Archived: College Football Top 25 Rankings (After Week 8)

October 26, 2021

College Football Top 25 Rankings (After Week 8)

1. Georgia (7-0)
Week 8 Result: Off Week

The Bulldogs were off on Saturday and return to action next week against Florida in Jacksonville.

2. Cincinnati (7-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Navy

The Bearcats held off a tough Navy team to move to 7-0 for the second year in a row.

3. Alabama (8-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Tennessee

Nick Saban and his staff have some mistakes to clean up, but Crimson Tide were always in control during Saturday’s 52-24 win over Tennessee.

4. Oklahoma (8-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Kansas

Heroics and big-time plays by Caleb Williams saved Oklahoma from a bad loss at Kansas.

5. Michigan (7-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Northwestern

The Wolverines pounded Northwestern for 294 rushing yards in an easy 33-7 victory. Up next: The big showdown against rival Michigan State.

6. Oregon (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Defeated UCLA

Oddsmakers had the Ducks as an underdog to UCLA, but the Ducks picked up a huge Pac-12 road win thanks to big days from Kayvon Thibodeaux (nine tackles and two sacks) and running back Travis Dye (four rushing scores).

7. Ohio State (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Indiana

Buckeyes continued to surge with a dominant 54-7 win over Indiana. The offense averaged 7.8 yards per play for coach Ryan Day, while the defense limited the Hoosiers to just 128 yards.

8. Michigan State (7-0)
Week 8 Result: Off Week

The Spartans were off on Saturday and return to action next week at home against Michigan.

9. Iowa (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Off Week

The Hawkeyes were off on Saturday and return to action next week at Wisconsin.

10. Ole Miss (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Defeated LSU

Matt Corral’s status was a question mark until kickoff, but the Rebels’ quarterback connected on 18 of 23 throws for 185 yards and added two overall scores to help coach Lane Kiffin’s squad handle LSU 31-17.

11. Kentucky (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Off Week

The Wildcats were off on Saturday and return to action next week at Mississippi State.

12. Notre Dame (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Defeated USC

The Trojans made it interesting in the fourth quarter, but the Fighting Irish’s edge on the scoreboard was really never in doubt in Saturday night’s 31-16 victory. The play of running back Kyren Williams (138 yards and two scores) was a good sign for a struggling ground attack

13. Texas A&M (6-2)
Week 8 Result: Defeated South Carolina

The Aggies crushed South Carolina thanks to a strong play on both sides of the ball. The defense limited the Gamecocks to just 185 yards, and the offense rushed for 290 yards behind running backs Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane.

14. Wake Forest (7-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Army

The Demon Deacons scored 42 second-half points behind an offense that averaged 12.3 yards per play to survive a wild game (70-56) in West Point.

15. Oklahoma State (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Lost to Iowa State

A week after a dominant second half led the way for a win against Texas, the Cowboys were outscored 17-7 and outgained 262 to 144 in a 24-21 loss to Iowa State.

16. Pitt (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Clemson

Kenny Pickett’s strong season continued (302 passing yards and two scores) against Clemson’s standout defense in a key 27-17 win for the Panthers.

17. Baylor (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Off Week

The Bears were off on Saturday and return to action next week against Texas.

18. Penn State (5-2)
Week 8 Result: Lost to Illinois

A lackluster offense (227 yards) and leaky run defense (357 rushing yards allowed) doomed Penn State in a bad overtime loss to Illinois.

19. Auburn (5-2)
Week 8 Result: Off Week

The Tigers were off on Saturday and return to action next week versus Ole Miss.

20. SMU (7-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Tulane

Quarterback Tanner Mordecai’s standout season for the Mustangs continued with 427 passing yards and three scores in Thursday night’s win over Tulane.

21. San Diego State (7-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Air Force

The Aztecs’ standout defense limited Air Force’s ground attack to just 192 yards, while the offense took advantage of a couple of mistakes by the Falcons to jump out to an early lead and a 20-14 win.

22. Iowa State (5-2)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Oklahoma State

The play of quarterback Brock Purdy (27 of 33 for 307 yards the two touchdowns) was the difference in Iowa State’s 24-21 win over Oklahoma State.

23. BYU (6-2)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Washington State

The win over Washington State means BYU has four victories over Power 5 programs in a single season for the first time in school history.

24. UTSA (8-0)
Week 8 Result: Defeated Louisiana Tech

The Roadrunners continued the best start in program history with a convincing 45-16 win at Louisiana Tech to move to 8-0.

25. Coastal Carolina (6-1)
Week 8 Result: Lost to Appalachian State

The Chanticleers dropped their first game of the year on Wednesday night with a 30-27 defeat at Appalachian State. After a fast start against the Mountaineers, Coastal Carolina’s high-powered offense was limited to just seven points and 132 yards in the second half.