating the next.
Against Mississippi State, Texas showed up in its best form and cruised to a blowout win. That said, the ride with this team is still anything but smooth.
In Other News...
Utah Heads Into A Massive Holy War With Everything To Lose
No. 6 Utah is heading into the Holy War with plenty of momentum and plenty at stake, fresh off another convincing win that showed why this team has climbed so high in the rankings. The Utes have leaned on a physical, balanced offense and a defense that has made life miserable for opponents, while their recent success has only sharpened the stakes for a rivalry game that already carries its own weight.
BYU arrives with a rsum that includes notable wins, but the Cougars have also had stretches of uneven play that have kept them from looking fully settled. Utah, meanwhile, knows this is the kind of matchup where style points disappear fast and every mistake gets magnified, which is exactly what makes Saturday such a dangerous spot for both teams and such a pivotal one for the Utes. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Gave The BYU Rivalry Even Bigger Stakes
BYUs narrow win over Arizona State and Utahs decisive victory over Cincinnati turned Saturday into a statement day for both sides of the Holy War. The Cougars climbed to No. 7 in the AP Top 25, while the Utes kept rolling and moved up the poll after extending their unbeaten start, giving this rivalry a little more national shine than usual.
The bigger picture now is hard to miss: both programs are sitting near the top of the sport, and the next meeting between them suddenly carries more than bragging rights. Utah has been rewarded for its fast start, while the rest of the rankings kept shifting around them as Texas Tech, Houston and Arizona moved up and Oklahoma State fell out after its loss. For a rivalry that already has plenty of edge, the stakes just got a lot higher. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Undefeated Season Just Raised The Stakes For BYU Rivalry
The buildup to the next BYU-Utah meeting already had plenty of weight, but Utahs unbeaten start has turned it into something bigger. BYU comes in at 7-1 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 play, while the Utes are still perfect, giving the rivalry a rare national spotlight and a level of urgency that fits the way these games tend to play out.
The matchup is set for Nov. 7, and it arrives with BYU having won the recent meetings in the series. For Utah, the chance to defend its undefeated season against a familiar rival is the kind of test that can reshape a November stretch, especially with both teams carrying strong records into a game that already feels like more than just another date on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]