Alabama (6-0) and Clemson (6-0) continue atop our system’s national top 25 for Week 8 while the Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) used their 34-27 win over Texas (4-2) to reclaim the third position.
Although LSU‘s (6-0) win over Florida (5-1) matched higher-ranked teams than Oklahoma vs Texas, our Index did not attribute as many ranking points because neither LSU nor Florida is as good as it seems and both will be exposed before November 10th.
Teams don’t usually move much in placement when they are idle, but in Ohio State‘s (6-0) case, having two games with highly ranked teams playing each other was enough to drop the Buckeyes from third to fifth.
Georgia‘s (5-1) surprising upset loss to South Carolina only dropped the Bulldogs three positions to number eight, a reflection of the strong performances and excellent schedule UGA played in five previous wins.
Baylor (6-0) hit our top 25 for the first time in several years, a position well-deserved for the magnificent work of its coach, Matt Rhule.
In the PAC-12 . . .
Both the PAC-12 North and PAC-12 South titles are on the line this Saturday as #10 Oregon (5-1) travels to #19 Washington (5-2) and #25 Arizona State (5-1) travels to #15 Utah (5-1).
Oregon (5-1) continues to lead the PAC-12 after a convincing win over upstart Colorado (3-4) that launched the Ducks 10th place in our national rankings. The Ducks are likely to be favored over Washington because of the Huskies’ suddenly suspect defense.
Utah (5-1) leads the South Division rankings but not the South Division standings. USC is undefeated in the South and has already posted a win over Utah. After playing perhaps the nation’s toughest schedule and now displaying ascending our metrics, there is reason to think USC is coming together and will finish strong.
My personal assessment that Arizona State would not reach our top 25 any time in 2019 was forked this week by the Sun Devils as they took down once feared Washington State over the weekend. ASU has played a relatively weak schedule (Kent St. and Sacramento State) and will play its first PAC-12 South team this Saturday when the Sun Devils travel to Utah. It is likely that both teams will need to win if they are to stay within striking distance of USC.
To see more comprehensive information of our national rankings, click here.
TOP 25 For Week 8
1. Alabama 6-0
2. Clemson 6-0
3. Oklahoma 6-0
4. LSU 6-0
5. Ohio State 6-0
6. Penn State 6-0
7. Notre Dame 5-1
8. Georgia 5-1
9. Wisconsin 6-0
10. Oregon 5-1
11. Michigan 5-1
12. Florida 6-1
13. Auburn 5-1
14. Boise State 6-0
15. Utah 5-1
16. Minnesota 6-0
17. Texas 4-2
18. Iowa 4-2
19. Washington 5-2
20. Missouri 5-1
21. Appalachian State 5-0
22. N Carolina State 4-2
23. Iowa State 4-2
24. UCF 4-2
25. Baylor 6-0
25. tie Arizona State 5-1
