Miami (Fla.) ascended to No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll in a report published October 18, following a historic weekend of college football. The poll highlights significant movement as fourteen ranked teams lost during Week 7, including five teams previously ranked in the top eight.
The Hurricanes moved to the top spot after a 43-35 double-overtime victory against unranked Florida State, a win that included surviving two Hail Mary attempts. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah completed 23 of 34 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, while Malachi Toney recorded 154 yards on 11 receptions. This marks the first time Miami has held the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll since Dec. 8, 2002.
BYU rose to No. 2 after defeating then-No. 2 Notre Dame 28–24 in Provo. This victory marks the Cougars' highest national ranking since 1984. Meanwhile, Georgia fell to No. 5 after a 27-24 loss to Auburn in Athens. The Bulldogs' defeat follows a previous loss by No. 1 Texas to Oklahoma, marking only the fifth time a No. 1 team has lost to an unranked opponent in consecutive weeks.
Significant shifts were observed among other top programs. Ohio State moved to No. 3 after a 19-15 win at Indiana, ending the Hoosiers' 22-game home winning streak. However, the Buckeyes face challenges as quarterback Julian Sayin is expected to miss several weeks due to a right throwing shoulder injury.
In other action, Tennessee rose to No. 11 following a 26-10 victory over No. 13 Alabama. Florida returned to the rankings at No. 20 after a 27-24 comeback win against No. 19 Texas. Texas fell twelve spots to No. 19, the largest drop reported in the poll. Additionally, Arizona entered the rankings at No. 25 after having a bye week, while Mississippi State fell out of the poll after a 31-0 shutout loss to No. 18 LSU.
The latest poll comes after a weekend featuring six top-25 matchups. Upcoming games to watch include No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas, No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah, No. 5 Indiana at Michigan, and Pitt at No. 1 Miami.
