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Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in USA TODAY Sports on Monday and has been republished in full below.
Clemson remains No. 1 and Central Florida breaks the top 10 at No. 9 in the final USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank before teams from the SEC enter the regular season.
UCF beat Georgia Tech 49-21 to enter American play on a high note. Behind quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who threw for more than 400 yards in the win, the Knights look the part of the best team in the Group of Five and a dark horse College Football Playoff contender.
There were no changes to the top eight. Clemson is followed by Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Notre Dame and Florida. After an uneven debut against Duke, the Fighting Irish rebounded to blank South Florida 52-0.
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Miami (Fla.) moved up six to No. 14 after a 47-37 win at Louisville moved the Hurricanes one spot ahead of No. 15 North Carolina and into third among ACC teams. High-profile transfers D’Eriq King and Quincy Roche have been as good as advertised.
After a slow weekend, the Bowl Subdivision is set to heat up with the return of the SEC, which seven teams in the Top 25 of the re-rank. The Top 25 also includes six teams from the Group of Five in UCF, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 21 Memphis, No. 23 Brigham Young and No. 24 Marshall. The Thundering Herd rose 15 spots after a 17-7 win against No. 32 Appalachian State.