Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Miami returns to No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time since 2002
The Hurricanes rose from third after five of the previous top seven lost; BYU moved to No. 2 and Ohio State to No. 3 in a complete poll reshuffle.
Miami rose to No. 1 in the October 18 AP Top 25 for the first time since 2002, receiving 40 first-place votes after an upset-heavy weekend.
BYU climbed to No. 2 and Ohio State to No. 3. Every position in the Top 25 changed, and the top three were separated by 48 points in CBS Sports' independently published table.
Miami climbed from No. 3 to No. 1
Miami moved to No. 1 in the October 18 AP Top 25, its first week atop the poll since 2002. The Hurricanes were 6–0 and received 40 first-place votes after beating Florida State 43–35 in double overtime.
CBS Sports independently listed Miami with 1,697 points, ahead of BYU's 1,675 and Ohio State's 1,649. Those totals describe this week's media poll; they are not playoff rankings.
A historic upset weekend opened the top spot
Five of the previous top seven teams lost on the same regular-season Saturday for the first time in the poll's history. Previous No. 1 Georgia lost 27–24 to Auburn, while No. 2 Notre Dame fell 28–24 to BYU.
Miami avoided the cascade by surviving Florida State. The poll therefore combined Miami's unbeaten record with losses above it; the ranking was not based on a new Miami game played after the poll was released.
BYU and Ohio State completed a tightly packed top three
BYU jumped from No. 8 to No. 2, its highest ranking since its 1984 national-title season. Ohio State moved one place to No. 3 after beating Indiana 19–15.
Only 48 poll points separated the top three in CBS Sports' table. Notre Dame, Georgia and Indiana remained fourth through sixth despite losing, while Texas fell 12 places to No. 19.
What the new ranking does—and does not—settle
The AP Top 25 is voted on by writers and broadcasters. It measures this week's media judgment, not an automatic berth or seed in the College Football Playoff.
Miami's next listed games are Pittsburgh at home, North Carolina away and No. 4 Notre Dame on November 7. Those games can change the picture; this report stops at the completed October 18 poll and makes no championship prediction.
