The AP Top 25 poll delivered a major reset this week, with the Big 12 placing three teams in the top 10 and the ACC taking over No. 1. A turbulent Saturday that saw five of the top seven teams fall opened the door for BYU, Texas Tech and Utah to surge, while Miami climbed to the top spot after a rivalry thriller.
Five of the top seven ranked teams lost in Week 7, the most on a single regular-season day since the poll began 90 years ago. In total, eight ranked teams were beaten.
No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 10 Utah moved into the top 10 on Sunday, taking advantage of losses by SEC powers Georgia and Alabama and by Texas. It is the Big 12’s strongest top-10 showing since the final poll of the 2021 season, when Baylor, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma were all there.
Miami ascended to No. 1 after edging Florida State in double overtime. It is the first time in nearly six seasons that a team outside the SEC or Big Ten has held the top ranking. The Hurricanes now have 69 all-time weeks at No. 1, eighth most, and this return to the top ends a 24-year gap.
AP Top 25 poll: Big 12 teams surge
BYU made the biggest leap with a 28-24 upset of No. 2 Notre Dame as a 10.5-point home underdog. The Cougars are the Big 12’s highest-ranked team since TCU finished No. 2 in 2022. BYU is 6-0 for a third straight season despite star running back LJ Martin missing the last two-plus games with injury.
Quarterback Bear Bachmeier has carried the offense and the defense ranks among the nation’s top 15. The win was BYU’s highest-ranked victory since beating No. 1 Miami in 1990 and could bolster a potential at-large case for the College Football Playoff. The Cougars’ toughest remaining regular-season test is at rival Utah on Nov. 7.
Texas Tech returned from an open date and overwhelmed a struggling Arizona State, rolling to a 53-25 win. The Red Raiders racked up 404 yards while building a 43-10 halftime lead and finished with 502 yards.
It was their highest first-half point total in a conference game in 25 years. Texas Tech is one of four FBS teams to score at least 28 points in every outing, and at 6-0 the Red Raiders continue to track with last season’s title standard. “There was a sense of urgency but also anger,” coach Joey McGuire said, noting that while this is not last year’s team, it is finding ways to win.
Utah cracked the top 10 for the first time in two years and owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games after a 27-24 escape at Colorado. The Utes trailed for the first time in four contests before quarterback Devon Dampier orchestrated two scoring drives, the last set up by James Chenault Jr.’s 30-yard interception return late.
“Every week, winning is hard,” coach Morgan Scalley said.
SEC grind shows in AP Top 25 poll rankings
The SEC’s week-to-week challenge was evident, with five two-loss teams appearing in the Top 25: No. 13 Alabama, No. 18 LSU, No. 19 Texas, No. 20 Florida and No. 22 Missouri. That is the most ranked two-loss teams in a Week 8 poll since 2022. There were six at this point in 2018 and eight in 2016.
With five straight wins, No. 12 Kentucky is the SEC’s hottest program. The Wildcats notched a 21-13 road victory at Oklahoma, their third away win of the season, and have defeated two top-10 opponents during the streak.
They are ranked at their highest since late September 2022 and, at 6-1, secured bowl eligibility for the first time since 2023. Wake Forest’s 41-7 rout at California pushed the Demon Deacons up four spots to No. 17, their best since October 2022.
Meanwhile, back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida made Texas the first team in 35 years to drop two straight regular-season games after holding the No. 1 ranking. In 1991, Florida State fell from No. 1 with a loss to Miami and then lost to Florida the following game.
Note: This version reflects the correct score of BYU’s win over Notre Dame, 28-24.
