Week 8 of the college football season is a great example of why the 12-team playoff is going to make the final month and a half of the season very interesting. With the past four-team format, Tennessee’s victory over Alabama would have eliminated the Crimson Tide, but now they still have an outside shot if they run the table. It allows the chance for a second and maybe even a third matchup between Georgia and Texas, rather than the Bulldogs sitting in the driver’s seat to get the SEC spot in the playoff.
It also affects the bottom of the rankings as UNLV Boise State becomes a very meaningful game to start college football week 9, rather than just being a random Mountain West game that only sickos watch. Navy and Notre Dame’s game has playoff implications rather than both teams already being out of the mix. Let’s get into the full week 9 college football top 25 rankings.
1. Oregon Ducks
Oregon followed their big win over Ohio State by shutting out Purdue 35-0 on Friday night. Jordan James got the Ducks off to a hot start by rushing for two touchdowns in the first quarter, and Dillion Gabriel had another good game, throwing for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Oregon hosts Illinois in a ranked matchup this Saturday.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia entered Austin and dominated the top-ranked Longhorns in a 30-15 victory. The Bulldogs led 23-0 at the half before Texas cut the lead to 23-15 when Quinn Ewers connected with Jayden Blue following the Longhorns getting an overturned Defensive Pass Interference call on an interception. But Trevor Etienne responded for Georgia, rushing for his third touchdown of the day to seal the victory. Georgia is on bye this weekend before taking on Florida in the World’s Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville in two weeks.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State was on bye this past weekend following their come-from-behind road win at USC the previous week. The Nittany Lions head to Madison Saturday night to take on Wisconsin.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State had this past weekend off to regroup following their one-point defeat at Oregon the previous week. The Buckeyes welcome Nebraska to the horseshoe this weekend before going on the road to play Penn State the following week.
5. Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes went into Louisville and took down the Cardinals 52-45 on Saturday. Miami was led by Cam Ward, throwing for 319 yards and four touchdowns, adding to his potential Heisman case. Samuel Brown was his favorite target as the two connected for 125 yards and a touchdown. Miami hosts their biggest rival Florida State on Saturday night.
6. Texas Longhorns
Texas suffered their first loss of the season, falling 30-15 to Georgia on Saturday night. Quinn Ewers had a tough game, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles. Arch Manning came into the game for the last two drives of the first half before the Longhorns went back to Ewers in the 2nd half and threw two touchdowns. Texas looks to bounce back on the road against Vanderbilt this weekend.
7. LSU Tigers
LSU easily handled a potential let-down spot following their big win against Ole Miss, taking down Arkansas 34-10. Caden Durham led the way for the Tigers, rushing for 101 yards and three touchdowns. LSU puts their six-game win streak on the line in College Station versus Texas A&M on Saturday night.
8. Clemson Tigers
Clemson won their sixth straight game and remains undefeated in ACC play after a 48-31 home win over Virginia. Cade Klubnik threw for 308 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and Phil Mafa added two rushing touchdowns for the Tigers. Clemson is on bye this upcoming weekend.
9. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee took down Alabama at home 24-17 for the second time in three years. Dylan Sampson led the Volunteers with 139 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and then Nico Iamaleava connected with Chris Brazell II for the game-winning touchdown pass with 5:52 to play in the 4th. Tennessee is off this weekend before taking on rival Kentucky on November 2nd.
10. Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat UCF 38-35. Rocco Becht threw for a touchdown and rushed for two touchdowns, including the game-winning QB keeper with 30 seconds to play. Both defenses forced two turnovers, and UCF would have had a pick-six if not for Braeden Marshall dropping the ball at the one-yard line. But it was Jontez William’s interception for the Cyclones that sealed the game.
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame went on the road and took down Georgia Tech 31-13. After trailing 7-0, the Fighting Irish scored 31 unanswered points, including two rushing touchdowns by Riley Leonard and a pick-six by Adon Shuler. Notre Dame plays undefeated Navy in a neutral site rivalry game with playoff implications at Metlife Stadium this Saturday.
12. BYU Cougars
BYU overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Oklahoma State 38-35 to remain undefeated. Oklahoma State led an eight-minute drive in the 4th quarter to take the lead with 1:13 to play. The Cougars responded with a 76-yard drive capped off by Jake Retzlaff throwing a 35-yard touchdown to Darius Lassiter with ten seconds to play. LJ Martin also had a good game by BYU, rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The Cougars head to Orlando to take on UCF Saturday afternoon.
13. Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M went into Starkville and took down Mississippi State 34-24. Le’Veon Moss led the way for the Aggies with two touchdowns and 65 yards rushing. Texas A&M hosts LSU this Saturday night in a matchup between two teams with six-game winning streaks and undefeated in SEC play.
14. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana rolled over Nebraska 56-7 to improve to 7-0 on the year. The Hoosiers were led by Justice Ellison rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns, as well as their defense forcing five turnovers, intercepting Dylan Riola three times, and causing a strip sack. College Gameday comes to Bloomington for the first time ever next weekend, as Indiana hosts last year’s runner-up Washington.
15. Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State got a road win for the second straight week, taking down West Virginia 45-18. Avery Johnson had a great game for the Wildcats, throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns. DJ Giddens ran for 57 yards and two scores, and the Kansas State defense forced two turnovers, including a pick-six by Marques Single. The Wildcats host in-state rival Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown this Saturday.
16. Missouri Tigers
Missouri overcame a 14-point deficit to come from behind and take down Auburn 21-17. Kicker Blake Craig had Missouri’s only points until the 4th quarter when Marcus Carroll and Jamal Roberts both rushed for touchdowns, with Roberts’ score capping off a 95-yard game-winning drive with 46 seconds to play. The Tigers head to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama in a must-win game for both teams on Saturday.
17. Boise State Broncos
The Broncos were on a bye this past weekend before heading to Las Vegas Friday night to take on UNLV in a game where the winner is in poll position to get the 5th conference champion playoff spot.
18. Alabama Crimson Tide
The state of Tennessee has turned into a house of horrors for the Crimson Tide lately, as Alabama lost 24-17 to Tennessee on Saturday. The Crimson Tide have won 16 of the last 18 matchups against the Volunteers, but both losses have been the last two games in Knoxville. The Crimson Tide defense forced three turnovers, but Jaden Milroe had two interceptions, including the game-sealing pick on the final drive. Alabama hosts Missouri on Saturday, and must win-out the rest of the year if they want to have a shot at making the playoff.
19. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss was on a bye this past weekend before hosting Oklahoma in the two schools’ first contest as conference opponents on Saturday.
20. Pitt Panthers
Pitt was on a bye this past weekend before welcoming Syracuse to Acrisure Stadium on Thursday night in a game between two potential ACC dark horses.
21. Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois took down Michigan 21-7 behind two touchdowns from Luke Altmyer, one rushing and one passing. The Fighting Illini defense also played a big role in the victory as they picked off Michigan Quarterback Jack Tuttle once, as well as forcing Tuttle and Donovan Edwards to both cough up a fumble. Illinois heads to Oregon to take on the top-ranked Ducks on Saturday afternoon.
22. SMU Mustangs
SMU won 40-10 at Stanford behind Kevin Jennings, throwing for 322 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, including an 87-yard touchdown pass to Moochie Dixon. Big plays were the difference for the Mustangs, as all three touchdown passes were from 38+ yards out, which helped SMU outgain Stanford 502-206 in total yards. The Mustangs head on the road to take on Duke this Saturday night.
23. Navy Midshipmen
Navy took down Charlotte 51-17 on Saturday despite getting outgained 363-288 in total yards. The defense was the big difference for the Midshipmen, as they forced five turnovers, including two interceptions returned for a touchdown by DaShaun Peele. Offensively, Navy did not turn the ball over, and Quarterback Blake Horvath threw three touchdowns. Navy faces their toughest test of the season this Saturday, taking on Notre Dame at Metlife Stadium.
24. Army Black Knights
Army led East Carolina 24-0 at halftime and went on to win 45-28. Quarterback Bryson Daily found the endzone six times for the Black Knights with five rushing touchdowns and another passing. Kanye Udoh also rushed for 102 yards to give Army 295 total yards rushing, allowing them to possess the ball for nearly 38 of 60 minutes. Army hosts Air Force in the second of three games for the Commander in Chief Trophy.
25. Washington State Cougars
Washington State beat Hawaii 42-10 on Saturday night. John Mateer threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two more touchdowns in the second half. The Cougars defense forced three turnovers with an interception and two fumble recoveries. Washington State heads south to take on future Pac-12 opponent San Diego State on Saturday night.
Next Four Teams:
Vanderbilt Commodores: 24-14 win over Ball State last week, this week: vs. Texas
Syracuse Orange: bye last week, this week: Thursday at Pitt
UNLV Rebels: 33-25 win at Oregon State last week, this week: Friday vs. Boise State
Duke Blue Devils: last week, 23-16 win vs. Florida State, this week: vs. SMU