Miami Predicted to Take No. 1 After Top-Heavy Upsets
Five top-seven teams fell on Saturday, clearing the path for Miami, Ohio State, and BYU to dominate the projected Week 8 rankings.
Miami is projected to claim the No. 1 spot in the upcoming AP Top 25 college football poll after a Saturday that dismantled the top of the rankings. Five teams ranked in the top seven — Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama, and Texas — all lost on Oct. 17, triggering what figures to be one of the most volatile ranking updates of the 2026 season.
The Hurricanes (6-0) outlasted Florida State 43-35 in double overtime to vault from No. 2 into the projected top slot. Ohio State moves up to No. 2 following a 19-15 win over Indiana. BYU makes the largest leap, jumping from No. 8 to No. 3 after knocking off then-No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
Georgia falls to No. 4 despite entering the week atop the poll. The Bulldogs lost 27-24 to Auburn, a team previously unranked that now projects to debut at No. 24. Notre Dame slides to No. 5. Indiana drops one spot to No. 6 after managing only 15 points against the Buckeyes.
Texas Tech (6-0) climbs to No. 7 after routing Arizona State 53-25. Tennessee’s 26-10 dismantling of Alabama pushes the Volunteers to No. 9, while the Crimson Tide freefalls from No. 6 to No. 13. Alabama has now dropped consecutive games, having entered October undefeated before back-to-back losses exposed offensive limitations.
The chaos created openings for several programs outside the traditional hierarchy. UCLA jumps to No. 10 after shutting down Wisconsin 17-7 to improve to 6-0. Houston moves to No. 16 following a 35-32 win over Oklahoma State. LSU leaps seven spots to No. 15 after blanking Mississippi State 31-0, compounding a miserable weekend for the Bulldogs, who fall completely out of the projected poll after sitting at No. 16 a week ago.
Florida returns to the rankings at No. 22 after edging Texas 27-24. The Longhorns suffer the steepest projected decline, falling from No. 7 to No. 18 with their record dropping to 4-2. Arizona also enters the poll at No. 25 despite not playing this week, sitting at 4-1.
Historically, weeks where three or more top-five teams lose simultaneously produce significant voter fragmentation. The last comparable shakeup occurred during the 2023 season when Washington, Michigan, and Florida State all reshuffled after late-season upsets, though losing five of the top seven in a single afternoon remains exceedingly rare in modern polling history.
Ole Miss holds steady at No. 8 after beating Missouri 31-3. The Tigers drop out of the top 13 entirely. SMU edges up to No. 23 following a 23-13 victory over Virginia, while Northwestern climbs to No. 20 after a 24-21 win against Michigan State. Wake Forest sits at No. 19 with a 6-1 record. USC moves to No. 17, Iowa to No. 14, and Kentucky to No. 12 despite losing 21-13 to Oklahoma. Utah remains at No. 11 after a narrow 27-24 win over Colorado, and Boise State holds at No. 21.
