On Sunday, Miami made headlines by surpassing Texas to secure the No. 5 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, marking its highest ranking since 2017. The Hurricanes, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Ward, improved to 8-0 with a significant victory over Florida State. This achievement marked their eighth consecutive week in the top 10, yet it’s their best ranking since they were No. 2 for two weeks in November 2017.
Meanwhile, Texas slipped another spot to No. 6 after falling from the top position due to a loss against Georgia and then narrowly defeating Vanderbilt by three points. In contrast, Notre Dame rose four places to No. 8 after dominating Navy with a 51-14 victory, bouncing back into the top 10 following an earlier setback that knocked them out.
Other notable climbs in the rankings included BYU, which secured the No. 9 spot by winning against UCF, remaining undefeated at 8-0 and achieving their highest ranking since 2020. Texas A&M also made a significant jump to No. 10 after a strong performance against LSU, marking their second win of the season over a top-10 team.
The top four teams remained unchanged: Oregon maintained the No. 1 position, earning 61 of 62 first-place votes after defeating Illinois 38-9. Georgia, which did not play this week, held on to the No. 2 spot with the remaining first-place vote. Penn State stayed at No. 3 following their win at Wisconsin despite the injury of quarterback Drew Allar. Ohio State followed closely at No. 4 after scraping out a 21-17 win over Nebraska.
Poll points
This week, Notre Dame and Texas A&M saw the most significant gains in the rankings. Conversely, LSU faced the steepest decline, dropping from No. 8 to No. 16. BYU has been on the rise, advancing in six consecutive polls since entering at No. 22 on September 22. Pittsburgh has also gained momentum with a four-week rise since debuting at No. 22 on October 6.
This week’s poll marked the first time this season that the Southeastern Conference featured only one representative in the top five, thanks to Texas’s slide to No. 6. The Big Ten continues to assert its dominance, holding three of the top four spots for the fourth consecutive week. Additionally, Miami’s rise makes them the first Atlantic Coast Conference team in the top five since Florida State held the No. 4 position in December of last year.
In-and-out
Washington State (7-1) secured its spot at No. 22 after defeating San Diego State for its third consecutive win, making it the first ranked team this season from the remaining Pac-12 schools. Colorado (6-2) followed suit, climbing to No. 23 after winning five of their last six games, marking their first ranking under coach Deion Sanders since early last season.
Vanderbilt’s brief return to ranking at No. 25 ended quickly, as the team received the most votes among unranked teams after just one week. Navy was also dropped from the rankings due to a poor performance against Notre Dame, marked by six turnovers in a significant loss. Meanwhile, Army (7-0) advanced two spots to No. 21.
Conference call
SEC — 8 (Nos. 2, 6, 7, 10, 14, 16, 19, 25).
Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 13, 24).
ACC — 4 (Nos. 5, 11, 18, 20).
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 9, 11, 17, 23).
American — 1 (No. 21).
Independent — 1 (No. 8).
Mountain West — 1 (No. 15).
Pac-12 — 1 (No. 22).
Ranked vs. Ranked
Looking forward to some exciting matchups, No. 4 Ohio State will face No. 3 Penn State, the fourth meeting this season between top-five teams. Ohio State has a seven-game winning streak in this series, but both teams are dealing with injuries, including the significant absence of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
Additionally, No. 18 Pittsburgh will take on No. 20 SMU, with both teams emerging as surprising contenders among the four unbeaten squads in ACC play. Pittsburgh was initially projected to finish 13th in the preseason media poll, while SMU was estimated to finish seventh.
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