On Saturday, the Miami Hurricanes toppled the Pittsburgh Panthers 52-23 to remain undefeated. The Hurricanes continue to stay on top of the AP Poll after Georgia and Indiana lost their first games of the 2026 college football season to Auburn and Ohio State, respectively. Miami has five games on the docket. Can the Hurricanes remain undefeated and stay at the top of the AP Poll for the rest of the 2026 season?
In their final five games, Miami will face UNC, Notre Dame, Duke, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. Out of those five teams, the only team ranked in the AP Top 25 is Notre Dame. That matchup already shows the Hurricanes as the underdogs, two weeks before the game actually takes place, and with the Fighting Irish playing at home, Miami will need to step up in a big way to knock Notre Dame down the AP Poll and hand them their second loss of the year. Last season, the Hurricanes took a 27-20 win over the Fighting Irish during both teams’ first game of the season. Notre Dame would finish 10-2 and somehow miss the 2025 College Football Playoffs, something many fans questioned. However, this season, Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr is in the Heisman Trophy conversation with 1,639 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and one interception, with a completion percentage of nearly 67%.
However, any team could potentially try to dethrone the Hurricanes from that top spot. Teams like UNC, Virginia Tech, and Boston College have all improved from a season ago. UNC went toe-to-toe with Notre Dame a few weeks ago, Virginia Tech amassed 73 points during their first game of the season against VMI, and Boston College’s roster has strengthened significantly. If the Hurricanes aren’t on their A-game, one of these unranked teams could do the impossible.
The play of Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney will be extremely important over the next few weeks. It already seems like their relationship on the field is at full strength; however, they must continue to strive for greatness and do whatever it takes to give Miami’s offense a score nearly every time around. Just like Carr, both Mensah and Toney are in the Heisman conversation and will like to continue that trend with only five games remaining. The 21-year-old quarterback has recorded 2,152 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and one interception. His 81% completion percentage reigns in college football, and if Mensah can continue the trend, he’ll pass Bo Nix’s 2023 completion percentage record. For Toney, he’s totaled 952 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games. On Saturday against Pittsburgh, the 19-year-old had 16 catches, surpassing Miami’s record and almost breaking college football’s record for most catches in a single game. This duo has been big and will need to continue playing a huge part in Miami’s offense.
In my opinion, there’s a good chance Miami does remain undefeated and stays on top of the AP Poll. Their biggest challenge will undoubtedly be playing Notre Dame on the road. That game may have implications for what the 2026 College Football Playoffs will look like. If they can get past the Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 7th, there’s a high percentage that the Hurricanes can close out the season undefeated and claim the top spot in the AP Poll and in the College Football Playoffs.
