Miami Hurricanes should be ranked above Penn State in the AP Top 25

On Sunday, positive vibes were in the air. The Canes moved up to No. 4, Georgia did not jump them, and Oregon fell down to No. 6 in the AP Poll. But as the days passed, there was a realization of low expectations that influenced that feeling. No. 4 is a great position going into week 4, but honestly, what's the case Penn State, or even LSU, should be higher than Miami? Why is this something that has just been accepted over the last couple weeks?

Miami above Penn State

Let's start with the Nittany Lions, Miami has the stronger 2025 resume after Week 3, and they should be — based on what we have seen on the field — ranked ahead of Penn State. The AP Top 25 released Sunday kept the Nittany Lions at No. 2 and they have been in that spot in every ranking this season. But, a results-based view favors the Hurricanes by a mile.

The Hurricanes have defeated then-No. 6 Notre Dame 27-24 in week 1, they handled Bethune-Cookman 45-3 in week 2 and then routed then-No. 18 South Florida 49-12 last week. That is a +82 point differential (121-39) with two victories over ranked opponents, including Notre Dame, which remained in the poll at No. 24 despite falling to 0-2. South Florida dropped out this week after the loss, but they will most likely find themselves back in the rankings soon. After all, many said the Bulls should be No. 1 if they had beaten Miami. That's two wins over quality opponents (maybe slightly inflated depending on who you ask). Regardless of how you may feel about those wins though, when you compare it to Penn State... there's no contest.

Penn State's start lacks that quality. The Nittany Lions beat Nevada 46-11, Florida International 34-0 and an FCS Villanova squad 52-6. That is a +115 margin (132-17), but it came against a Mountain West team (Nevada is 1-2 following a last-minute loss to Middle Tennessee), a Conference USA team (FIU is 2-1) and an FCS opponent — none ranked at the time of play (obviously). Penn State's first Power Four test is No. 6 Oregon on Sept. 27. Until then, its schedule does not match Miami's in difficulty. Three cupcakes and a bye before things get real should not prevent a team from getting jumped.

Here's the way to look at it: this isn't a punishment. Teams all over the country, in each P4 conference, play cupcakes. It's not about that. But, if Miami — or any school — has a couple high quality wins before anybody else even faces competition, then those teams should be rewarded. And if that sometimes doesn't reflect who everybody thinks the best teams are then so be it. It will figure itself out eventually. After all, the Nittany Lions do have Oregon on Sept. 27 and a trip to Ohio State on Nov. 1.

One last thing before moving to LSU, Penn State does return 15 starters of a playoff team that came just one game away from a national championship appearance. Their preseason ranking is understandable, but if that still holds any weight going into week 4 then we're doing something wrong here.

Miami above LSU

After the opening weekend, the AP Poll essentially ranked the each of the wins between Ohio State, LSU and Miami, and that determination has stuck since then. The Buckeyes shut down what everyone thought was going to be a generational QB/offense for the Longhorns (they don't even look competent on that side of the ball) and LSU won on the road against then-No. 4 Clemson. Miami's home win against CJ Carr in his first start at Notre Dame took a backseat.

Since then, Texas has sputtered and Ohio State has faced Grambling State and Ohio — the Bobcats actually gave the Buckeyes a tough game through three quarters until unraveling. LSU's biggest win — Clemson — also went down against Georgia Tech and is now out of the rankings. The Tigers took care of business against Florida, 20-10, forcing five interceptions from DJ Lagway. The defense looks great, but a 10-point win against the Gators who are coming off a loss to USF was uninspiring. Pair that with a 23-point performance against La. Tech and you got some people poking holes into the resume.

Compare those resumes with Miami and there's an argument for them to be higher. Probably not above Ohio State, but the Hurricanes led for just about the entire game against Notre Dame before it got close late, they then throttled Bethune-Cookman (as expected) and USF was no threat. The Bulls fell out of the rankings but they defeated the Gators and LSU had a tougher time with them than Miami did with USF. So, there's that. Ironically, the AP Poll may have gotten the teams switched — USF and Notre Dame — and ranked the wrong one. But, both teams are top-25 caliber (yes, even if Notre Dame doesn't have a win. They lost by four total points to two top-10 teams. Be realistic) and the resume is legit no matter what criteria you use.

Look, the overall point is that the AP doesn't have it right. Through three weeks, we have seen more from Miami than Penn State. Using those same standards you can also make the argument that they should also be above Ohio State and LSU. While the Buckeyes are a stretch, the Tigers are not. With a common opponent (between LSU and Miami) in Florida coming up this week, a win should actually cause some real movement. Especially since LSU, Penn State and Ohio State are all on a bye week.