The first Coaches Poll of the 2026 season is out, and Miami fans have a legitimate gripe. The Hurricanes landed at No. 7 and that ranking is hard to defend.
BREAKING: College Football Preseason Coaches Poll👀https://t.co/gnEe967fmH pic.twitter.com/W2xBYGZWYe
— On3 (@On3) August 4, 2026
The case for Miami being ranked higher
The Hurricanes bring back the engine of last year's offense almost entirely intact. Darian Mensah, who led the ACC with 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns at Duke and was voted the conference's preseason Player of the Year, is now in Coral Gables for a full season. Malachi Toney, one of the most productive true freshmen in the country a year ago, returns at receiver alongside 1,000-yard target Cooper Barkate. Mark Fletcher Jr. is also back as the lead back. That's four proven, high-end pieces on offense returning together.
The losses are significant and worth a mention. Miami's top two pass rushers, Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, are both gone to the NFL, and the offensive line is breaking in several new starters, including five-star true freshman Jackson Cantwell at left tackle.
But even accounting for that turnover, Miami's defense projects to be among the better units in the country, helped by Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II stepping in at the position Bain vacated.
Put the returning core and the added pieces together, and No. 7 looks more like a mistake than anything else.
Quick facts about the Top 25
- The SEC placed the most teams in the poll with nine: Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Missouri.
- The Big Ten was close behind with eight: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Penn State, Washington and Iowa.
- Between them, the SEC and Big Ten account for 17 of the 25 ranked teams, more than two-thirds of the entire poll.
- The ACC placed just three teams: Miami, Clemson and SMU.
- The Big 12 landed four teams: Texas Tech, BYU, Utah and Houston.
- Notre Dame is the only independent in the entire poll, with all 24 other ranked teams belonging to one of the four conferences above.
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