Miami is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2002, No. 2 BYU has its highest ranking since its 1984 national championship season, and the rest of the AP Top 25 poll looks nothing like it did a week ago. The wildest weekend of the college football season so far saw five of the top seven teams lose — a first in the poll’s 90-year history — and Miami and BYU were the biggest beneficiaries of the chaos.

How the AP Top 25 poll shook out

The Hurricanes (6-0) took over the top spot after surviving a double-overtime thriller against rival Florida State to stay unbeaten. Miami received 40 of the 70 first-place votes from the media panel and finished just 22 points ahead of BYU, per the AP.

It is Miami’s first No. 1 ranking since the 2002 season ended in the national championship game against Ohio State. The Hurricanes are also the first ACC team to top the poll since Clemson in 2020 — other than Clemson, no ACC program had been No. 1 since Florida State in 2014.

BYU (6-0) climbed to No. 2 after beating Notre Dame 28-24, overcoming a 10.5-point underdog disadvantage, according to the AP and Sports Wire Live. The Cougars collected 20 first-place votes and sat 26 points ahead of No. 3 Ohio State, which received the remaining nine first-place votes. It is BYU’s highest ranking since the program’s 1984 national championship campaign.

Notre Dame and Georgia stayed in the top five Sunday after both lost close games — No. 4 Notre Dame fell to BYU, while No. 5 Georgia lost to Auburn at home.

Five of the top seven lost — a first in 90 years

The AP called it “the wildest and wackiest week of the college football season so far,” and the numbers back that up. Five of the top seven teams lost, a first in the 90-year history of the poll, and every position in the Top 25 changed, per Aggies Wire’s tally of the Week 7 poll.

The carnage at the top:

• Georgia lasted one week at No. 1 before losing to unranked Auburn at home — the Bulldogs were the second No. 1 team in two weeks to lose to an unranked opponent; Texas was the other.
• Texas plunged 12 spots to No. 19 after losing to Florida.
• Alabama fell seven spots to No. 13 after Tennessee beat the Crimson Tide, a win that lifted the Volunteers to No. 11.

The full Week 7 Top 25 reads: 1. Miami (6-0), 2. BYU (6-0), 3. Ohio State (6-1), 4. Notre Dame (6-1), 5. Georgia (6-1), 6. Indiana (6-1), 7. Ole Miss (5-1), 8. Texas Tech (6-0), 9. UCLA (6-0), 10. Utah (6-0), 11. Tennessee (6-1), 12. Kentucky (6-1), 13. Alabama (5-2), 14. Houston (6-1), 15. Iowa (6-1), 16. USC (7-1), 17. Wake Forest (6-1), 18. LSU (5-2), 19. Texas (4-2), 20. Florida (5-2), 21. Boise State, 22. Missouri, 23. SMU, 24. Northwestern and 25. Arizona, per USA Today’s Aggies Wire.

UCLA joined the top 10, while No. 14 Houston earned its highest ranking since it was No. 11 at midseason in 2016. Florida and Arizona entered the rankings for the first time this season.

Conference breakdown

The SEC still dominates the rankings with nine teams: No. 5 Georgia, No. 7 Mississippi, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 12 Kentucky, No. 13 Alabama, No. 18 LSU, No. 19 Texas, No. 20 Florida and No. 22 Missouri. The Big Ten has six (No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Indiana, No. 9 UCLA, No. 15 Iowa, No. 16 USC, No. 24 Northwestern), the Big 12 has five (No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 10 Utah, No. 14 Houston, No. 25 Arizona), the ACC has three (No. 1 Miami, No. 17 Wake Forest, No. 23 SMU), and the Pac-12 (No. 21 Boise State) and independents (No. 4 Notre Dame) have one apiece, per the AP.

What to watch next

The chaos isn’t over. This week’s ranked-versus-ranked matchups include No. 7 Mississippi at No. 19 Texas — the Longhorns are reeling and could have a new quarterback this week — and No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah, where the Cougars will go for a second win over a ranked team against an unbeaten Utah squad that escaped Colorado as a 15.5-point favorite.

With the top three separated by fine margins and more than half the top 25 coming off losses, next weekend could deliver another shakeup. One Yahoo Sports voter, in fact, already admitted to voting BYU — not Miami — at No. 1, so the race at the top is far from settled.

FAQ

Why is Miami No. 1 in the AP Top 25?

Miami (6-0) climbed to No. 1 after beating rival Florida State in double overtime to stay unbeaten, while Georgia and four other top-seven teams lost. The Hurricanes received 40 of 70 first-place votes.

When was Miami last No. 1 in the AP poll?

Miami was last ranked No. 1 in the 2002 season, which ended in the national championship game against Ohio State. It is the first ACC team at No. 1 since Clemson in 2020.

Why is BYU ranked No. 2?

BYU (6-0) rose to No. 2 — its highest ranking since the 1984 national championship season — after beating Notre Dame 28-24 as a 10.5-point underdog. The Cougars received 20 first-place votes.

How many top teams lost this weekend?

Five of the top seven teams lost, a first in the AP poll’s 90-year history, and every position in the Top 25 changed from the previous week.