Five of the top seven teams in the Associated Press Top 25 lost during the wildest weekend of the college football season, marking a first in the poll’s 90-year history. Miami claimed the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2002, while No. 2 BYU reached its highest position since its 1984 national championship season.
Miami Reaches No. 1 and BYU Surges Past Notre Dame
The Hurricanes took over the top spot after surviving end-of-game drama to beat Florida State in double overtime and stay unbeaten. Miami received 40 of the 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel, finishing 22 points ahead of BYU.
The Cougars entered their game against Notre Dame as 10.5-point underdogs before securing a 28-24 win to improve to 6-0. The victory propelled BYU to No. 2, marking the program’s highest ranking since the 1984 championship season and its first time in the top five since 1996.
The @YahooSports Top 10, after on one of the wildest, most historically chaotic college football Saturday's ever. Cougs!https://t.co/jIr68uLmxn
Ohio State Rises While Top Contenders Fall
Ohio State captured nine first-place votes after defeating Indiana on the road and snapping the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak. The win came with a significant cost, however, as the Buckeyes lost quarterback Julian Sayin to a shoulder injury that will sideline him for several weeks.
Georgia dropped to No. 4 in the Coaches Poll following a 27-24 home loss to Auburn. The defeat snapped a nine-game winning streak against Auburn dating back to 2017 and ended a run that saw Kirby Smart go 18-0 at home when ranked No. 1.
SEC Powerhouses and Texas Plummet in the Rankings
Alabama suffered a loss to Tennessee. The defeat dropped the Crimson Tide seven spots to No. 13 in the AP poll, while the Volunteers climbed to No. 11. Texas experienced an even steeper slide, plummeting 12 rungs to No. 19 after suffering a home loss to Florida.
Despite the historic carnage across the top tier, a wholesale shake-up of the top 10 was prevented because teams like Notre Dame, Georgia, and Indiana had built substantial capital with their 6-0 starts, and their losses came against top-10 opponents.
Not a single team stayed put in this week’s AP Top 25. Miami is No. 1 for the first time since 2002 and BYU climbs to No. 2 after a historic weekend of upsets. See where your team landed: https://t.co/PyCSyxzXfg pic.twitter.com/Q2HFiv5GJj
Frequently Asked Questions About the College Football Rankings Shake-Up
When was the last time Miami was ranked No. 1 in college football?
Miami was last ranked No. 1 in the 2002 season, ending in the national championship game against Ohio State.
How many top-10 teams lost during the historic weekend of college football?
Five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 poll lost during the slate of games.
What was the margin between Miami and BYU in the AP poll voting?
Miami finished just 22 points ahead of BYU, with the Hurricanes securing 40 first-place votes and the Cougars earning 20.