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:
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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
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.
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.
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.
Stock up:
26. No. 17 Texas Tech delivered an upset road victory against No. 16 Utah, beating the Utes in all phases of the game with a 34-10 win.
27. No. 19 Indiana was the biggest stunner of the week, outscoring No. 9 Illinois 63-10. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for five touchdowns for the second straight week, leading the Hoosiers to a big-time win.
Stock down:
28. Utah is expected to tumble after losing to Big 12 foe Texas Tech on Saturday.
29. A 63-10 loss to Indiana left Illinois shocked and looking for answers. The Fighting Illini, last ranked No. 9, will be fighting to keep the team’s ranking this week.
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.
