Week 8 College Football Power Rankings: Alabama Still #1, Georgia Falls

College football saw their first major upset after South Carolina knocked off Georgia. A lot of top teams won their games and took advantage. Here is this weeks college football power rankings.

1. Alabama

last week: Won at Texas A&M 47-28
next week: vs. Tennessee

Another impressive win for the Crimson Tide. Tua Tagovailoa didn’t have his best game as he completed 62 percent of his passes and threw an interception, but he did have four touchdowns. The defense forced a turnover and made it difficult for the Aggies to do anything on offense.

2. Ohio State

last week: Bye
this week: at Northwestern

Off week for the Buckeyes. They travel to Northwestern before a heavyweight showdown with Wisconsin. Ohio State doesn’t want to sleep on Northwestern. Evanston, IL will lull a team to sleep if they aren’t focused.

3. LSU

last week: Won vs. Florida 42-28
next week: at Mississippi State

The Tigers were in a battle before they finally pulled away late. The LSU offense has been incredible since moving to a spread-style. Joe Burrow had another incredible game, and this time, it was against an elite SEC defense. All eyes look to Alabama in November.

4. Oklahoma

last week: Won vs. Texas 34-27
next week: vs. West Virginia

What a sloppy win for Oklahoma. The Sooners had 200 more yards of offense to Texas and they only won by seven. Two turnovers and 3-for-12 on third down will do that to a team. Let’s see if Oklahoma can make the proper adjustments, so this doesn’t happen again.

5. Clemson

last week: Won vs. Florida State 45-14
next week: at Louisville

Trevor Lawrence’s shoulder must be fine. Clemson had an impressive win over Florida State to silence a lot of questions that were being asked about the team. Their schedule does them no justice. It’s not their fault, but they should be penalized for poor performances the rest of the way.

6. Wisconsin

last week: Won vs. Michigan State 38-0
next week: at Illinois

Michigan State doesn’t have an elite offense, but they do have an elite defense, and Wisconsin put up 38 points on them. The Badgers had over 400 yards of offense, and although Jonathan Taylor had less than 100 yards, he still had two touchdowns for them. The Badgers should be fine in a lookahead spot at Illinois next week.

7. Penn State

last week: Won at Iowa 17-12
next week: vs. Michigan

Penn State was able to get it done in a very difficult environment. The win wasn’t the prettiest, but there is no such thing as a pretty win when Big Ten teams are involved. They converted 52 percent on third down, which helped them secure the victory. Their big test comes next week vs. Michigan.

8. Georgia

last week: Loss vs South Carolina 20-17 2OT
next week: vs. Kentucky

The first major upset in college football. Jake Fromm looked horrible. He threw three interceptions and completed 55 percent of his passes. If Fromm can’t get the job done, then they’re going to struggle to get into the playoff. They first need to get through the SEC gauntlet without another loss.

9. Notre Dame

last week: Won vs. USC 30-27
next week: Bye

Brian Kelly played not to lose against USC and got the job done. Although it became closer than expected, Notre Dame always kept the game just out of the Trojans reach. The Irish can win out, given their schedule. They might need a few Georgia-esque losses to give them a chance at the top four.

10. Oregon

last week: Won vs Colorado 45-3
next week: at Washington

Oregon’s defense showed how impressive it was against Colorado. The Ducks really do have all the pieces for a playoff team, and not too many college football fans realize this. They are another team that will need help, but if they win out, they might find themselves right there at the end of the season.

11. Florida

last week: Loss at LSU 42-28
next week: at South Carolina

The Gators put up a fight in death valley. Unfortunately, for Florida, they couldn’t do enough in the second half against LSU. Kyle Trask still had a good game and has been playing well since stepping into the role. This might not be the last time we see this team on the national stage.

12. Utah

last week: Won at Oregon State 52-7
next week: vs. Arizona State

No surprise, the Utes took care of business against the Beavers. They have a date with the Sun Devils at home next weekend. That should be a better test to see if the Utes can make a case for best team in the Pac-12.

13. Auburn

last week: Bye
next week: at Arkansas

The bye came at a great time for Auburn. After a loss to Florida, and Bo Nix playing poorly, they can reset for the second half of SEC play. Playing the Razorbacks can get the mojo back into this team.

14. Baylor

last week: Won vs Texas Tech 33-30 2OT
next week: at Oklahoma State

The Bears needed two overtimes to get a win here, but they did it nonetheless. Such a sloppy game out of the Baylor offense. Texas Tech put up 500 yards of offense, and Baylor didn’t really have an answer. A team that looked so good on that side of the ball now looks vulnerable.

15. Michigan

last week: Won at Illinois 42-25
next week: at Penn State

After going up 28-0, Michigan allowed Illinois within four late. Luckily, they held them off in their victory. Maybe Harbaugh let off in the second half because of the date they have next week with the Nittany Lions. Michigan’s season is on the line with them next week.

16. Texas

last week: Loss vs. Oklahoma 34-27
next week: vs. Kansas

Texas was never really in this game against Oklahoma, despite the score. The Longhorns defense has a lot of questions that need to be answered. They are worst in the Big 12 in yards per play, and just allowed 7.7 ypp against the Sooners. Texas might see another loss before the season is over.

17. Mizzou

last week: Won vs. Ole Miss 38-27
next week: at Vanderbilt

Kelly Bryant threw for 329 yards in their win vs. Ole Miss. The Tigers have looked impressive since their debacle in Wyoming, which is why they’re ranked so highly. A date with Georgia November 9 will be the true test for this team.

18. Iowa State

last week: Won at West Virginia 38-14
next week: at Texas Tech

Brock Purdy is still undefeated against the spread in October. They only lost two games by three points this season. Don’t be surprised if they make a run the second half of the season. They have the talent to pull an upset off.

19. Washington

last week: Won at Arizona 51-27
next week: vs Oregon

After a slow start, the Huskies got it done in the desert. They should’ve saved some of those points for next because points are going to hard to come by against this Ducks defense. Chris Peterson will still have his offense ready for a big time showdown next weekend.

20. Minnesota

last week: Won vs. Nebraska 34-7
next week: at Rutgers

Don’t look now, but they’re playing undefeated football in Minneapolis. What was supposed to be a tough game for the Golden Gophers ended up being a dominating performance. P.J. Fleck has this young Gophers squad playing great football.

21. Arizona State

last week: Won vs. Washington State 38-34
next week: at Utah

After going down 10-0 in the first quarter, Arizona State came back to beat the Cougars. The Sun Devils have played impressive football under Herm Edwards, including a win at Michigan State this season. Jayden Daniels threw for over 350 yards on Saturday, and has looked solid so far.

22. Oklahoma State

last week: Bye
next week: vs. Baylor

Oklahoma State will have a big test vs. a Baylor team that looked horrible on defense Saturday. The Cowboys rank 13 in offensive S&P+, so if Baylor’s true defense shows up, then this could be an interesting matchup for the Oklahoma State offense.

23. Texas A&M

last week: Loss vs. Alabama 47-28
next week: at Ole Miss

Texas A&M is 3-3. They’re three losses are Clemson, Auburn, and Alabama. Sometimes life isn’t fair. The Aggies are still a very good team, and should finish with eight or so wins, but it has to be tough with the schedule they’ve had the last two seasons.

24. Michigan State

last week: Loss at Wisconsin 38-0
next week: Bye

Sparty hasn’t looked great the last two weeks. Brian Lewerke has played poorly at quarterback, and if Michigan State can’t move the ball, then they aren’t going to be in many games. Their defense has been on the field so much that the minutes add up. Mark Dantonio needs to address their QB need asap.

25. Iowa

last week: Loss vs. Penn State 17-12
next week: vs. Purdue

This is still a good football team. Penn State was just better Saturday. They face Purdue and Northwestern before their schedule heats up with Wisconsin and Minnesota. Iowa may still have something to say about the Big Ten West champion before it’s all said and done.