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Poll Watch: Miami Inches Closer to the Top 5 During Bye Week

The Miami Hurricanes had the week off but, it didn’t stop them from rising in the polls this weekend.

Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Another week and another top 10 team goes down. Also, another week and another loss for Spencer Rattler’s Oklahoma Sooners. The reason we love college football so much is because each week, everything is on the line. One week you think you’re the number one team in the state of Florida and then the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes kick you back into the basement. From UNC’s Trey Morrison saving an undefeated season with 2-point conversion INT to Keontay Ingram’s fumble at the 1-yard line to put the nail the coffin for the Texas Longhorns, it’s truly a game of inches. It only takes a few key plays to make the difference between playoff dreams and rankings nightmares.

The AP Top 25

Texas A&M vs Alabama Photo by UA Athletics/Collegiate Images/Getty Images

1.Clemson Tigers

2.Alabama Crimson Tide

3.Georgia Bulldogs

4.Florida Gators

5.Notre Dame Fighting Irish

6.Ohio State Buckeyes

7.Miami Hurricanes

8.North Carolina Tar Heels

9.Penn State Nittany Lions

10.Oklahoma State Cowboys

11.Cincinnati Bearcats

12.Oregon Ducks

13.Auburn Tigers

14.Tennessee Volunteers

15.BYU Cougars

16.Wisconsin Badgers

17.LSU Tigers

18.SMU Mustangs

19.Virginia Tech Hokies

20.Michigan Wolverines

21.Texas A&M Aggies

22.Texas Longhorns

23.Louisiana Ragin Cajuns

24.Iowa State Cyclones

25.Minnesota Golden Gophers

Other teams receiving votes: Kansas State 142, USC 115, Mississippi State 112, UCF 112, TCU 97, Marshall 49, Tulsa 46, Utah 30, Iowa 26, Coastal Carolina 25, Oklahoma 20, North Carolina State 18, Ole Miss 18, UAB 15, Army 14, West Virginia 13, Memphis 12, Arkansas 11, Pittsburgh 7, Virginia 5, Arizona State 5, Washington 4, Air Force 4, Indiana 1

The Coaches Poll

Auburn vs Georgia Photo by Tony Walsh/Collegiate Images/Getty Images

1.Clemson Tigers

2.Alabama Crimson Tide

T-3.Florida Gators

T-3. Georgia Bulldogs

5.Notre Dame Fighting Irish

6.Ohio State Buckeyes

7.Miami Hurricanes

8.Penn State Nittany Lions

9.North Carolina Tar Heels

10.Oklahoma State Cowboys

11.Cincinnati Bearcats

12.Tennesee Volunteers

13.Auburn Tigers

14.Wisconsin Badgers

15.Bringham Young Cougars

16.LSU Tigers

17.Oregon Ducks

18.Virginia Tech Hokies

19.Michigan Wolverines

20.Texas A&M Aggies

21. SMU Mustangs

22.Texas Longhorns

23.Louisiana Ragin Cajuns

24.Iowa State Cyclones

25.UCF Knights

Other teams receiving votes: Minnesota (120) 0-0; Mississippi State (120) 1-1; USC (112) 0-0; Kansas State (86) 2-1; TCU (58) 1-1; Oklahoma (53) 1-2; Army West Point (51) 3-1; Marshall (46) 2-0; Iowa (39) 0-0; Coastal Carolina (38) 3-0; Utah (36) 0-0; Arkansas (35) 1-1; Memphis (35) 1-1; Pittsburgh (32) 3-1; Boise State (30) 0-0; West Virginia (30) 2-1; UAB (25) 3-1; Ole Miss (24) 1-1; NC State (17) 2-1; Arizona State (16) 0-0; Tulsa (15) 1-1; Air Force (13) 1-0; Kentucky (11) 0-2; Virginia (8) 1-1; Washington (8) 0-0; Boston College (5) 2-1; California (5) 0-0; Nebraska (5) 0-0; Stanford (4) 0-0; Baylor (2) 1-1; Liberty (1) 3-0

Analysis

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 03 Virginia at Clemson Photo by Dannie Walls/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

There are several teams in the top ten that have predominantly looked the part each week. The Alabama Crimson Tide and annoyingly, the Florida Gators, are among them. Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts, and Kadarius Toney continue to impress through the Gators’ two weeks of SEC play. Speaking of the SEC, Stetson Bennett appears to be the right man for the job at Georgia. He had an efficient night at against Auburn. He was 17-28, for 240 yards, and 1 TD in his starting debut.

Six teams lost to unranked opponent this week. Which caused some real up and down movement amongst the polls. It also came just in time for Oklahoma State. The undefeated Cowboys jumped 9 spots in the Coaches Poll. Their rise puts them in the top 10 in both polls. In contrast, UCF dropped 13 spots on the same poll and Oklahoma remains is off both polls for the first time since 2016.

Now let's get to the game that we all watched and the number one team in the country, Clemson. Trevor Lawrence proved too much for the Virginia Cavaliers. He posted a night of 329 yards and 3 TDs. Virginia also couldn’t keep tabs on Travis Etienne who has 187 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs (one receiving and one rushing).

The Miami Hurricanes will be taking on the No. 1 Clemson Tigers this Saturday night in primetime. It will be the first matchup for the schools since the 2017 ACC Championship game. Clemson is currently on a two game win streak in the series. Miami holds the lead in the matchup with 6 wins overall.