College Football Rankings: Josh Pate makes major changes to Commissioner's Poll Top 25 ahead of Week 8

As Week 8 draws near, Josh Pate has unveiled his new Commissioner’s Poll following an exciting weekend of college football action. Featuring top 25 matchups, upsets, rivalry games and more, last Saturday proved to be a pivotal week in college football.

Indiana defeated Oregon on the road to solidify itself as a national championship contender. Unranked Texas bested Oklahoma, No. 1 Ohio State stood strong against a ranked Illinois squad, and Alabama held strong against Missouri, among other key matchups and outcomes.

In response, Pate’s Top 25 is has taken shape ahead of Week 8 as the national title picture gets even more interesting. Here are the full Commissioner’s Poll rankings, as revealed on Josh Pate’s College Football Show.

1. Miami (-)

Miami knows it’s the team to beat in the ACC this season and appear poised to make the CFP for the first time ever. However, this notion may be met with caution given the ‘Canes started the 2024 season 9-0 and eventually missed out on the CFP entirely.

They have seven games left on their schedule before they can look toward the postseason. First up is a Friday night matchup against Louisville at home.

2. Ohio State (-)

Ohio State strengthened its resume in a big way this weekend with a 34-16 victory over Illinois during Week 7. The Buckeyes improved to 6-0 on the season, including 3-0 against Big Ten competition.

As it stands, the Buckeyes won’t play another ranked team until the postseason, whether that be in the conference title game or College Football Playoff remains to be seen. Their schedule has lightened give Penn State’s misfortune this season, as well as Michigan recently falling out of the AP Top 25.

3. Indiana (+6)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti agreed to a new eight-year contract worth $11.6 million per year. That contract comes off the heels of the Hoosiers signature win of the season over Oregon on the road.

While the timing also lines up with Penn State firing James Franklin, whatever the case may be — Cignetti is here to stay in Bloomington. All signs point toward Indiana making the CFP for the second-straight season.

4. Texas A&M (-)

Texas A&M’s 34-17 win over Florida during Week 7 improved the Aggies to 6-0 on the season, including 3-0 against SEC competition. It’s the first time Texas A&M is 6-0 since the 2016 season.

They’ll travel to Arkansas this weekend to kick off a three-game road trip, which has two ranked matchups on the back end against No. 10 LSU and No. 16 Missouri. Each of those games are opportunities to move further up Pate’s list.

5. Texas Tech (+2)

The Red Raiders have turned into the team in beat in the Big 12 Conference almost overnight thanks to their efforts in the recruiting and transfer portal this offseason. They’ve put their money where their mouth is, backing up their bucks by producing the conference’s most dynamic offense.

The Nov. 8 matchup against BYU will be critical to the Red Raiders’ playoff push. However, there’s a decent chance the two end up playing in the conference championship game several weeks after that.

6. Alabama (+2)

Alabama’s season could have ended up completely different following its season-opening loss to Florida State. They’re now 5-1 with three wins in a row over ranked competition in the SEC.

Almost everyone wrote off Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide after their Week 1 loss. Now, they’re one of three teams that remain undefeated in SEC play. The opportunities continue this weekend with Saturday’s matchup against Tennessee.

7. Ole Miss (-2)

Ole Miss’ 24-21 victory over Washington State helped the Rebels improve to 6-0 on the season. However, many expected Lane Kiffin’s squad to handily dispatch of the Cougars on their home turf. That wasn’t the case, but the Rebels remain undefeated.

That sets up a top-10 matchup between Ole Miss and Georgia for Week 8. If the Rebels go on the road and beat the Bulldogs, they’ll only have one more ranked opponent (Oklahoma) to play before the regular season ends.

8. Georgia (+4)

Georgia has defeated both Kentucky and Auburn since suffering its first defeat this season against Alabama. Those matchups have prepared the Bulldogs for Saturday’s blockbuster matchup in Pate’s top 10.

A win over Ole Miss would likely null the loss to the Crimson Tide in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee. It would be the second win over a ranked opponent for the Bulldogs this season.

9. LSU (+4)

LSU has quietly crept its way back into the top 10 after losing to Ole Miss last month. At 5-1, they’ll take on another one-loss SEC team in Vanderbilt on the road to help boost their resume.

The Tigers have a tough schedule ahead as well. After traveling to Vanderbilt this weekend, they’ll play both Texas A&M and Alabama in consecutive matchups to round out the toughest stretch of their season.

10. Oregon (-7)

Oregon’s loss to Indiana on Saturday cooled the Ducks’ momentum a bit, but the consensus opinion is that the Ducks are still looked at as a playoff contender. They’re currently 5-1 and Pate feels that they still deserve to be ranked in the top 10.

Through one and a half seasons — Week 7 was Oregon’s first loss against a Big Ten team since joining the conference last offseason. That’s a testament to how much success the Ducks have enjoyed under Dan Lanning, and there’s no sign of his program slowing down anytime soon.

Commissioner’s Poll college football rankings: 11-25

11. Georgia Tech (-1)
12. Oklahoma (-6)
13. Tennessee (+2)
14. Vanderbilt (-)
15. Missouri (-4)
16. Virginia (+1)
17. USF (+5)
18. Utah (+7)
19. USC (NR)
20. Cincinnati (-1)
21. Texas (NR)
22. Nebraska (+2)
23. Memphis (-2)
24. BYU (NR)
25. Notre Dame (NR)