Preseason AP Poll released and Miami Hurricanes again in thick of Top 25 hype
The Miami Hurricanes once again are right where most believe they belong: in the thick of the top 25 preseason heap — and hype.
The Associated Press released its AP preseason Top 25 college football poll Monday afternoon, and the Hurricanes are No. 14 — two spots higher than the preseason coaches poll released last week.
Vaunted Alabama, the defending national champion that meets Miami at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Sept. 4 season opener, is where everyone knew they would be: atop the college football mountain at No. 1.
The Canes, 8-3 last season, finished 2020 ranked No. 22 among the AP and coaches. Bama’s Crimson Tide is favored in Las Vegas to beat UM by 18 points. A Hurricanes win would likely catapult them up the polls. A loss, depending on how bad, would drop them, but no telling how far until after the result.
UM garnered 663 points in the AP Top 25 Poll, finishing just above No. 15 Southern Cal (660).
North Carolina (8-4 in 2020), which meets the Canes in Raleigh on Oct. 16, came in at No. 10 in the AP poll. The Tar Heels, at No. 9 in the preseason coaches poll, defeated UM 62-26 on Dec. 12 in their last meeting and finished 2020 .
Besides UNC, the only other Atlantic Coast Conference team in the AP’s preseason poll is No. 3 Clemson, 10-2 in 2020. Miami lost 42-17 at Clemson last season, but do not play the Tigers this year.
The Florida Gators (8-4 in 2020), who don’t play the Hurricanes this season, are one spot ahead of the Canes at No. 13 in the AP.
The top 10: Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, North Carolina.
Here are the full AP Top 25 preseason rankings.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 12:04 PM.
