Statement Saturday saw a few would-be contenders pull out important victories in conference matchups, especially in the Big Ten, while others raised some questions about their playoff viability. Now, let’s sort it all out and update the latest AP top 25 college football rankings heading into another marquee slate of Week 8 games.
Texas dominated against its arch-nemesis Oklahoma in a rousing 31-point beatdown that once again puts the Sooners’ offense, or lack thereof, under a microscope and confirms the Longhorns as the class of the SEC heading into a critical battle at home against Georgia this coming weekend.
But the AP top 25 voters have been willing to knock Texas down from its No. 1 perch already this season, after Alabama beat Georgia, and they faced a similar dilemma this week after a battle of top-5 Big Ten rivals that saw Oregon edged out Ohio State by a single point in a signature win.
Was that enough for the Ducks to jump the Longhorns? How far did Ole Miss fall out of the top-10 after an overtime loss at LSU? How far did Penn State move up in the top-10 after a comeback win at USC?
Let’s take a look at where things stand in the new and improved Top 25 college football rankings as we move into Week 8, according to AP voters.
First-place votes in parentheses
How did we do? Our prediction for the AP top 25 rankings
–
These teams received votes on AP top 25 ballots, but not enough to quality for the final rankings
Vanderbilt 68, Nebraska 62, Arizona State 39, Oklahoma 36, Washington State 32, Iowa 29, Texas Tech 18, Syracuse 13, Arkansas 13, Utah 7, Louisville 6, Southern Cal 5, Liberty 2, UNLV 1.
–
Ole Miss (Down 9). The Rebels are sliding down the rankings after a second loss in SEC play and their playoff hopes are slipping away.
LSU (Up 5). Conversely, the winner of that game is 2-0 in SEC games after taking out Ole Miss at home.
Tennessee (Down 3). AP top 25 voters weren’t impressed with how the Vols struggled at home against the unranked Gators, despite ultimately prevailing in overtime.
SMU (Up 4). Despite being idle, the Mustangs benefited from other poll movement and sit at 5-1 and looking ahead to a favorable schedule.
Ohio State (Down 2). A one-point loss to the Ducks didn’t cost the Buckeyes too dearly, as they remain firmly entrenched in the top-five.
–
It was guaranteed we would lose at least one team from the ranks of the perfect, and this week that dishonor fell to Ohio State after a 1-point loss at Oregon.
ACC: Miami, Pittsburgh
Big Ten: Oregon, Penn State, Indiana
Big 12: BYU, Iowa State
SEC: Texas
AAC: Army, Navy
CUSA: Liberty
More … ESPN updates Top 25 rankings for Week 8
And … Week 8 Coaches Poll top 25 rankings
–
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
ATLANTA (AP) — Any adjustments to the College Football Playoff for next season, including a potential tweak in the way byes are awarded, would have to take pl
We might as well not even play Monday night's national championship game in Atlanta between Notre Dame and Ohio State.Save everyone the time and just hand Ryan
Kaoru Mitoma rewrote the record for most goals by a Japanese football player in the English Premier League on Sunday as he starred for Brig
Football fans having blast before CFP championship Fans are having a blast even before the College Football Playoff National Championship, and some of them do