College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll for Week 8
As the dust settles around the latest slate of games on Saturday, let's look ahead to the next AP top 25 college football rankings
Note: this isn't our ranking of the best teams, but our prediction for how top 25 voters will slot them in the official poll
College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll for Week 8
Predicting the next AP top 25 college football rankings
25. North Carolina. A now 6-1 team playing behind one of college football's premier passers could sneak into the rankings this week after beating Duke.
24. NC State. A loss at Syracuse and at quarterback, with Devin Leary injured and out for the year, is enough for the Wolfpack to fall, but still cling to a spot in the rankings for now.
23. Kansas. Dropping a second game could dump the Jayhawks from the poll, but you can make a case they still belong. But only just.
22. Illinois. A statement win over Minnesota puts the Illini and their stout rushing attack in the lead for the Big Ten West and their best start since 2011.
21. Cincinnati. Idle this week, the Bearcats have two road games coming up in the AAC, going to SMU and then UCF.
20. Utah. A huge win at home over USC, clinched by a dramatic 2-point conversion, should be enough to stay put in the new rankings.
19. Texas. A slight drop-off after destroying OU last week, but the Longhorns eked out a close win at home over Iowa State to move to 5-2.
18. Mississippi State. That three-game win streak is over after falling to Kentucky and running for just 22 yards and a 2.2 ypc average.
17. Kentucky. The return of Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez' 2 rushing scores helped UK hold off Mississippi State, grounding the Air Raid to just three first-half points.
16. Kansas State. Another team in the rankings off this week, and good timing, too, with a date at TCU coming up next.
15. Penn State. A once-respected rushing defense got cut in half by Michigan's backs and now the Lions have to hope there isn't another second-half collapse coming.
14. Wake Forest. Off this weekend, the Deacons could stay put or nudge up a spot thanks to some other movement in this week's rankings. Just 6 points keep this team from being undefeated and there are very winnable games coming up in the ACC slate.
13. Syracuse. This is the Orange's best start since 1987, moving to 6-0 and sitting at 2nd in the division behind Clemson, next weekend's opponent.
12. Oregon. Since the Georgia debacle, the Ducks are a perfect 5-0 and have scored 40-plus points each time out, but next Saturday is a major tilt against UCLA.
11. Oklahoma State. The Pokes lost a big lead after scoring just 6 points in the second half and this solid defense had no answers for TCU's elite targets late in the game, falling to 5-1 on the year.
10. USC. Some sloppy defense doomed the Men of Troy to their first loss, at Utah, and now there's concern around Jordan Addison, the star receiver who left the game with an injury.
9. UCLA. Idle this week, the Bruins have one of the game's best skill groups with the power to create space and the speed to occupy it. Now comes that trip to Oregon next Saturday.
8. TCU. The Frogs looked cooked at home to Okie State, but mounted a frantic comeback, forcing two overtimes, and pulling out the win behind its stellar skill group, college football's third-best.
7. Alabama. A shootout loss at Tennessee puts the Tide out of the College Football Playoff picture right now. There's plenty of time to recover, but only if this secondary can tighten things up and Bama can cut down on the flags.
6. Ole Miss. The Rebs rolled up almost 450 yards in a win over Auburn to stay perfect through 7 games, but the really hard part of the schedule is still to come in the SEC West.
5. Michigan. The maize and blue are kickin' it old school behind a powerful ground attack that stacked up 418 yards on Penn State in a rout.
4. Clemson. An important win over Florida State on the road keeps the Tigers undefeated and the favorites in the ACC this week. But not as important as another orange-clad team coming out of the SEC.
3. Tennessee. Expect another big jump after the Vols made the statement of the season, taking down Alabama in a shootout at home and moving into SEC East contention, if not for the College Football Playoff itself. The nation's top ranked offense looks unstoppable right now.
2. Ohio State. Idle this week, the Buckeyes should stay put owing to Georgia's dominant win and with the current No. 3 team going down. College football's No. 2 total offense gets a rest with Iowa and Penn State next on the schedule.
1. Georgia. No change expected for the reigning No. 1 team after the Bulldogs demolished Vanderbilt at home and now looking more its old self, but there's the Florida game next and three likely ranked teams after that, including a major tilt with Tennessee, at Mississippi State, and at Kentucky.