College Football: Miami first at No. 1 in AP Top 25 since 2002

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents College Football: Miami first at No. 1 in AP Top 25 since 2002.

College Football in the USA has a new No. 1 – and it's called Miami. For Hurricanes fans, it's a moment they have waited 24 years for. Whoever survives at the top when half of the upper tier loses on the same weekend makes the biggest leap – and that's exactly what happened to Miami, as The Athletic reports from the new weekly rankings after Week 7.

What happened in Week 7

Five of the seven highest-ranked teams in the AP Top 25 lost on Saturday. The Athletic sums up the weekend in one sentence:

On a Saturday in which five of the top seven teams in the AP poll went down, the Hurricanes survived and advanced to the No. 1 spot.

When half of the top tier stumbles on the same weekend, the ranking automatically becomes the yardstick for who can handle the pressure – and who was only riding along at the top against weaker competition.

Why the AP Top 25 sets the tone

The AP Top 25 is the highest-ranked weekly poll in college football. Each week, sports journalists from across the USA vote on the 25 best NCAA teams. Whoever sits at the very top usually earns a strong case for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Miami: Back at the top after 24 years

Miami was last the No. 1 in the AP Top 25 in 2002. The Athletic writes succinctly that the Hurricanes "survived and advanced" – in other words, they survived and fought their way forward. It is precisely this ability to stand firm under pressure that separates true top teams from also-rans.

BYU snatches Notre Dame's No. 2 spot

The second-biggest story of the weekend plays out in Provo, Utah: the BYU Cougars move up to No. 2, taking over directly the spot most recently held by Notre Dame. The Athletic phrases it as BYU taking Notre Dame's "spot at No. 2." The Irish are among the five top-7 teams that lost on Saturday – and pay for it directly in the rankings.

What the upheaval means for the season

When half of the top tier stumbles on the same weekend, the entire map of the title race shifts. Miami has shown after 24 years that the program can once again compete at the very top this season. BYU shows that the Cougars want a serious say in the playoff race. And Notre Dame faces the task of getting back on track as quickly as possible – before the lead over the chasers melts away entirely.