The Associated Press (AP) Top 25 college football poll underwent significant revisions this week following a series of upsets, leaving only three unbeaten teams remaining in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). No. 1 Miami is the only program in the poll to maintain its ranking from the previous week, during which every position in the Top 25 changed.
Miami, No. 6 Utah, and No. 7 UCLA are the final teams with 7-0 records. According to the AP, this represents the fewest number of undefeated teams at this stage of the season in 49 years. The current season has seen 10 top-10 teams lose in the last three weeks, including three teams ranked No. 1 or No. 2 that were defeated by unranked opponents.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, five ranked teams lost to unranked opponents. These included No. 16 Southern California, which fell 24-7 to Wisconsin, and No. 8 Texas Tech, which lost 37-24 to Cincinnati. Other results included No. 20 Northwestern moving to 6-1 after a 42-14 win over Rutgers, and New Mexico reaching 6-1, its best start since 1997, following a 21-16 victory against North Dakota State.
The scale of this shift is reflected in the 10 top-10 losses recorded over a 21-day period. For the universities involved, these rankings influence post-season revenue and bowl game eligibility. For example, New Mexico's recent success drew an attendance of 34,794, the school's largest crowd for a non-rivalry game since 2005. Experts attribute the narrowing competitive gap between traditionally dominant programs and their opponents to name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, revenue sharing, and the transfer portal.
Fans and ticket holders will notice the impact of these results in the scheduling of upcoming matchups. Miami is scheduled to visit No. 5 Notre Dame in two weeks, at the same time Utah will host No. 8 BYU. Northwestern, currently tied for No. 20, is scheduled to play No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 14. The final CFP field will be determined at the conclusion of the regular season and conference championships.