Apparently winning by 28 points in Death Valley is not quite enough to move up.
Miami remain No. 4 in the AP Top 25 after Saturday night’s 41-13 demolition of Clemson.
The top four stay unchanged, with Texas first, Georgia second, Notre Dame third and Miami fourth.
There is, however, one interesting little addition beside Miami’s name this week.
Two first-place votes.
That probably tells us more than the unchanged ranking does.
No. 4 is fine for now
Would moving into the top three have been nice after doing that to Clemson?
Of course.
Does it actually matter on 5 October?
Not particularly.
Miami are 5-0.
They are 3-0 in the ACC.
They sit alone at the top of the conference after going into Death Valley and winning 41-13.
The Hurricanes also remain No. 4 in the Coaches Poll, so there is clearly broad agreement around where they sit nationally right now.
More importantly, Miami are now starting to receive first-place consideration.
That is a pretty decent sign that people are taking this start seriously.
Mensah still sees more out there
One of the most interesting things to come out of the Clemson win was Darian Mensah’s reaction.
Miami had just won by 28 points on the road.
Mensah had thrown for 227 yards and a touchdown, added another score on the ground and helped Miami control the second half.
And he was still frustrated about points left on the field.
That says plenty about where expectations have moved.
This is not a quarterback celebrating because Miami survived Clemson.
This is a quarterback looking at a dominant win and thinking it could have been even more convincing.
Mario Cristobal, meanwhile, praised Mensah’s command of the offence and his ability to make the correct checks in a difficult environment.
Both things can be true.
Mensah handled Clemson well.
Miami can still get better.
That is a fairly nice place to be heading into a bye week.
The bye has arrived at the right time
This is probably the most important part of the week.
Miami came out of Clemson carrying a few knocks, and the sensible approach now is patience.
Miami came out of Clemson carrying a few knocks. Matthew McCoy, Max Buchanan, Marquise Lightfoot and Ethan O’Connor all dealt with issues during the game. Several were able to return, but until Miami or Cristobal provide firmer updates, there is little value in guessing at timelines or severity.
The good news is the timing.
Miami have reached the bye at 5-0.
There is no game this weekend.
No tactical nap.
No 12:30am kick-off.
For once, UK Canes fans can watch college football without needing to calculate whether four hours’ sleep counts as recovery.
Enjoy it.
Because after the bye, Florida State is waiting.
The Last Word from Across the Pond
Miami did not move in the rankings this week, but I am not sure that matters.
The Hurricanes went into Death Valley, won 41-13 and came home 5-0 with sole possession of first place in the ACC.
They have even started collecting first-place votes.
More importantly, this team still does not appear satisfied.
Mensah is talking about points left on the field after a 28-point road win, while Cristobal now gets a bye week to help a battered roster recover and clean up the details.
No. 4 is fine for now.
Keep winning and the rankings will eventually sort themselves out.
