Miami Holds Top Spot in Chaotic College Football Rankings After Wild Weekend
The top of the AP Top 25 sees significant shake-ups as multiple ranked teams suffer losses, while three unbeaten teams remain.
No. 1 Miami maintained its position in the latest Associated Press college football rankings following a weekend of considerable upheaval that saw No. 2 BYU tumble down the charts. Idle Ohio State moved up to the second spot, while BYU dropped six places to No. 8 after a loss to unranked UCF.
This past Saturday marked the third week in a row with multiple top-10 upsets, with three more ranked teams falling. Over the last three weeks, 10 teams ranked in the top 10 have lost. Three teams that have held the No. 1 or No. 2 ranking have been defeated by unranked opponents, contributing to what is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable seasons since 2007.
Miami, Utah, and UCLA are the only remaining undefeated teams in Bowl Subdivision play. This is the fewest number of unbeaten teams at this point in the season since 1977, according to Sportradar.
Following the reshuffle, Georgia moved up to No. 3 after an open date. Indiana jumped two spots to No. 4 after an overtime victory against Michigan, and Notre Dame slipped to No. 5 while idle. The top 10 is rounded out by Utah at No. 6, UCLA at No. 7, BYU at No. 8, Kentucky at No. 9, and Alabama at No. 10.
Miami secured its No. 1 ranking with a dominant 52-23 victory over Pittsburgh at home. It marks the Hurricanes' first time holding the top spot since 2002. The team received 59 of the 70 first-place votes from the media panel, an increase of 19 from the previous week. Ohio State garnered 10 first-place votes, and Utah received one.
No. 6 Utah's win over Houston places them in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 Conference. This marks their highest ranking in seven years. No. 7 UCLA is also at a high point, achieving its best ranking in 11 years.
Kentucky, now No. 9, has won six consecutive games and is ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2022. Alabama, at No. 10, avoided its first three-game losing streak since 2007 by defeating Texas A&M, returning to the top 10 in the process.
The Big 12 Conference now matches its record with six ranked teams, a feat last achieved on September 23, 2012. The conference also boasts more ranked teams than the Big Ten, which has five, for the first time since 2023.