The latest AP Top 25 poll, released after one of the most chaotic weekends in recent memory, produced a complete shake-up. Five of the previous top seven teams lost on the same day for the first time in the poll’s history. No team stayed in the same spot from the week before. Miami claimed the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2002, BYU jumped to No. 2, and Ohio State moved into the No. 3 spot.
Miami (6-0) received 40 first-place votes and 1,697 points after a 43-35 double-overtime win over Florida State. The Hurricanes needed to survive late drama, including two Hail Mary attempts, to remain unbeaten. BYU (6-0) collected 20 first-place votes and 1,675 points after a 28-24 victory over Notre Dame. The ranking is the Cougars’ highest since their 1984 national championship season. Ohio State (6-1) sits at No. 3 with 1,649 points and nine first-place votes after a 19-15 road win over Indiana. The Buckeyes moved up one spot despite the close result and the loss of quarterback Julian Sayin to an arm injury.
Notre Dame (6-1) dropped two spots to No. 4 after the loss to BYU. Georgia (6-1) fell from No. 1 to No. 5 following its 27-24 home loss to Auburn on a last-second field goal. Indiana (6-1) sits at No. 6 after the narrow defeat at Ohio State. The top six still include three teams that lost over the weekend, a reflection of the capital those programs built with earlier undefeated starts and the quality of their losses.
Further down the poll, Texas Tech (6-0) is No. 8, UCLA (6-0) is No. 9, and Utah (6-0) is No. 10. Five teams remain unbeaten among Power Four programs: Miami, BYU, Texas Tech, UCLA, and Utah. The Big 12 has five teams in the rankings, its highest total of the season, led by BYU, Texas Tech, Utah, Houston (No. 14), and Arizona (No. 25). Houston climbed six spots after a win over Oklahoma State.
The SEC still leads with nine ranked teams. Georgia is No. 5, Ole Miss is No. 7, Tennessee is No. 11 after its 26-10 win over Alabama, Kentucky is No. 12, and Alabama is No. 13. Alabama dropped seven spots after its second consecutive loss. Texas fell 12 spots to No. 19 after a 27-24 home loss to Florida, which entered the poll at No. 20. LSU is No. 18, and Missouri is No. 22.
The biggest risers included BYU and Houston (both up six spots) and Miami (up two to No. 1). The biggest droppers were Texas (down 12), Missouri (down nine), and Alabama (down seven). Oklahoma State and Mississippi State fell out of the rankings. Florida and Arizona entered at No. 20 and No. 25. Others receiving votes included Oklahoma State (128), Oregon (79), Auburn (61), James Madison (52), Mississippi State (30), New Mexico (6), and Oregon State (3).
The results of Week 7 forced voters to weigh close losses against quality opponents against survival wins over lesser competition. Miami’s double-overtime victory over an unranked Florida State team was enough for the top spot once Georgia and Notre Dame both lost. BYU’s road-level performance against a previous top-five team carried significant weight. Ohio State’s narrow win over a previously undefeated Indiana kept the Buckeyes near the top despite the injury to their starting quarterback.
The poll sets up several high-profile games in the coming weeks. Ohio State has a bye before traveling to USC on October 31. Indiana visits Michigan next. Miami hosts Pittsburgh. BYU travels to UCF. Georgia faces Florida after its bye. Alabama hosts Texas A&M. The rankings will continue to shift as the remaining schedule plays out, particularly with multiple teams still carrying zero or one loss. For now, Miami sits at No. 1, BYU is right behind, and Ohio State remains firmly in the top three after a weekend that rearranged nearly every spot in the poll.
