Miami will extend its first return to the top of the AP Top 25 poll since 2002 another week after beating Pitt 52-23.
The Hurricanes (7-0) looked every bit the part of a No. 1 team as Malachi Toney had a school-record 16 catches and Darian Mensah had 387 yards passing and four touchdown passes in the win over Coach Pat Narduzzi’s Panthers.
“We ran into a buzz saw,” Narduzzi said. ”That’s a good football team. They’re the No. 1 team in the country and it’s no joke. They’re averaging 45 points a game.
“They’re No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 in just about every darn category. I don’t know if I’ve faced a team that is No. 1 in just about every category besides being No. 1 in the country.”
Mensah entered the day second among the Heisman Trophy favorites, behind Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, and No. 1 in pass efficiency rating, ahead of No. 2 Gunner Stockton of Georgia.
The Hurricanes will next play against a North Carolina team coming off a 31-30 OT loss to Syracuse, coached by former Georgia assistant Fran Brown.
Miami’s win will steady the No. 1 spot for at least one week after previous No. 1-ranked teams Texas and Georgia lost the previous two Saturdays.
The No. 2 spot, however, will change for a second consecutive week after BYU fell to Central Florida, 39-31, in two overtimes.
The Cougars ascended to the No. 2 spot last week — their highest ranking since winning the national championship in 1984 — after knocking off previous No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24, on Oct. 17.
UCF’s first win over a top-5 ranked team in school history will trigger unrelated movement as voters take a closer look at the Irish’s loss to BYU and consider where Notre Dame stacks up among one-loss teams.
Georgia and Indiana should move ahead of the Irish on more than one ballot this week, including this one.
Notre Dame’s resume does not include any wins over ranked competition, and with BYU losing, there’s less appreciation for the Irish’s hard-fought, close loss to the Cougars.
The Irish were among a trio of teams ranked in the top 5 (Ohio State, Georgia) that were idle on Saturday.
The Hoosiers (6-1) went on the road and beat Michigan in overtime, while the Bulldogs’ (6-1) recent win over Alabama looks better after the Tide handled Texas A&M with enough authority (31-20) to return to the top 10.
The SEC race thickened as Texas’ 34-27 win over No. 7 Ole Miss and South Carolina’s 27-24 win over No. 11 Tennessee leaves Georgia and surprising Kentucky as the only one-loss teams in the “It Just Means More” conference.
Florida (5-2) figures to be the biggest benefactor in the polls after Saturday’s games despite sitting idle as alert pollsters will note the Gators head-to-head wins over two-loss teams Texas and Ole Miss.
UCLA is another Big Ten team sure to move up in the Top 10, remaining unbeaten with a 28-10 win over Michigan State in Rose Bowl Stadium.
Utah’s late-night 21-13 win over No. 14 Houston should move the Utes up in the Top 10, as well with No. 8 Texas Tech falling on the road to unranked Cincinnati (37-24) earlier in the day.
Wisconsin’s 24-7 home win over No. 16 USC should move the Badgers (5-2) into the Top 25 and knock the Trojans off some ballots.
USC (6-2) does not have a win over a ranked opponent and closes its regular season playing three of its next four games against Top 10 teams (Ohio State, Indiana, UCLA).
Here is how Mike Griffith voted on his AP Top 25 ballot:
1. Miami (7-0)
Beat Pitt, 52-23
2. Ohio State (6-1)
Did not play
3. Georgia (6-1)
Did not play
4. Indiana (7-1)
Won at Michigan, 13-6 (OT)
5. Notre Dame (6-1)
Did not play
6. UCLA (7-0)
Beat Michigan State, 28-10
7. Utah (7-0)
Beat No. 14 Houston, 21-13
8. BYU (6-1)
Lost at UCF, 39-31 (2OT)
9. Alabama (6-2)
Beat Texas A&M, 31-20
10. Kentucky (7-1)
Beat Vanderbilt, 34-17
11. LSU (6-2)
Won at Auburn, 38-17
12. Florida (5-2)
Did not play
13. Texas (5-2)
Beat No. 7 Ole Miss, 34-27
14. Ole Miss (5-2)
Lost at No. 19 Texas, 34-27
15. Tennessee (6-2)
Lost at South Carolina, 27-24
16. Arizona (5-1)
Beat Iowa State, 39-3
17. Texas Tech (6-1)
Lost at Cincinnati, 37-24
18. SMU (6-1)
Beat California, 59-20
19. Wake Forest (6-1)
Did not play
20. Boise State (6-1)
Won at Washington State. 31-10
21. Northwestern (6-1)
Beat Rutgers, 42-14
22. Houston (6-2)
Lost at No. 10 Utah, 21-13
23. Wisconsin (5-2)
Beat No. 16 USC, 24-7
24. Missouri (5-2)
Did not play
25. Iowa (5-2)
Lost at Minnesota, 13-10
