Hurricanes won when other top teams lost. They were rewarded in AP poll as a result
It was another hectic, chaotic win for the Miami Hurricanes in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday.
Win is the key word, considering how things shook out in the college football landscape this weekend.
And the Hurricanes were rewarded for it in the Associated Press top-25 poll.
Miami checked in at No. 6 in the latest edition of the AP poll on Sunday, up two spots from last week.
Miami rallied from down 25 points midway through the third quarter to beat the Cal Golden Bears 39-38 at California Memorial Stadium to improve to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.
Quarterback Cam Ward led the Hurricanes to touchdown drives on each of their final four possessions, with his 5-yard strike to tight end Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds left in regulation putting Miami ahead for good.
Miami’s win was a rare one on Saturday for a top team — and that was reflected in the poll.
Five of the top 11 teams in last week’s AP top-25 poll lost — with four of those defeats coming against unranked opponents.
The teams that lost: Then-No. 1 Alabama to unranked Vanderbilt, then-No. 4 Tennessee to unranked Arkansas, then-No. 9 Missouri to then-No. 25 Texas A&M, then-No. 10 Michigan to unranked Washington and then-No. 11 USC to unranked Minnesota.
The new top 10: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Miami, No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Clemson.
The Hurricanes began the season ranked No. 19 before moving up to No. 12 after Week 1, No. 10 after Week 2, No. 8 after Week 3 and No. 7 after Week 4 before falling to No. 8 after Week 5.
The Hurricanes are on a bye this week and then play at Louisville on Oct. 19.
The full AP top 25
No. 1 Texas Longhorns
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 3 Oregon Ducks
No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions
No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs
No. 6 Miami Hurricanes
No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide
No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers
No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels
No. 10 Clemson Tigers
T-No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones
T-No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
No. 13 LSU Tigers
No. 14 BYU Cougars
No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies
No. 16 Utah Utes
No. 17 Boise State Broncos
No. 18 Kansas State Wildcats
No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers
No. 20 Oklahoma Sooners
No. 21 Missouri Tigers
No. 22 Pitt Panthers
No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini
No. 24 Michigan Wolverines
No. 25 SMU Mustangs