Irish Drop No. 1 Hurricanes
November 8, 2026
On October 15, 1988, Notre Dame beat the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes, 31-30. Thirty-eight years later, it took another 31-point game for the Irish to beat the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes. Notre Dame built a 24-3 lead early in the third quarter before Miami (Fla.) started making a comeback. The Hurricanes closed the deficit to seven points, once in the third quarter, and once in the fourth, but they didn’t have enough to close the deal, losing 31-24. The win moved Notre Dame up to No. 3 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll, while Miami (Fla.) dropped to No. 6.
With the Hurricanes loss, Georgia moves into the top spot after a dominating win over then-No. 12 Ole Miss, 42-7. The loss caused the Rebels to fall to No. 17. Utah beat in-state rival BYU, 28-20, and jumped to the No. 2 spot with their undefeated record still intact. Joining Utah as the only other unbeaten team is UCLA, who outlasted Minnesota, 34-20. The Bruins rise to No. 4, followed by fellow Big Ten member Indiana, who dropped two places to No. 5.
Rank School (1st votes) Pts. Prev. Rec.
1 Georgia (54) 1796 2 8-1
2 Utah (14) 1724 4 9-0
3 Notre Dame (2) 1613 6 8-1
4 UCLA (1) 1584 5 9-0
5 Indiana (2) 1557 3 8-1
6 Miami (Fla.) 1482 1 8-1
7 Alabama 1389 9 7-2
8 Texas 1287 11 7-2
9 Tennessee 1196 16 7-2
10 Texas Tech 1116 13 8-1
11 Wake Forest 1093 14 8-1
12 BYU 1008 8 7-2
13 Kentucky 913 7 7-2
14 Southern California 765 17 7-2
15 Iowa 738 20 7-2
16 Houston 732 18 7-2
17 Mississippi 529 12 6-3
18 Boise State 474 21 8-1
19 Oregon 438 NR 6-3
20 Ohio State 398 10 6-3
21 Arizona 377 22 7-2
22 LSU 368 15 6-3
23 SMU 285 24 7-2
24 South Carolina 267 NR 6-3
25 New Mexico 191 25 8-1
Dropped out: No. 19 Missouri (6-3); No. 23 Northwestern (6-3).
Others receiving votes: Duke (7-2) 172; Missouri (6-3) 147; Oklahoma State (6-3) 27; Northwestern (6-3) 17; Illinois (6-3) 13; North Texas (7-2) 7; Liberty (8-1) 6; Louisville (6-3) 6; Wisconsin (6-3) 5; Minnesota (5-4) 2; Oklahoma (5-4) 2; Air Force (7-2) 1.
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On October 15, 1988, Notre Dame beat the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes, 31-30. Thirty-eight years later, it took another 31-point game for the Irish to beat the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes. Notre Dame built a 24-3 lead early in the third quarter before Miami (Fla.) started making a comeback. The Hurricanes closed the deficit to seven points, once in the third quarter, and once in the fourth, but they didn’t have enough to close the deal, losing 31-24. The win moved Notre Dame up to No. 3 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll, while Miami (Fla.) dropped to No. 6.
With the Hurricanes loss, Georgia moves into the top spot after a dominating win over then-No. 12 Ole Miss, 42-7. The loss caused the Rebels to fall to No. 17. Utah beat in-state rival BYU, 28-20, and jumped to the No. 2 spot with their undefeated record still intact. Joining Utah as the only other unbeaten team is UCLA, who outlasted Minnesota, 34-20. The Bruins rise to No. 4, followed by fellow Big Ten member Indiana, who dropped two places to No. 5.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Pts. | Prev. | Rec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia (54) | 1796 | 2 | 8-1 | |
| 2 | Utah (14) | 1724 | 4 | 9-0 | |
| 3 | Notre Dame (2) | 1613 | 6 | 8-1 | |
| 4 | UCLA (1) | 1584 | 5 | 9-0 | |
| 5 | Indiana (2) | 1557 | 3 | 8-1 | |
| 6 | Miami (Fla.) | 1482 | 1 | 8-1 | |
| 7 | Alabama | 1389 | 9 | 7-2 | |
| 8 | Texas | 1287 | 11 | 7-2 | |
| 9 | Tennessee | 1196 | 16 | 7-2 | |
| 10 | Texas Tech | 1116 | 13 | 8-1 | |
| 11 | Wake Forest | 1093 | 14 | 8-1 | |
| 12 | BYU | 1008 | 8 | 7-2 | |
| 13 | Kentucky | 913 | 7 | 7-2 | |
| 14 | Southern California | 765 | 17 | 7-2 | |
| 15 | Iowa | 738 | 20 | 7-2 | |
| 16 | Houston | 732 | 18 | 7-2 | |
| 17 | Mississippi | 529 | 12 | 6-3 | |
| 18 | Boise State | 474 | 21 | 8-1 | |
| 19 | Oregon | 438 | NR | 6-3 | |
| 20 | Ohio State | 398 | 10 | 6-3 | |
| 21 | Arizona | 377 | 22 | 7-2 | |
| 22 | LSU | 368 | 15 | 6-3 | |
| 23 | SMU | 285 | 24 | 7-2 | |
| 24 | South Carolina | 267 | NR | 6-3 | |
| 25 | New Mexico | 191 | 25 | 8-1 |
Dropped out: No. 19 Missouri (6-3); No. 23 Northwestern (6-3).
Others receiving votes: Duke (7-2) 172; Missouri (6-3) 147; Oklahoma State (6-3) 27; Northwestern (6-3) 17; Illinois (6-3) 13; North Texas (7-2) 7; Liberty (8-1) 6; Louisville (6-3) 6; Wisconsin (6-3) 5; Minnesota (5-4) 2; Oklahoma (5-4) 2; Air Force (7-2) 1.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
