SALT LAKE CITY - Another wild college football weekend shook up the rankings again, and the ripple effects reached all the way into the top of the AP Top 25.
BYU’s loss at UCF was the biggest jolt of the week, especially with the way the closing minutes unraveled in chaotic fashion. But it was far from the only result that forced a reset. UCLA and Utah both climbed after taking care of business, while several other heavyweights held steady through bye weeks.
For the second straight week, the ballot I submitted to the Associated Press has a new No. 1.
- Miami
Miami gets the top spot after a 52-23 win over Pittsburgh. In a season where no program has looked completely safe, the Hurricanes have been as steady as anyone. They’ve largely backed up the preseason expectations and keep showing up every week, even if the Florida State overtime win gets a pass here.
- Ohio State
Ohio State didn’t play this week, but the Buckeyes got bad news with Julian Sayin being ruled out for potentially the rest of the season. The roster is still loaded, but a quarterback change could make things complicated. There’s no reason to speculate too far ahead, so they stay here based on what’s already been done on the field.
- Georgia
Georgia was on a bye, so the Bulldogs stay put and move on.
- UCLA
UCLA has become one of the most interesting teams in the country. A program that sat in the middle for so long has taken a real turn under Bob Chesney and now looks like it could be the next Indiana-type rise in college football. The schedule résumé is still the biggest knock, but the buzz around this team is real.
- Utah
Utah’s offense took nearly 40 minutes to come alive, but once Devon Dampier got rolling, the Utes flipped the game on a ranked Houston team that had them down 10-0. Utah was staring at another upset for much of the day, but the offense eventually showed why it can be so efficient, and the defense held up against Houston’s high-powered attack.
- BYU
The Cougars paid for the travel and the timing on Saturday. A cross-country trip ended with their first loss of the season, and UCF took advantage of a BYU team that just didn’t look as sharp away from home.
There’s cleanup to do after that game, but the ceiling is still obvious when BYU is rolling. This is a drop, but not a major one.
- Notre Dame
Notre Dame was idle this week and had two weeks to sit on a close loss to BYU. I had the Irish a little higher last week, but they slide a bit because other teams needed room to rise. With that head-to-head result still fresh, there’s no reason to rank Notre Dame above BYU right now.
- Indiana
Indiana remains tough to fully pin down. The Hoosiers still look like a team capable of another serious College Football Playoff run, but not everything has clicked the same way this season, for a few different reasons.
They got out of danger against a bad Michigan team, though that Wolverines defense is for real. For now, Indiana stays in place, but there’s some caution baked into the ranking.
- Kentucky
Kentucky handled Vanderbilt in a 17-point win that didn’t require much drama. The Commodores aren’t a strong team this year, so this felt like a game the Wildcats simply needed to finish cleanly. They did that, and a higher ranking could be argued, but this is where they land for now.
- Alabama
Alabama had its hands full with Texas A&M, but eventually pulled away. Kalen DeBoer comes across like a coach carrying the weight of every decision in Tuscaloosa, and while winning smooths a lot over, there still feels like some pressure building there. The Crimson Tide have the talent, but consistency is still the question.
In Other News...
Devon Dampiers GameDay Spotlight Comes With An Awkward Backstory
Devon Dampier is about to find himself in one of the biggest spotlights on Utahs schedule, with the Utes set to host Houston for College GameDay in Week 8 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. It is the kind of stage that can turn a regular Saturday into a national conversation, and for Dampier, the attention is likely to extend beyond the huddle as the Utes welcome a game with extra buzz and plenty of cameras.
Lola Sexton is expected to be part of that scene in Salt Lake City, adding another layer to a weekend already heavy on attention around Utahs quarterback. Her relationship with Dampier has been public since the aftermath of her split with Jaxson Dart, and the personal history attached to that storyline is hard to ignore when the biggest pregame show in college football comes to town. [Read more 🡒]
Pat McAfees Utah Blowup Gave Houston Fans An Unexpected Moment
The buildup to College GameDay in Salt Lake City already had a little edge to it, and Pat McAfee did not do much to soften the mood. The former NFL player and current broadcaster made clear where he stood, backing Houston over Utah and drawing a quick reaction from the Utes fan base. A video posted by the University of Utahs Instagram account, which poked fun at McAfee, only added another layer to the back-and-forth before the show even got rolling.
McAfees public feud with Utah supporters has now taken on a life of its own, with the kicking contest segment adding to the tension on set. The exchange, including a contestants gripe about the prize and McAfees sarcastic response, gave the whole episode a sharper edge than a typical game-day squabble. For Utah fans, it was another reminder that this one may linger a while, even if the broadcast itself has moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Added To The Pressure On BYU In The Big 12
A scoreless first half did not stop Utah from leaving Houston with a 21-13 win and a little more weight in the Big 12 conversation. The Utes stretched their winning streak to 13 straight, the longest active run at the FBS level, and it came with Devon Dampier steering the offense after the break, helping turn a sluggish start into a road victory that keeps Utah firmly in the conference race.
Utah still is expected to sit behind BYU in the Big 12 rankings, but the gap in the standings feels more like a detail than a wall at this point. With a defense that held up long enough for the offense to wake up and a quarterback who found his rhythm when it mattered most, the Utes have put themselves in position to keep pressuring the league frontrunner while still carrying the look of a team built to contend for the title. [Read more 🡒]