College football week 8 upsets reshape top‑25 and highlight Miami’s surge

Upsets in the Big 12 and Pac‑12 knock off multiple ranked teams, opening the top‑25 to new entrants and strengthening Miami’s Heisman candidacy.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:34:24 GMT

After a weekend of upsets, Bleacher Report’s college‑football analysts updated the Top 25 rankings and identified the week’s winners and losers, noting that BYU and Texas Tech each suffered their first loss and that Miami’s offense surged in a 52‑23 win over Pitt.

What happened

Week 8 saw unranked opponents defeat several ranked programs. BYU and Texas Tech, both previously unbeaten, lost to unranked teams, turning the Big 12 race upside down. Tennessee, USC, Iowa and James Madison also fell to upset defeats. In the AP poll, Miami remained unbeaten at 7‑0, while the No. 1 ‘Canes continued to climb.

UTSA (7‑1) beat Tulane 42‑19 and moved into the top 25 at No. 25, while USC (6‑2) dropped after a 7‑24 loss at Wisconsin. Miami’s quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns in a 52‑23 rout of Pitt, and wide receiver Malachi Toney set a single‑game program record with 16 receptions for 194 yards and three scores.

What the reports add

Bleacher Report’s rankings article listed UTSA’s 42‑19 win over Tulane as the only blemish on their resume being a 30‑6 loss to Texas when they were No. 1 in the AP poll, and noted their strong rushing attack of 223 yards and six touchdowns. The same outlet’s winners‑and‑losers piece highlighted Miami’s Heisman‑candidate duo, while also detailing Texas Tech’s defensive collapse, noting that its run defense, previously ranked fifth nationally at 82.0 yards allowed per game, gave up 255 yards to Cincinnati.

What was said

Bleacher Report’s editors wrote that the Trojans were held to seven points, the fewest ever by a Lincoln Riley‑coached team, and that USC finished with negative‑17 rushing yards on 25 carries. The same outlet described Miami’s performance as “properly honoring” the 2001 championship team’s uniform and suggested that Mensah and Toney could become Heisman Trophy finalists.

How it came about

Earlier in the season, Felo News reported on week‑4 upsets that reshuffled the Top 25, and on Miami’s rise to No. 1 in the AP poll after week 7 (see Miami tops AP Poll as Week 7 upsets reshuffle Top 25). Those developments set the stage for the week‑8 turbulence, as the loss of BYU and Texas Tech removed two unbeaten teams from contention and opened the field for newcomers like UTSA.

Key facts

BYU and Texas Tech each suffered their first loss of the season to unranked opponents in week 8. (bleacherreport.com)
UTSA (7‑1) beat Tulane 42‑19 and entered the Top 25 at No. 25. (bleacherreport.com)
Miami defeated Pitt 52‑23, with quarterback Darian Mensah throwing for 386 yards and four touchdowns. (bleacherreport.com)
USC lost to Wisconsin 7‑24, finishing with negative‑17 rushing yards. (bleacherreport.com)