With Miami’s double overtime defeat of the Florida State Seminoles, the Hurricanes have moved up to the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for the first time since Dec. 8, 2002.
Saturday’s win puts the Canes in an exclusive club this season, as several top-ranked teams have suffered losses. This includes then-top ranked Georgia, falling to Auburn on a game-winning field goal and then-second ranked Notre Dame losing to BYU on the last play of the game.
Five of the top-seven teams in the AP Poll lost on Saturday, a first in the 90 year history of the poll.
UM is now one of six teams to be undefeated in the college football season so far.
The other teams include No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 9 UCLA, No. 10 Utah and James Madison. JMU, the only team playing in a Group of 6 conference, is the lone undefeated team outside of the AP top-25 poll.
Miami soared to No. 1 after beating the Seminoles in a dramatic 43-35 double-overtime victory.
The Canes were trailing 21-14 late in the fourth quarter when they had to rally late against their in-state rivals. Miami outscored FSU 14-7 in the final 15 minutes, sending the game to overtime.
Both teams traded blows in overtime, with a touchdown from Florida State’s Duce Robinson and one from Miami’s Javian Mallory to keep the game tied at 35-35 entering the second overtime period.
In double overtime, wide receiver Malachi Toney caught the go-ahead touchdown in the back of the end zone before throwing and completing the two-point conversion pass to give Miami a 43-35 lead, the last score of the night.
Toney played a crucial role in the victory, finishing the game with 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
While the Hurricanes are the leading team in the nation, the other undefeated teams are making their own cases. BYU’s upset against Notre Dame sets the Cougars up to be among the top teams in the country before facing in-state rival Utah in the “Holy War” on Nov. 7, while the other teams continued their runs as undefeated.
Other teams like No.3 Ohio State (6-1), No. 4 Notre Dame (6-1) and No. 5 Georgia (6-1) are all within striking distance of the Canes, with UM heading to South Bend, Ind. to face the Fighting Irish on Nov. 7.
With an undefeated record and the No. 1 ranking, Miami has put itself in a strong position heading into the remainder of the season. The challenge now is maintaining that momentum and proving it can remain among college football’s elite.
