A dramatic weekend of college football has upended the national landscape, catapulting the Miami Hurricanes to No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll and launching the Texas Tech Red Raiders to their highest ranking since 2008. The new rankings, released on Sunday, October 5, 2025, reflect a major power shift following a chaotic Week 6 that saw two top-10 teams suffer stunning upsets.
Miami's ascent follows a convincing 28-22 road victory over rival Florida State, a win that propelled them over an idle Oregon team. The Hurricanes, who now sit only behind No. 1 Ohio State, garnered 21 first-place votes from the panel of media members, a significant jump from the four they held the previous week. The move marks Miami's highest ranking in an October poll since 2003, signaling a potential return to the national elite for the storied program.
The team's dominant performance and undefeated record have firmly placed them in the conversation for a top seed in the College Football Playoff.
Simultaneously, the Texas Tech Red Raiders made a significant leap into the top 10, landing at No. 9. This achievement marks the program's most prominent position in the AP poll since the final regular-season ranking of the memorable 2008 season. The Red Raiders' climb comes on the heels of an impressive 35-11 victory against a previously undefeated Houston team.
Now standing at a perfect 5-0, Texas Tech has distinguished itself with a series of dominant performances, winning every game this season by at least 20 points.
The poll shake-up was largely triggered by historic losses for preseason favorites. Preseason No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Penn State both fell to unranked opponents, causing them to plummet entirely out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2022. This unprecedented collapse of two blue-blood programs opened the door for teams like Miami and Texas Tech to capitalize and surge into the upper echelon of college football, reshaping the race for conference championships and a coveted spot in the 12-team playoff.
- Historical Context for Miami: The Hurricanes' return to the No. 2 spot evokes memories of the program's dynasty years. Miami has claimed five national championships (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001) and has been ranked for a total of 541 weeks in the AP poll's history.
- The last time the program was ranked this high was in November 2017. Achieving such a high ranking in October is a significant milestone, placing the team in a strong position as they navigate the remainder of their schedule, which notably features no currently ranked teams.
- Texas Tech's 2008 Season Revisited: The Red Raiders' No. 9 ranking is their best since 2008, a season revered in the program's history. The 2008 team, led by head coach Mike Leach and quarterback Graham Harrell, finished with an 11-2 record.
- That season was defined by a high-powered "Air Raid" offense that averaged 43.8 points per game and featured future Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree. The 2008 squad was part of a controversial three-way tie for the Big 12 South Division title and ultimately played in the Cotton Bowl.
- Major Poll Chaos: The weekend's most significant story was the complete exit of Texas and Penn State from the rankings. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 before losing to unranked opponents, with Penn State falling to a previously winless UCLA and Texas losing to Florida.
- Penn State's drop from No. 7 out of the poll was one of the largest in the poll's history. This volatility created significant movement, allowing six teams ranked between Nos. 14-19 to each jump five spots.
- The Big 12 Landscape: Texas Tech's rise to No. 9 establishes them as a clear frontrunner for the Big 12 Conference title and a potential playoff berth.
- The Red Raiders are one of four Big 12 teams in the current AP Top 25, joined by No. 18 BYU, No. 21 Arizona State, and No. 22 Iowa State. With an undefeated 5-0 record and a powerful offense, the team appears to be the conference's strongest contender as the season approaches its midpoint.
- College Football Playoff Implications: A high mid-season AP ranking is a strong indicator of a team's potential to make the 12-team College Football Playoff. The CFP selection committee considers the AP Poll when creating its own rankings, which determine playoff seeding.
- With their new rankings, both Miami and Texas Tech are projected as conference champions and are firmly in the playoff picture, with some projections placing Miami as the No. 1 overall seed.
- The Power of Rankings on Recruiting: Consistent appearances in the Top 25, and especially the top 10, provide a significant boost to a program's national visibility and recruiting efforts.
- High rankings attract media attention and signal a culture of success, which is highly appealing to top high school prospects. This success can create a positive feedback loop, as strong recruiting classes can lead to sustained on-field performance in subsequent seasons. The newfound status for Miami and Texas Tech could pay dividends in future recruiting cycles.
