Miami, Ohio State or BYU: Making the Case for New No. 1 Ranked Team After Wild Week 7

Five top-10 teams lost on the same Saturday for the first time in rankings history, leaving two unbeaten teams and one-loss Ohio State in contention.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah (10) takes the field before a game against the Florida State Seminoles | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Miami, Ohio State and BYU now carry the strongest claims to college football’s No. 1 ranking after Week 7 knocked off top-ranked Georgia and turned the top of the AP Top 25 into a three-team argument.

Auburn beat No. 1 Georgia 27-24, which made it the first time since October 1990 that the top-ranked team lost in consecutive weeks. It was also the first time five top-10 teams lost on the same day.

Miami’s case for No. 1

Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) warms up before a game against the Florida State Seminoles | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Miami (6-0, 4-0 ACC) is the highest-ranked unbeaten team left after a 43-35 double-overtime win over Florida State on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium. Quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Malachi Toney caught the 3-yard winner in the second overtime and then threw the 2-point conversion to Cooper Barkate.

Toney finished with 11 catches for 154 yards and two scores. Safety Bryce Fitzgerald ended the game with an interception on the final play. Florida State fell to 3-4 under embattled coach Mike Norvell, and the rivalry game was the Hurricanes’ first one-score finish of the season.

Coach Mario Cristobal’s team won 41-13 at Clemson on Oct. 3 and handled road trips to Stanford and Wake Forest. Miami also played Indiana for the national championship in January.

Can Ohio State survive without Sayin?

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (10) leaves the field in a sling following the 19-15 win over the Indiana Hoosiers | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) owns the best win in the country after a 19-15 victory at Indiana ended the defending national champion’s 22-game winning streak. Quarterback Julian Sayin hit Jeremiah Smith for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth down early in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes held on when Nick Marsh’s left foot came down out of bounds on what would have been Indiana’s go-ahead score with 1:02 left.

“Our guys never flinched,” coach Ryan Day said after the game. “They had a different look in their eye.”

The win cost Ohio State its quarterback. Day said Sayin, who entered the week as the Big Ten’s No. 1 quarterback, will miss “several weeks” with a throwing shoulder injury. True freshman Luke Fahey will start in his place. The Buckeyes also carry a 24-23 loss at Texas from Week 2, and that loss looks worse now that the Longhorns have dropped games to Oklahoma and Florida.

BYU’s case after beating Notre Dame

Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) passes against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

BYU (6-0) produced the biggest result of Week 7 with a 28-24 win over No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier ran for two touchdowns and caught another on a double pass. He then threw the go-ahead 6-yard score to Walker Lyons with 1:47 left, and BYU’s defense stopped the Fighting Irish’s final drive at the 4-yard line.

The win carries extra weight because Notre Dame arrived having won 18 straight games by 10 points or more. “We’re going to stay humble and hungry and keep working,” coach Kalani Sitake said.

The rest of BYU’s résumé is thinner. Before Saturday, the Cougars had beaten Utah Tech, Arizona, Colorado State, TCU and Iowa State, and the TCU game end 17-10.

Who deserves to be No. 1?

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal celebrates after defeating the Florida State Seminoles | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Miami should be No. 1 entering Week 8. Ohio State has the best win of the three, but it also has a loss to a Texas team that now has two defeats. The Buckeyes will also play their next stretch with a freshman at quarterback, and voters should rank the team that takes the field next, not the one that beat Indiana with Sayin.

BYU’s win over Notre Dame is the strongest single result on any of the three résumés. Still, it’s one game. Miami has outscored six opponents 291-84 and won by 28 points at Clemson.

The Hurricanes also get a chance to settle the debate on Nov. 7 at Notre Dame, the team BYU just beat. Until then, BYU belongs at No. 2, and Ohio State belongs at No. 3 until Fahey shows the offense can function without Sayin.