Not only did Miami’s win at Florida State on Saturday night give the Hurricanes a sweep of in-state schools — they had already knocked off Florida and South Florida — but the victory also gave coach Mario Cristobal’s squad three wins over ranked foes this fall having beaten the Seminoles, Bulls and Notre Dame.
For that, Miami is back in the top spot on my AP Top 25 ballot. This is the third straight year I’m a voter for the AP Top 25 and each week throughout the season I’ll post my vote in addition to some thoughts about how I settled on it. First, here is my ballot:
1. Miami (5-0)
2. Ohio State (5-0)
3. Oregon (5-0)
4. Ole Miss (5-0)
5. Texas A&M (5-0)
6. Indiana (5-0)
7. Oklahoma (5-0)
8. LSU (4-1)
9. Alabama (5-1)
10. Georgia Tech (5-0)
11. Texas Tech (5-0)
12. Michigan (4-1)
13. Georgia (4-1)
14. Vanderbilt (5-1)
15. Missouri (5-0)
16. Tennessee (4-1)
17. Notre Dame (3-2)
18. Virginia (5-1)
19. South Florida (4-1)
20. Cincinnati (4-1)
21. Memphis (6-0)
22. Iowa State (5-1)
23. BYU (5-0)
24. Illinois (5-1)
25. Florida State (3-2)
— And let’s start with the three-team debate for No. 1, because Miami, Ohio State and Oregon all have arguments for it.
After Oregon won at Penn State last week, I slid the Ducks up to the top spot because at the time I believed they had the best win of the bunch after surviving overtime in Happy Valley to beat the Nittany Lions. But after Penn State’s stunning loss at previously winless UCLA on Saturday, that seemingly miraculous victory for Oregon lost a touch of shine.
That enabled both Miami and Ohio State to push beyond the Ducks, and Miami’s résumé is the best of that group. The Hurricanes’ three wins over ranked opponents this season are the most in the country.
They were dominant, too, through the first three quarters of their 28-22 win in Tallahassee. Miami led 28-3 entering the fourth behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Carson Beck. Wide receiver Malachi Toney caught seven passes for 107 yards and two scores.
Miami also intercepted two throws by Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos and was disruptive enough with two sacks and five tackles for loss in the contest. New Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has the unit much improved since last year.
Ohio State has outscored its first pair of Big Ten opponents — Washington and Minnesota, two steady programs — 66 to 9.
— Elsewhere on my ballot, Virginia propelled up from No. 21 on my vote a week ago to No. 18 following its second straight victory in overtime against a previously undefeated opponent.
The Cavaliers outlasted Louisville, 30-27, on the road in overtime on Saturday. And in order to start 5-1, they needed to win in a much different style against the Cardinals compared to any of their previous four wins.
UVa leaned on its defense, recording a pair of defensive touchdowns on cornerback Donavon Platt’s 61-yard fumble recovery and return for a score and linebacker Kam Robinson’s 47-yard interception return for a TD.
The Hoos racked up five sacks, including two from defensive end Mitchell Melton, and applied enough pressure on Louisville quarterback Miller Moss to impact Moss in the second half of the bout and in overtime.
That was step forward for the Cavaliers, considering they had relied significantly on their offense through the first five weeks of the campaign.
— Alabama continued to climb, too, on my vote while recovering strongly from its Week 1 loss at Florida State.
The Crimson Tide knocked off Vanderbilt, 30-14, by shutting out the Commodores, 16-0, during the second half. Alabama had two interceptions against Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, including one in the fourth quarter by Keon Sabb with the Commodores driving and threatening to score.
Greg Madia
gmadia@dailyprogress.com
@GregMadia on X
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Greg Madia
UVa Sports Reporter
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