Nearly an entire generation of Canes have never experienced what it’s like to be the top football team in the country — they do now.
For the first time since Dec. 8, 2002, Miami is back as the No. 1 team in the country.
The Hurricanes topped the rankings in the latest AP Poll (Oct. 18), receiving 40 first-place votes.
Miami’s ranking came after an unprecedented day in the college football world on top of its 43-35 rivalry win over Florida State in double overtime.
Saturday marked the first time in the AP Poll’s history (1936) that five of the top-seven teams lost on the same day. Crucially, both teams ahead of Miami — Georgia and Notre Dame — suffered dramatic losses.
Former No. 1 Georgia lost at home to unranked Auburn on a game-winning field goal, 27-24. Later in the evening, No. 2 Notre Dame lost on an incomplete pass as time expired against No. 8 BYU in Provo, Utah.
When asked about the prospect of being ranked No. 1 in the country, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal kept his focus.
“I think we have a good enough sample size of 2026 to know that [rankings] are absolutely insignificant and irrelevant with the changing of the guard from week to week,” he said. “I’ll focus on the real one that’s important, 1-0.”
Despite the No. 1 ranking, it wasn’t the prettiest win for the Canes, who trailed 21-14 with less than eight minutes left in regulation before both teams traded touchdowns.
It took 29 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, as well as back-to-back Hail Mary throws from FSU that nearly worked, for the Hurricanes to pull out a win.
Miami’s defense surrendered 35 points on 443 total yards against Florida State, the most the Hurricanes have given up this season. UM’s injury-riddled secondary has struggled against the pass over the last two games.
In Week 5, Clemson’s Bryant Wesco Jr. torched the Miami pass defense, catching nine passes for 152 yards. Against FSU, Duce Robinson caught five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns — including a 75-yard score — to tie the game at 28.
Miami, however, showed resilience when adversity hit for the first time this season — a team effort led by superstar wide receiver Malachi Toney.
“We just kept playing, we just kept battling, and we just found a way,” said Cristobal.
Toney stepped up when it mattered most, totaling 100 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime, including the game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion that gave UM an eight-point lead in double overtime.
As Cristobal alluded to, Miami will aim to avoid the same fate as the previous three No.1 teams before it — as two of them lost to unranked opponents.
The Hurricanes currently have only one remaining ranked opponent on their regular-season schedule: Notre Dame. Miami will face off against the now-fourth-ranked Fighting Irish in South Bend, Ind., on Nov. 7.
And while Cristobal won’t get excited, Miami is undefeated, the talk of the nation, and reaching highs not seen in multiple decades.
It’s great to be a Miami Hurricane.
