As much as Kirk Herbstreit was out there shamelessly shilling for the establishment and failing at math like only he can, there will be a new top team in the land when the AP Poll drops Sunday afternoon.
The way I see it, there are three teams that could stake claim to this spot — Ohio State, BYU and, of course, your Miami Hurricanes. Our natural bias makes us want the Hurricanes to claim the throne, but since we're being honest. All three teams have a good case, and I'm going to try to be as impartial as I can to state each one.
Signature Win: 33-20 over No. 21 Wake Forest
The Hurricanes' schedule is what it is. It's not particularly great, and the ACC isn't helping with Duke going in the tank and Pitt being dead meat without Mason Heintschel. Outside of Notre Dame, the next toughest games appear to be on the road against UNC (Oct. 31) and home against Virginia Tech (Nov. 21).
Miami has generally won by big margins, but the FSU game definitely brought some concerns to the surface and the injuries are stacking up. But in spite of all that, I do believe that the Hurricanes will be the top team when the voting is released.
Signature win: 19-15 at No. 5 Indiana
Even if Texas has turned out to be the frauds we always knew the Longhorns were, no one can deny that Ohio State's schedule is not for the weak. The Buckeyes have already played two road games against highly-ranked opponents. And they have more coming. It's safe to say that Michigan is the easiest game left on the schedule!
The difficulty of the slate justifies the loss. What might hurt Ohio State with the pollsters is the injury to Julian Sayin that will keep him out for an extended period.
Signature win: 28-24 over No. 2 Notre Dame
Give BYU credit, the Cougars took it to Notre Dame in the first half and had enough gas at the end of the game to hold on. Was that a hold on the defensive back at the end? Maybe, but I'm not a referee, so my opinion doesn't count. I don't know how long BYU can be functionally good on offense without running back LJ Martin, but the next couple of weeks should be a breeze before facing Utah in The Holy War on November 7.
Prediction: Miami reaches No. 1 for the first time in nearly 24 years
1. Miami
2. Ohio State
3. BYU
4. Georgia
5. Notre Dame
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Tennessee
9. Texas Tech
10. Utah
11. UCLA
12. Kentucky
13. Iowa State
14 Alabama
15. Houston
16. Wake Forest
17. USC
18. Texas
19. LSU
20. Boise State
21. Missouri
22. Florida
23. SMU
24. Northwestern
25. Virginia Tech
Dec. 8, 2002, was the last time Miami was ranked No. 1 in the regular season. It's been a long time coming for the fanbase and Mario Cristobal has delivered on his promises to bring the pride back to Hurricanes football.
If there was any concern, it's that it feels a lot like 2007 when there were a bunch of teams at the top and no one could seem to keep it for more than a week. The good news is that the most important thing is making the CFP 12-team playoff and a No. 1 ranking just helps that process.
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