Miami leapfrogged LSU and Penn State into the No. 2 spot behind Ohio State in the fifth week of AP Top 25 rankings. It’s the Hurricanes’ highest ranking since 2017, off the heels of a 26-7 win against unranked rival Florida and two defeats against ranked opponents before that.
No. 3 Penn State — No. 2 since the preseason — and No. 4 LSU both slipped one spot, while No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 Oregon held onto their positions.
Big climbs came from No. 7 Oklahoma, which made its top 10 debut for the first time in two years, as well as No. 11 Indiana and No. 12 Texas Tech, thanks to their lopsided wins over ranked opponents.
Florida State, Texas A&M and Texas round out the top 10.
Here's the latest:
Bye week teams and even some winners drop in the rankings
Six teams that didn’t play this weekend or that actually won dropped in the new poll:
No. 3 Penn State (idle), dropped one spot.
No. 4 LSU (won 56-10 vs. SE Louisiana), dropped one spot.
No. 8 Florida State (66-10 over Kent State), dropped one spot.
No. 10 Texas (won 55-10 vs. Sam Houston), dropped two spots, while rival Texas A&M (idle) moved up a spot to No. 9.
No. 14 Iowa State (idle), dropped two spots.
No. 17 Alabama (idle), dropped three spots.
Texas Tech jumps five spots, tops Big 12 on poll
Result: Texas Tech moved from No. 17 to No. 12 after beating Utah.
Reason for jump: The Red Raiders’ defense led the charge, holding Utah to a season-low 263 yards and forcing four turnovers. Texas Tech’s offense didn’t skip a beat either, even with backup quarterback Will Hammond at the helm after Behren Morton exited with an injury in the third quarter.
Next up: A bye week comes at a good time for Texas Tech, giving the team ample rest before taking on Houston on Oct. 4.
Miami earns highest ranking since 2017, jumps over Penn State and LSU
Miami earned its highest ranking since 2017, coming in at No. 2 after beating Florida 26-7. A stout defense carried the Hurricanes to the win, holding the Gators to six three-and-outs. Penn State moved down to No. 3 after having the week off, and LSU was bumped to No. 4.
Key stat: Miami’s defense forced Florida to punt seven times. The Gators went 0 of 16 on third downs.
Next test: The Hurricanes have two weeks to prepare for one of their most challenging opponents this season, No. 8 Florida State.
AP Top 25 college football poll rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Miami (Fla.)
3. Penn State
4. LSU
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Florida State
9. Texas A & M
10. Texas
11. Indiana
12. Texas Tech
13. Ole Miss
14. Iowa State
15. Tennessee
16. Georgia Tech
17. Alabama
18. Vanderbilt
19. Michigan
20. Missouri
21. USC
22. Notre Dame
23. Illinois
24. TCU
25. BYU
Eye-catching stats
Oklahoma sacked Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold nine times in his return to Norman.
Indiana’s 63 points against Illinois were the most a Big Ten team has ever scored against an AP top-10 opponent.
Notre Dame’s Jadrian Price went coast to coast on a kick return, scoring a 100 yard touchdown against Purdue.
Eric McCallister caught eight passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns in TCU’s win against SMU.
South Carolina finished with minus nine rushing yards in its 29-20 loss to Missouri.
Descent continues for South Carolina, Florida, Clemson
Teams recently knocked out of the Top 25 — South Carolina, Florida and Clemson — didn’t help their cases on Saturday.
South Carolina lost 29-20 to No. 23 Missouri. Florida fell 26-7 to Miami. And Clemson is off to the worst start of Dabo Swinney’s career after a 34-21 loss to Syracuse.
Clemson entered the season at No. 4. Florida had ranked No. 15 and South Carolina originally came in at No. 13 in the preseason poll.
Knocking on the door
TCU could crack the Top 25 after a 35-24 win against SMU, which entered the season at No. 16. The Horned Frogs are 3-0 ahead of a Friday night matchup against Arizona State.
Mississippi State has been knocking on the door for weeks and most recently received 69 votes. The Bulldogs improved to 4-0 on Saturday with a 38-10 win over Northern Illinois.
Syracuse comes off a well-rounded 34-21 win against Clemson. Had the victory come when Clemson was ranked, the Orange would very likely have a comfortable spot in the Top 25. But the Tigers showed their true colors with losses to LSU and Georgia Tech even before falling to Syracuse.
Who might rise and fall in this week’s poll?
Stock up:
Stock down:
Six AP Top 25 teams had the week off
No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 12 Iowa State and No. 14 Alabama all had the benefit of an early bye.
What does it mean for the rankings? Ohio State and Penn State are likely safe in the top two, but there could be some fluctuation after that.
Voters don’t typically penalize a team for having the week off, but statement wins could reshuffle standings from the mid-level on down.