David Pollack hesitantly names the No. 1 team in the country

David Pollack says Miami is No. 1 for now but still views Ohio State as the national title favorite.

College football analyst David Pollack believes the best program in the sport right now is the Miami Hurricanes. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In a season where dominant performances have emerged across multiple conferences, college football analyst David Pollack has gone on record with a bold assessment. On Friday, the Georgia alumnus said the Miami Hurricanes currently deserve recognition as the top team in college football, even though he still believes the Ohio State Buckeyes are the most likely to capture this year’s national championship.

“If you asked me to bet my paycheck that I don’t have anymore, but the biggest paycheck I’ve ever made, and you’re asking me who to put it on to win a national championship, I’ll put it on Ohio State,” Pollack said. “But if you’re asking me who the number one team in the country is, it’s Miami. What they’ve done so far, they deserve to be number one because it’s about what you’ve done on the field and how you’ve looked.”

Pollack acknowledged Miami’s dominant win over Florida State as the moment that pushed him toward his new top team. “You can look at the final score of Florida State if you want to,” he added. “They beat the crap out of Florida State. Yeah, Florida State got back in the game, but they beat the crap out of them.”

Pollack’s Updated College Football Playoff Field Favors the SEC

In his latest College Football Playoff projections, Pollack unveiled a 12-team field featuring six programs from the Southeastern Conference, a decision that reflects the league’s continued depth. His bracket placed the Ole Miss Rebels as the No. 4 seed, followed by the Oklahoma Sooners at No. 5, Texas A&M Aggies at No. 6, Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 9, Georgia Bulldogs at No. 10, and LSU Tigers at No. 11.

The Aggies would host LSU in the opening round, setting up a potential rematch of their regular-season clash in Week 9. Georgia would draw a road matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, while Alabama would face Texas Tech in Lubbock.

Ohio State may be the best team when it's all said and done

but I gotta roll with Miami for now. pic.twitter.com/LGN2Qo1U0X

— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) October 10, 2025

The Big Ten landed three playoff bids in Pollack’s projection: Ohio State at No. 2, Oregon at No. 3, and Indiana at No. 7.

Miami claimed the No. 1 overall seed, with Texas Tech slotted at No. 8 and Memphis rounding out the field as the Group of Five representative at No. 12. Pollack’s one surprise inclusion, LSU, edged out Michigan, Missouri, and Vanderbilt in his model.

Miami Football’s Rise Behind Mario Cristobal’s Vision

Pollack’s praise for Miami follows the Hurricanes’ statement win over Florida State and their 5-0 start under head coach Mario Cristobal.

The former ESPN analyst noted that Miami’s physicality, improved line play, and balance on both sides of the ball have positioned them as one of the sport’s most complete teams.

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal has his program out to a red-hot 5-0 start. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cristobal echoed that sentiment during his appearance on Pollack’s See Ball Get Ball podcast, while maintaining his focus on improvement. “When you watch us on film, we have a long way to go,” Cristobal said. “There’s a lot to get better at, but massive improvement. Looking forward to this bye week so we can get more guys in that rotation and push to another level.”

Miami now enters its second bye week of the season with a chance to refine its fundamentals before its next matchup. The Hurricanes will host the Louisville Cardinals on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.