Somebody in college football finally sat still, and it was Miami. The Hurricanes stay at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 college football poll, the only team in the poll that didn’t move, while everyone else got shuffled by a weekend that keeps wrecking the rankings.
Here’s what jumped out at me: the AP poll released Oct. 25 has Miami on top, idle Ohio State at No. 2 and Georgia at No. 3. In fact, sitting still was the winning move for some teams.
That’s college football in 2026.
Miami holds the top spot in the AP Top 25
The Hurricanes beat Pitt 52-23 at home in their first game as the No. 1 team since 2002. As a result, they are 7-0 and collected 59 of 70 first-place votes, up 19 from a week ago. Meanwhile, Ohio State got 10 first-place votes and Utah got one, per the AP.
The gap is real but not enormous. For example, the two teams were separated by 54 points in the balloting. Voters also weren’t unanimous on the order, because AP voter Brett McMurphy had Georgia at No. 2 and Ohio State at No. 3.
BYU takes the biggest fall in the college football rankings
BYU dropped six spots to No. 8 after losing at UCF. The score was 39-31 in overtime, though outlets disagree on whether it took one extra period or two, so we’re not going to guess. Either way, the Cougars lost their spot among the unbeaten teams.
Texas Tech also slid, falling to No. 13 after a 37-24 loss to Cincinnati. Still, USC had the worst week of anyone.
The Trojans tumbled out of the poll entirely from No. 16 after losing to Wisconsin, 24-7. Wisconsin, in turn, took the final spot at No. 25.
Only three unbeaten teams are left
Here’s the thing: the unbeaten list is nearly gone, and if you like having a clear title picture, that should make you squirm a little. Miami, Utah and UCLA are the only unbeaten FBS teams left, and half of the six unbeaten teams lost this weekend. Meanwhile, Utah beat Houston 21-13 to reach 7-0 and jumped from No. 10 to No. 6. UCLA also climbed, moving from No. 9 to No. 7 at 7-0.
Three unbeaten teams this late in the season is the fewest since 1977, according to Sportradar numbers cited by the AP. The AP also notes that five of the top seven teams lost a week earlier. In addition, 10 top-10 teams have lost over the last three weeks.
That’s the AP’s count, and it matches the shake-up in the rankings. The wire service also says three teams ranked No. 1 or 2 lost to an unranked opponent over that span.
Chaos like this isn’t limited to the field. For example, the money side of the sport keeps scrambling, too, as boosters rewrote the checkbook for quarterbacks.
The full AP college football poll
Here is how the latest AP college football poll shakes out, from No. 1 down to No. 25:
- Miami (Fla.)
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Notre Dame
- Utah
- UCLA
- BYU
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Texas
- Ole Miss
- Texas Tech
- Wake Forest
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Florida
- Houston
- SMU
- Boise State (tie)
- Northwestern (tie)
- Arizona
- Missouri
- Oklahoma State
- Wisconsin
Boise State (6-1) and Northwestern (6-1) tied at No. 20 with 422 points each, which is why the poll skips No. 21. NCAA.com has the full points breakdown.
What it means for Texas and the rest of the field
By the AP’s list, the SEC has nine teams in the poll, the Big 12 six and the Big Ten five. The ACC has three, Boise State is the lone Pac-12 team and Notre Dame is the one independent. The SEC count is our tally from the published list.
For Texas fans, the Longhorns sit at No. 11 in the latest AP Top 25, which is full of teams that can’t stop losing. Staying steady matters more than staying flashy right now.
The next poll comes after this coming week’s games. Miami, Utah and UCLA each have to keep winning to stay unbeaten, and as this season keeps proving, nobody’s No. 1 spot is safe.
So who blinks first?
