The Atlantic Line
Miami climbs to No. 2 on McMurphy's AP ballot after Week 6 as ACC teams shuffle
On3's Brett McMurphy moved idle Miami to No. 2 on his AP Top 25 ballot behind Georgia. Wake Forest and SMU are also ranked, and Pitt dropped out.
Miami moved up a spot without playing. The Hurricanes are now No. 2 on Brett McMurphy's Associated Press Top 25 ballot after Week 6, behind only Georgia. They are still the highest-ranked ACC team on his list.
McMurphy laid out the ballot for On3. The changes ahead of Miami came from a chaotic Saturday at the top. Georgia beat Alabama 20-17 on the road to take over No. 1. Texas had been McMurphy's top team, but it fell to No. 4 after a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns outgained the Sooners by nearly 150 yards and still lost, giving up two defensive touchdowns. Ohio State is No. 3 after a 45-16 win over Maryland. Notre Dame rose to No. 5, and Alabama slipped to No. 6.
The Hurricanes are 5-0 and had the week off. Quarterback Darian Mensah has thrown 15 touchdown passes without an interception, and On3 lists him among the national leaders in quarterback rating. Next up is a home game against Florida State on Saturday. Miami is trying to beat the Seminoles for a third straight time. A ranking this high puts plenty at stake in a rivalry game. A clean win would keep Miami in position for a playoff spot. A loss would give the voters who just moved it up a reason to move it back down.
McMurphy ranked two other ACC teams. Wake Forest is No. 21 at 5-1 after beating NC State 38-14 in Raleigh. The Demon Deacons now have something to show for a season that started with little national attention. SMU is No. 20 at 4-1 and did not play this week.
Pitt fell off the ballot, along with Florida and Oregon. McMurphy added USC, Mississippi State and Arizona in their place. That leaves the ACC with three ranked teams on his ballot: one near the top and two in the bottom third.
The ballot's top 10 shows what Miami is up against nationally. Indiana is 6-0 at No. 8 after quarterback Josh Hoover threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Nick Marsh to beat Nebraska 20-17. BYU is No. 9 and plays Notre Dame at home next week. Texas Tech is unbeaten at No. 10. Unbeaten UCLA is No. 11 after winning 17-15 at Oregon. McMurphy has Ole Miss at No. 7 after a 52-17 win at Vanderbilt.
The ballot isn't the same thing as a College Football Playoff projection. It still shows how one national voter sees the field halfway through the regular season. With Texas and Alabama losing, Miami's spot at No. 2 also says a lot about the ACC's chances. If the Hurricanes keep winning, the league has a strong case for a top seed. Their next test is Florida State this weekend.
