ESPN shakes up Top 25 Power Rankings after Week 8 of College Football

Week 8 was always going to be a chaotic week in the college football season with five games featuring two ranked teams. That’s before the upsets started up. So, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that ESPN was forced to shake up the Top 25 Power Rankings once again.

In total, nine teams ranked in the AP Top 25 lost in Week 8. Naturally, the power rankings look completely different now. That includes four teams that weren’t ranked at all last week, to go alone with massive shifts for teams up and down within ESPN’s Top 25.

There’s still plenty of season left to be played. So, of course, ESPN could be shaking up these power rankings once again. With that in mind, here’s a glimpse at the ESPN Power Rankings following Week 8 of the season.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes continue to sit atop the ESPN Power Rankings. This comes on the heels of a 34-0 win over Wisconsin. It was the Buckeyes’ sixth-straight win by double digit points as they’ve continued to dominate the schedule.

Now, the Buckeyes are going into their bye week. After that, Ohio State has an interesting game where they’re set to play host to Penn State. That will begin a run of five straight weeks of action against Big Ten opponents to wrap up the season.

2. Indiana Hoosiers (+1)

The Indiana Hoosiers were looking to avoid a letdown a week removed from beating Oregon. For a split second, it looked like the Hoosiers might be running into some issues against Michigan State, but the Hoosiers focused and ended up dominating the Spartans. In particular, a dominant third quarter helped Indiana run away.

Now, Indiana is comfortably second in the ESPN Power Rankings. Without Ohio State on the schedule, they’ll need to keep winning to get a shot at the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game. Of course, their focus needs to be on a resurgent UCLA team this week.

3. Texas A&M Aggies (+1)

The Texas A&M Aggies got a scare from Arkansas, but held on to win in a shootout. Now, the Aggies are firmly the top-ranked SEC team, according to the ESPN Power Rankings. Of course, they’re also the start of a run of SEC schools in the rankings, so a loss could see them tumbling quickly.

It’s not an easy schedule ahead for Texas A&M either. In their next two games, the Aggies have LSU and Missouri coming up. That first game against LSU is going to be particularly interesting, with the Tigers now backed against the wall following a second loss.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (+3)

There are plenty of people who think that the Alabama Crimson Tide are the best team in the SEC. After adding a convincing win over Tennessee, they’ll settle for the second SEC team and fourth team overall in the ESPN Power Rankings. Of course, that can quickly change.

Alabama has four more SEC games left, plus an FCS non-conference game. Of those four SEC games, two are against ranked opponents. That’s before the random outcomes that come with rivalry games. Still, Alabama is in a good spot.

5. Georgia Bulldogs (+3)

The Georgia Bulldogs added a massive win, knocking off Ole Miss. That came in a shootout where the Bulldogs offense was able to outlast the Rebels. Now, heading into the Florida game after a bye week, Georgia can feel good about where it’s at.

Of course, the loss to Alabama earlier in the year means that Georgia will still need some help if the Bulldogs want to get to the SEC Championship Game. Of course, that assumes Georgia doesn’t suffer another SEC loss. That’s never an easy proposition.

6. Oregon Ducks (+3)

After losing to Indiana, Oregon bounced back in a major way. After making a cross-country road trip to Rutgers to win by 46 points. Now, they’re on the way back up in ESPN’s Power Rankings.

Making the Big Ten Championship Game is going to be difficult. The Ducks will need help in the form of losses from Ohio State and Indiana to get there. So, while that isn’t within their control, getting back to the College Football Playoff is very much on the table. That means focusing on Wisconsin next week.

7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+3)

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets might be the quietest unbeaten team in the entire country. Still, after winning a chaotic game against Duke, it’s hard to ignore what’s going on in Atlanta. Now, they’re rising in the ESPN Power Rankings all the way to No. 7.

Georgia Tech is a very real ACC contender and therefore a College Football Playoff contender because of all of this. Of course, the focus needs to be on the task at hand first. That’s a challenging and upset-minded Syracuse team this week.

8. Miami Hurricanes (-6)

The Miami Hurricanes suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night. There, Carson Beck threw four interceptions as Miami lost by just three points to Louisville. By no means was that a death sentence for Miami’s season, though. It just makes things a bit tougher.

This week, Miami will be home again to play host to Stanford. That will officially begin the back half of the schedule against an entirely ACC slate where the Hurricanes can’t afford a second loss in conference play if they want to make sure they’re back in the conference championship game.

9. Ole Miss Rebels (-4)

Ole Miss went into Athens looking to add a statement win to their season. Then, they struggled to get a stop in what was a shootout. That is, before Ole Miss had its own offense fall flat in the fourth quarter and Georgia pulled away.

The Rebels slid in the ESPN Power Rankings because of the loss. The bright side is that this is still an excellent team that’s capable of winning games and making a deep postseason run. There’s just less room for error now, which is big with a road trip to Oklahoma coming up.

10. BYU Cougars (+4)

The BYU Cougars won The Holy War against Utah. Simultaneously, Texas Tech suffered an upset loss. Now, the Cougars are just one of two teams in the Big 12 left without a loss in conference play. They’re also the top-ranked Big 12 team in the ESPN Power Rankings.

It’s still a long season to go for BYU, though. The Cougars have maybe the hardest schedule in the conference. That includes Texas Tech and Cincinnati. So, while the Big 12 is in play, BYU has plenty of challenges ahead.

11. Texas Tech Red Raiders (-5)
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (+8)
13. Oklahoma Sooners
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+2)
15. Missouri Tigers
16. Virginia Cavaliers (+3)
17. USF Bulls (+4)
18. Tennessee Volunteers (-7)
19. Cincinnati Bearcats (+5)
20. Louisville Cardinals (NR)
21. Texas Longhorns (-3)
22. USC Trojans (-5)
23. Illinois Fighting Illini (NR)
24. Michigan Wolverines (NR)
25. Navy Midshipmen (NR)