Miami dug deep to hold off North Carolina and keep its status as No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the third consecutive week.
asserted
Miami → dig → week
Ohio State wasn’t as fortunate, dropping nine spots to No. 11 after losing to USC in the biggest upset of the week.
asserted
State → drop → week
Florida also took a big fall, landing at No. 25 after a 28-7 loss to Georgia.
asserted
Florida → take → Georgia
It’s the first AP Top 25 appearance in program history for the Lobos.
asserted
It → ’ → Lobos
This week’s poll could set the table for the initial College Football Playoff rankings coming out Tuesday night.
uncertain
poll → set → rankings
Here’s what to know:
asserted
Here → ’ → what
Miami retains No. 1: The Hurricanes are back at No. 1 for the third straight week despite a close one against UNC.
asserted
Hurricanes → retain → UNC
Miami received 62 first-place votes.
asserted
Miami → receive → votes
Ohio State falls:
asserted
State → fall → ?
The Buckeyes are out of the top 10, dropping from No. 2 to No. 11 after an upset loss to USC.
asserted
Buckeyes → drop → USC
Welcome to the rankings: USC, Iowa, New Mexico and South Carolina cracked the Top 25 after statement-making wins on Saturday.
asserted
USC → crack → Saturday
It’s New Mexico’s debut in the AP Top 25 and South Carolina’s first ranking of the season.
asserted
It → ’ → season
Poll predictions
Miami escaped North Carolina 38-35 and should hang on to the No. 1 ranking for a third straight week.
asserted
Miami → escape → week
With Ohio State going down, No. 6 Utah is in line to crack the top five for the first time since 2019 by virtue of its 49-25 win over Cincinnati.
asserted
Utah → go → Cincinnati
Major changes probably are coming toward the bottom of the poll.
asserted
changes → come → poll
Six teams between Nos. 17 and 25 lost.
asserted
teams → lose → .
Iowa, which shut out Wisconsin 30-0 at home, should return to the rankings after a one-week absence.
asserted
which → shut → absence
USC also could return after its first top-five win since the 2017 Rose Bowl against Penn State and its highest-ranked win since it beat Oklahoma in the 2004 season’s national championship game.
uncertain
it → return → game
A Maryland student wins just by showing up
Another under-the-radar winner Saturday was mechanical engineering major Bryce Hartle.
asserted
winner → win → radar
Well, attendance-challenged Maryland football (which fired coach Mike Locksley last week) was offering free spring tuition to the winner of a raffle for students who stayed through the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Big Ten showdown against Illinois.
asserted
who → challenge → Illinois
Hartle won.
asserted
Hartle → win → ?
Maryland lost (20-17).
asserted
Maryland → lose → ?
And, if snapshots of the stadium at kickoff are any indication, the Terps might need to up the ante for the next game.
UCLA is undefeated but are the Bruins for real?
uncertain
Bruins → need → game
A Power Four team quietly takes care of business and improves to 8-0 on the season in a so-called paycheck game.
asserted
team → take → game
But that team is UCLA — a program that hasn’t won 10 games since 2013 or won its conference since 1998.
asserted
that → win → 1998
That makes it hard to see the Bruins more than a spot from No. 7 during a week in which Ohio State was the only team ahead of them to lose.
asserted
State → make → them
But what will the CFP selection committee think?
asserted
committee → think → what
Their evaluation of UCLA could be as good a sign as any as to whether they agree with the AP poll voters or are looking at completely different factors.
uncertain
they → agree → factors
There’s reason for doubt: UCLA is playing without its starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava.
asserted
UCLA → ’ → quarterback
Then again, backup Ty Dieffenbach is avoiding mistakes, throwing for a modest three touchdowns since taking over in a 17-15 win over Oregon on Oct. 10.
asserted
Dieffenbach → avoid → Oct.
How will the CFP committee view Indiana with an injured QB?
asserted
committee → view → QB
Indiana squeaked out another victory this week.
asserted
Indiana → squeak → victory
Its last three wins have all been fourth-quarter or overtime affairs decided by a touchdown or less.
asserted
wins → decide → touchdown
It also lost 19-15 to Ohio State.
asserted
It → lose → State
One factor the selection committee will look at in deciding where the defending champions belong in their first rankings is the health of Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover.
asserted
champions → look → Hoover
Hoover came into Saturday’s game against Minnesota at less than 100% with an arm injury.
asserted
Hoover → come → injury
He left at halftime and Indiana was nothing near dominant in getting past the Gophers 23-16 in overtime.
asserted
Indiana → leave → overtime
At 8-1, the Hoosiers still carry the resume of a top-six team into Tuesday’s bracket reveal, but the committee has the latitude to dock (or elevate) teams based on player availability.
asserted
committee → carry → availability
Big 12 gets back to ‘normal’ with wins from Utah, BYU, Texas Tech
All of the top four contenders in the Big 12 were in action Saturday and the results left us where we were a few weeks ago — with Utah, BYU and Texas Tech the top contenders for the title.
asserted
Utah → get → title
No. 13 Texas Tech’s 34-26 victory over No. 22 Arizona not only righted the ship in Lubbock but probably knocked the surprising Wildcats out of contention for the conference title and the automatic playoff bid that will come with it.
asserted
that → right → it
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
