Miami finished the season as the national runner-up and No. 2 in both the AP and coaches polls. But, when the final Coaches Poll ballots were revealed, it did not take long for Hurricanes fans to circle one ballot that looked like it came from an alternate universe.
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun's final ballot in the Coaches Poll had Indiana at No. 1, Georgia at No. 2, Ohio State at No. 3, Oregon at No. 4 and Miami (Fla.) at No. 5.
Considering Miami defeated Ohio State in the CFP, and had a far closer bout against Indiana than Oregon did in the playoff, Calhoun's rankings have raised plenty of eyebrows. Also, Miami beat a common opponent with Georgia. The Canes outlasted Ole Miss one game after the Rebels defeated Georgia. Ole Miss was ranked No. 6 in Calhoun's ballot and they also have a case to be angry here.
The individual ballots for the Final Coaches Poll are out! Here’s how they all voted: pic.twitter.com/fKt3PSZUYo
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 21, 2026
Miami Hurricanes ranked at No. 5!?
The final Coaches Poll had Indiana as the unanimous No. 1, followed by Miami at No. 2, Ole Miss at No. 3, Oregon at No. 4, Georgia at No. 5 and Ohio State at No. 6. Calhoun dropped Miami three spots compared to the final composite ranking, and he bumped Georgia all the way up to No. 2.
The AP Top 25, released after Indiana's 27-21 win over Miami in the CFP title game, also had Miami at No. 2, with Ole Miss third, Oregon fourth and Ohio State fifth. Georgia finished sixth in the AP poll.
USA TODAY's poll is a panel of FBS head coaches who submit a Top 25 each week, with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second worth 24, down to one point for No. 25. When a ballot has a major change at the top like Calhoun's, it can move teams.
Calhoun wasn't the only coach whose ballot raised eyebrows. The same batch of released ballots included at least one confirmed mistake, with Delaware coach Ryan Carty leaving Ohio State and Oklahoma off his ballot entirely, an omission his athletic department described as an error. Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell also left Georgia off his ballot entirely.
Still, the Hurricanes ended No. 2 in the final AP and Coaches polls, their best finish in the major polls since 2002.