Week 8 of the college football season was almost as eventful as Week 7 and significant adjustments to The Associated Press Top 25 are likely when the poll is released Sunday afternoon.
No. 2 BYU, No. 7 Mississippi and No. 8 Texas Tech were top-10 teams knocked off, and BYU and Tech were among five teams in the poll that lost to unranked opponents Saturday.
Last week, five of the top seven teams lost on the same day in a regular season for the first time in the poll's 90-year history.
No. 1 Miami took care of business in its first game atop the poll since 2002. The Hurricanes routed Pittsburgh 52-23 behind the prodigious production of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney.
BYU's 39-31 double-overtime loss at UCF cleared the way for No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Georgia — all idle — to each move up a spot.
Then it could get tricky for voters. Much depends on how far BYU drops following its first loss, which came on the road a week after it knocked off then-No. 2 Notre Dame. It also will be interesting to see how No. 6 Indiana is judged for its unimpressive offensive performance in a 13-6 overtime win at unranked Michigan.
No. 9 UCLA, which beat Michigan State to improve to 7-0, would have its highest ranking since 2015 if it moves up two spots and highest since 2001 if it moves up three.
No. 10 Utah, which has won 13 straight after beating No. 14 Houston, also should get a promotion. No. 12 Kentucky is in line to earn its first top-10 ranking in four years after beating Vanderbilt.
No. 15 Iowa and No. 16 Southern California will drop after road losses. Minnesota knocked off the Hawkeyes, and Wisconsin beat the Trojans.
Oklahoma State, which beat Colorado soundly, is set to return to the rankings if a spot opens. New Mexico could be in line for its first-ever ranking after defeating North Dakota State in a key Mountain West game.
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Pittsburgh quarterback Holden Geriner (15) gets tackled while scrambling by Miami defensive lineman DeAnthony Lafayette (88), defensive back Isaiah Taylor (28), defensive tackle Jarquez Carter (91), and defensive lineman Isaac Chukwurah (52) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
UCLA defensive back Malik Hartford, right, celebrates with defensive back Scooter Jackson after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
After weeks of assailing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in rallies across the country, President Donald Trump on Sunday is bringing his midterm barnstorming to Michigan, where Republicans see a chance to pick up an open seat on Election Day.
El-Sayed, a onetime public health official, faces Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman backed by Trump in the Nov. 3 race to succeed retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
“We don't want to see a jihadist senator,” Trump told reporters as he left for Michigan. “We don’t want to see a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in our center.”
El-Sayed has repeatedly disavowed unproven claims by Republicans that he is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic movement with branches that the U.S. government has designated as terrorist organizations. The claims by Republicans have been denounced by Democrats as attacks on El-Sayed's faith and his Egyptian heritage. El-Sayed would be the first Muslim senator if elected.
Trump’s planned visit to Port Huron follows former Democrat President Barack Obama's appearances Saturday in Michigan and Ohio for his party's candidates. It will be Trump's latest stop on a packed campaign schedule to bolster Republicans on the midterm ballot as the GOP is weighed down by voters' frustration with the economy and the war with Iran.
Unlike Trump’s earlier trips to Republican-controlled states where his party is on defense, the GOP has not won a Senate race in Michigan for more than three decades. El-Sayed has taunted Trump, encouraging him to come to Michigan in the belief that a visit would backfire on Rogers.
“Donald, if you’re watching, don’t wuss out, man,” El-Sayed said. The progressive, who won a divisive primary in August, has said the country needs to “turn the page on Donald Trump.”
The campaign has been one of the most contentious this year.
During their second and final general election campaign debate, Rogers questioned El-Sayed's loyalty to the United States.
“Are you for America, or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?” Rogers asked.
El-Sayed said that questioning was “shameful.”
“I’m proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray,” he said.
Rogers denied that his criticisms were rooted in religion, saying “you can pray any way you want.”
Trump has referred to El-Sayed as “Mohammed” and said he “goes back to the days of the jihad.”
El-Sayed has faced criticism for his own rhetoric, particularly when he said “hurt people hurt people” after an attack on a synagogue in the Detroit area. The attacker had lost four relatives in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon the week earlier. El-Sayed later apologized, saying he was not trying to justify what happened.
“To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I’m really sorry," he said. "That was not my intention.”
The significance of El-Sayed’s candidacy has grown beyond Michigan, with Republicans casting him as a symbol of a radicalizing Democratic Party. Meanwhile, progressives hope that he will help demonstrate their clout in a swing state, which could shape how the 2028 presidential primary unfolds.
El-Sayed previously served as a public health official in Detroit’s Wayne County and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018.
Rogers lost the 2024 Senate race to then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin by less than a percentage point.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Former President Barack Obama, center, joined by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, left, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson raise hands during a campaign event at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan Democratic candidate, for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers appears during a campaign event Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Sterling Heights, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
