As we assess the damage from another busy Saturday of games across the country, let’s look forward to the top 25 AP college football rankings for Week 8.
Who is going up? Who is coming down?
Note: This is not our ranking of the top teams, but our prediction of how the top 25 voters will place them in the official poll.
Drop: No. 15 Michigan, No. 21 Arizona State, No. 22 Iowa State, No. 25 Florida State
25. Cincinnati. Just a three-point loss to Nebraska while undefeated, the Bearcats took care of UCF to improve to 3-0 in Big 12 competition. AP voters gave Cincinnati 129 votes last week to rank 26th in the poll, with a very narrow vote count at the bottom of the rankings, but the losses of other ranked teams combined with the team’s own victories Bearcats should advance them.
24. Utah. AP voters abandoned the Utes a few weeks ago after the home loss to Texas Tech, but they have bounced back since then with two very dominant performances against West Virginia, then seeded defending Big 12 champion Arizona State, topping 40 points in each of those games. Utah received 82 votes last week.
23. Nebraska. Cincinnati’s potential addition to the ballot should also herald the arrival of the now 5-1 Cornhuskers, who have this matchup in the season opener but came in behind the Bearcats in last week’s standings.
22. Memphis. This past weekend, after finally breaking into the AP top 25 last week, the undefeated Tigers are playing serious offense, averaging nearly 41 points per game, but have tough dates coming up against USF, Tulane and Navy to help sort out the USA rankings.
21. USF. A strong statement in a crowded American Conference, the Bulls pounded previously undefeated North Texas on Friday, piling up 63 points and more than 300 yards rushing, scoring 42 points in the second half to pull ahead on the road.
20. U.S.C. One of Lincoln Riley’s most impressive wins, a 31-13 result against ranked Michigan at home should be enough to move the Trojans back into the rankings heading into next week’s road game against Notre Dame.
19.Texas. A loss at Florida dropped the Longhorns to No. 27 in last week’s rankings, but a decisive win over sixth-ranked Oklahoma will be enough, especially combined with other poll moves, to put the SEC’s hopes back into the top 25.
18.Missouri. College football’s ninth-ranked scoring offense produced about half its usual output in a three-point home loss to Alabama, snapping its 15-game home winning streak, its first loss of the season before two road dates against Auburn and Vanderbilt before hosting Texas A&M after that.
17. Vanderbilt. Resting last week, the Commodores rested after their first loss of the season in a road test against Alabama, and now head into two SEC test games against LSU and Missouri that could determine how their season goes in the second half of the year.
16. Virginia. One of the few teams last Saturday, the Cavaliers are 5-1 and coming off that close win at Louisville two weeks ago, and still with that win over Florida State in their back pocket and well in the ACC title race behind an offense good for 43 points per game and with no games remaining against ranked opponents.
15. BYU. Facing him with just seconds left, the Cougars forced overtime with a spectacular touchdown, then finished the job in overtime to remain undefeated and improve to 17-2 in their last 19 games with a date against rival Utah in a week.
14. Notre Dame. CJ Carr passed for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns while Jeremiah Love rushed for 2 more scores in a 36-7 win over NC State that propelled the Golden Domers to a 4-2 overall record, winning four straight games since that 0-2 start, with a big date against USC at home next.
13. Oklahoma. A drop in the rankings is in order after the Sooners’ loss to previously unranked Texas, but not too far given their respectable 5-1 record, although wins against Michigan and Auburn aren’t as impressive, given that both lost on Saturday.
12. Georgia Tech. Haynes King ran for 2 touchdowns and Malachi Hosley added a third as the Yellow Jackets pulled away from Virginia Tech at home to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 2011 and first place in the ACC standings.
11. Tennessee. A little closer than expected, but the Vols pulled out a 3-point win over an Arkansas team undergoing a mid-season coaching change. DeSean Bishop had a career-high 146 rushing yards, but this run defense needs to tighten up with an upcoming meeting at Alabama.
10. LSU. Another sluggish offense slowed by a disappointing rushing attack, but the Tigers still earned a double-digit win over South Carolina to stay in the win column.
9. Georgia. What could have been a 17-0 deficit against Auburn if the officials had called it right instead turned into a 20-10 victory for the Bulldogs, who scored 20 unanswered points against their rival to improve to 5-1 and likely stay in the top 10 this week.
8. Oregon. Losses to other ranked teams will keep the Ducks from falling too far after a home loss to Indiana, but winning at Penn State doesn’t look as good anymore.
7. Texas Technology. Cameron Dickey had 263 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns as the Red Raiders defense was once again dominant, limiting Kansas to three scoreless quarters in a 42-17 victory. They are still the favorites in the Big 12 title race from the start.
6. Alabama. For the first time in school history, the Crimson Tide started 3-0 in SEC play with all three wins coming against ranked AP opponents, the last coming by 3 at Missouri to improve to 5-1. The loss to Florida State still hurts, especially with FSU’s decline since then, but Bama’s wins have been high quality and he should benefit from more losses.
5. Old miss. “Breakout” isn’t the word you want to use to describe your team against Washington State, but that’s what the Rebels had to do in a listless, but ultimately successful, performance to improve to 6-0, but the game’s appearance could cost them a few votes in the Week 8 standings.
4. Texas A&M. Only 15 votes separated the Aggies from the Rebels in last week’s rankings, so AP voters might be inclined to reward the former for a more impressive victory over Florida than the latter’s victory over Wazzu.
3. Indiana. Perhaps the statement of the season as the Hoosiers responded to critics who said they couldn’t beat good teams on the road, outscoring Oregon by 10 points while cementing themselves as playoff contenders, and Curt Cignetti pulling off one of the greatest program turnarounds in NCAA history.
2.Miami. Resting this past weekend, the Hurricanes should stay in second place and not get edged out by Indiana given the overall quality of their resume, beating three AP-ranked teams this season. They could get some, if not all, of Oregon’s five first-place votes.
1. Ohio State. College football’s most dominant defense turned 3 takeaways into 21 points for the offense, with Julian Sayin throwing 2 touchdowns and CJ Donaldson running for 2 more as the Buckeyes put ranked Illinois on the road to remaining undefeated.
—
