Miami rises to No. 4 in both polls after 52-3 win over Central Michigan

Miami's 52-3 rout of Central Michigan pushed the Hurricanes two spots up the AP Top 25 and one spot up the Coaches Poll, leaving them fourth in each.

Miami played its first Saturday game of the 2026 season on September 26 and turned the occasion into a showcase, defeating Central Michigan 52-3 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Every one of the Hurricanes' earlier outings this fall had been scheduled away from college football's traditional day. Head coach Mario Cristobal's team delivered a thoroughly one-sided performance.

Central Michigan scored first, taking a 3-0 lead before Miami settled in during the opening quarter. The remainder of the half belonged to the home side, which rolled off 35 unanswered points for a 35-3 cushion at the break. The Chippewas never scored again, and Miami kept adding to a run of 52 unanswered points through the 52-3 final.

Penalties were the lone blemish on an otherwise clean performance. Miami drew 13 flags for a combined 107 yards — a total that never threatened the outcome, but one that left an obvious area to address in the week ahead.

Both major polls were released Sunday, one day after the victory, and each rewarded Miami. The Hurricanes climbed two places to No. 4 in the Week 5 AP Top 25 and rose one spot to fourth in the Coaches Poll, giving them identical positions in the two surveys.

Those climbs came at different teams' expense. In the AP Poll, Miami leapfrogged both Ole Miss and Indiana; in the Coaches Poll, it passed Indiana alone. Ole Miss helped open the door by falling 52-28 to Florida in Gainesville on Saturday.

Indiana also won, edging Northwestern 29-23 at home, but the manner of the victory did the Hoosiers no favors. Northwestern was the first Power Four opponent on Indiana's schedule this season, and the narrow escape appeared to cost the Hoosiers support in the rankings.

Wake Forest produced the weekend's notable upset, winning 30-27 at then-No. 16 Louisville, yet the Demon Deacons were left outside both Top 25s. Kentucky, by contrast, holds the No. 24 spot in the AP Poll at 3-1, even though Alabama handed the Wildcats a 45-17 defeat on their home field earlier this season.

The polls carry no formal authority at this point in the season; the postseason field is determined later by a selection committee. Even so, a ranking established in September can shape how a team is viewed over the weeks that follow.

Clemson comes next, meeting Miami on Saturday night. The Tigers ride a two-game ACC winning streak but remain unranked, with a 51-10 loss to LSU earlier this season on their record. For Clemson, the game is a chance to enter the poll conversation; for Miami, it is an opportunity to defend a newly earned No. 4 standing.