Kirk Herbstreit names college football's best 5 teams right now

As college football comes out of another very consequential slate of games, veteran analyst Kirk Herbstreit has revealed who he believes are the five best teams in the country, and Ohio State was noticeably absent from the No. 1 position.

Ohio State received 50 first-place votes in the latest AP top 25 college football rankings coming out of Saturday’s games, although they did name a new No. 3 team this week.

And that team also happens to be Herbstreit’s No. 1 heading into the second half of the regular season.

Kirk Herbstreit’s college football rankings for Week 8

1. Indiana Hoosiers

Kirk Herbstreit names college football's 5 best teams right now — Kirk Herbstreit reveals his Week 8 college football rankings. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Herbstreit revealed that he was still a little skeptical of Indiana given its relative struggles against high-quality opponents on the road, but that opinion changed after watching the Hoosiers play a physical game in a 10-point win at No. 3 Oregon.

“They didn’t beat one team with above a .500 record a year ago. Not one team, and the two that they played, they lost,” Herbstreit said on the Nonstop podcast.

“So I just thought they were a cute story. What he’s doing there at Indiana is great... They did more in 60 minutes to change my mind than they’ve done the previous year and a half. That is not easy to do, and the way they did it?”

Known for playing some flashy offense since Cignetti took over, the Hoosiers looked like a more complete football team, playing strong defense in the marquee upset.

“I have no problem putting them right now as the No. 1 team in the country. As we sit here right now, based on what they’ve accomplished and how they’ve done it, it’s hard for me not to put Indiana at 1.”

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Defense also carried the day for the reigning national champion Buckeyes in a 34-16 victory at No. 17 ranked Illinois to stay undefeated.

That’s enough for Herbstreit to project that Ohio State will face Indiana for the Big Ten championship later this season.

“We’re probably going to get that. I think by the time we get to December, it’ll be interesting to see how much Ohio State continues to grow,” Herbstreit said.

“It could be a totally different kind of question. I mean, I was going to put Ohio State at 1, Indiana at 2, and I thought, I went back and I just looked and I thought, ‘Damn. You got to give them credit.’”

Ohio State’s defense looks even better than it did last year on its national title run, turning 3 takeaways into 21 points en route to the dominant victory.

3. Miami Hurricanes

We haven’t seen the Hurricanes much recently, as they took their second idle day in three weeks, but have already impressed so much on the field to move back into No. 2 in the AP rankings, beating three ranked opponents in five games.

Led by Carson Beck, the Miami offense averages five touchdowns per game, with victories over Florida State, USF, and Notre Dame, and has a good chance to finish with an undefeated regular season record with no more currently-ranked teams left to play.

4. Texas A&M Aggies

Mike Elko brought the Aggies program to a 6-0 record for the first time since 2016 following a solid win over Florida, and they have a win at Notre Dame under their belt, but more difficult games are yet to come that will test their resolve.

“A&M is the quietest top-five team that I’ve ever seen,” Herbstreit said. “Nobody is talking about Marcel Reed and A&M. I mean, if you like old school football?”

“They’ve got great receivers now. They got a quarterback. They got two really good backs. They got an offensive line. They’re hard to beat. They just feel consistent to me. But there’s some tough games coming up.”

This defense has held its three SEC opponents all to 17 or fewer points, but a big three-game road stretch is coming at Arkansas, LSU, and Missouri that will determine which direction A&M goes in.

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders

“You have to acknowledge what Texas Tech has done,” Herbstreit said of the resurgent Red Raiders, who moved to 6-0 overall with a 3-0 mark in Big 12 play, sharing the No. 1 position in the conference standings alongside BYU.

Much has been said about the school’s investment in the roster, in particular its defense, this offseason and so far they’re getting very good returns, with this D looking like the single-best unit that Texas Tech has ever put on the field.

It ranks sixth nationally by allowing 12.2 points per game, first in FBS against the run by allowing 62 yards per game and just 2.07 yards per carry, and has 8 interceptions while surrendering under 195 yards in the air on average.

But one lingering question remains at quarterback after starter Behren Morton was injured last week against Kansas. In the meantime, Cameron Dickey picked up the slack, rushing for 263 yards and 2 TDs last time out, as Tech has won 6 straight games by 20-plus points.