College Football Rankings Week 8: The CFN Top 25 Calms Things Down
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This is our 29th season doing college football rankings, starting by crushing our first batch by declaring Tennessee the No. 1 team in the country in 1998. The Vols went on to win the national title.
There have been plenty of highs and more than our share of lows over the years, but we’ve seen it all and done even more. So when there’s a chaotic weekend like this, when Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama, and Texas are among the big names to go down, you need someone who won’t overreact to one game and can deliver a top 25 that settles everything down.
It’s going to be okay. Deep breath, here we go …
2026 College Football Rankings: The 25 Best Teams in Week 8
25. Utah Utes
Record: (6-0)
Last Week Rank: 13
Week 7: Utah 27, Colorado 24
Up Next: Houston
Not to overreact too hard, but the struggles against a bad Colorado team freaked us out. Yes, Utah has looked fantastic so far this season, but here’s the problem – it’s Week 8, and it has yet to beat anyone who’ll go to a bowl game without something crazy happening.
24. Arizona Wildcats
Record: (5-1)
Last Week Rank: 26
Week 7: OPEN DATE
Up Next: Iowa State
It’s time to give Arizona more credit for a good Week 2 fight at BYU that was better than the 28-17 final score. Winning at West Virginia and trouncing Cincinnati helped, and now, after two weeks to rest, it has to roll past Iowa State, setting up a showdown at Texas Tech.
23. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Record: (6-1)
Last Week Rank: 24
Week 7: Wake Forest 41, Cal 7
Up Next: OPEN DATE
A team from North Carolina going to Cal and winning in a late-night blowout isn’t easy. The Demon Deacons are ripping through teams now. They beat Purdue and Louisville, and the lone loss was by 13 to Miami.
22. Northwestern Wildcats
Record: (5-1)
Last Week Rank: 16
Week 7: Northwestern 24, Michigan State 21
Up Next: Rutgers
Give credit for the 5-1 record, but beating Penn State isn’t a big deal now – everyone is doing it – and it took a blocked kick to get by Michigan State. (To be fair, the Wildcats went on a fantastic late drive for the game-winning field goal.) Basically, we need more now, and playing Rutgers won’t provide it.
21. Houston Cougars
Record: (6-1)
Last Week Rank: 23
Week 7: Houston 35, Oklahoma State 32
Up Next: at Utah
All due credit given for getting by a hot Oklahoma State and beating Kansas State on the road. The Oregon State win continues to look better and better each week, and the only loss was at Texas Tech on a two-point conversion. That’s all great – now beat Utah this week.
20. Iowa Hawkeyes
Record: (5-1)
Last Week Rank: 14
Week 7: OPEN DATE
Up Next: at Minnesota
The win at Washington two weeks ago will start to look stronger over the next several weeks, and losing to Ohio State is nothing to get upset over. But the Hawkeyes are about to be tested – at Minnesota, Wisconsin, at Northwestern – to start a super-favorable second-half slate.
19. Texas Longhorns
Record: (4-2)
Last Week Rank: 7
Week 7: Florida 27, Texas 24
Up Next: Ole Miss
The world is dumping on Texas now. Steve Sarkisian should be fired, Arch can’t play and isn’t ready for the NFL, blah, blah, blah – it’s still the team that beat Ohio State. It lost to Oklahoma on a field goal in a wild rivalry game, and Florida stepped up in desperation mode this week. With that said … uh oh. There’s a whole lot of ugly coming up on the rest of the SEC schedule.
18. Auburn Tigers
Record: (4-2)
Last Week Rank: 42
Week 7: Auburn 27, Georgia 24
Up Next: LSU
Yeah, if you beat the No. 1 team in the country in its park, you deserve a cookie. Auburn’s other loss was at Tennessee – all due respect there. The defense is playing great, and the high-voltage offense is playing smart. You’re here now, Auburn. Keep it going when Lane Kiffin’s bunch comes to town.
17. Florida Gators
Record: (5-2)
Last Week Rank: 20
Week 7: Florida 27, Texas 24
Up Next: OPEN DATE
We’re giving Florida the love for beating Texas in Austin, and it was great in wins over Ole Miss and Auburn. But it’s going to be an up-and-down team the rest of the way, and we don’t forget the 21-point home loss to …
16. South Carolina Gamecocks
Record: (3-3)
Last Week Rank: 19
Week 7: OPEN DATE
Up Next: Tennessee
At Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi State with a healthy Kamario Taylor. Those are the three losses, and that’s not bad. South Carolina is rested after the win over Florida. But that’s it for the resume so far. If this is for real, and this is a top 25 team, it beats Tennessee in Columbia this week.
15. Missouri Tigers
Record: (5-2)
Last Week Rank: 9
Week 7: Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3
Up Next: OPEN DATE
Yeah, stuff got real with the trip to Oxford on Saturday. The Tigers earned this lofty spot because of the blowout wins over Florida and Texas A&M a few weeks ago, but a big-time team doesn’t lose 31-3 at Ole Miss. Not against theblah Rebel defense.
14. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Record: (4-2)
Last Week Rank: 8
Week 7: LSU 31, Mississippi State 0
Up Next: Oklahoma
This is us acknowledging that quarterback Kamario Taylor is special, and it’s a different team with him. No, the Bulldogs wouldn’t have beaten LSU on Saturday with their injured star under center, but it wouldn’t have been 31-0. At Minnesota, at South Carolina, Missouri – those wins still matter.
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Record: (6-0)
Last Week Rank: 17
Week 7: Texas Tech 53, Arizona State 25
Up Next: at Cincinnati
That’s what we were waiting for. You and a few good friends could hang big points on Arizona State right now, but after seemingly sleepwalking its way through a 5-0 start – even with a good win at Oregon State and a great one against Houston – the team wasn’t looking the part. It just did on Saturday.
12. LSU Tigers
Record: (5-2)
Last Week Rank: 22
Week 7: LSU 31, Mississippi State 0
Up Next: at Auburn
Now we know how this all works with LSU. It’s 0-2 on the road against Ole Miss and Kentucky, but in Death Valley it’s a razor-sharp dominant force that plays at a whole other speed. Three of the last five games are on the road, though, going to Auburn next week.
11. Ole Miss Rebels
Record: (5-1)
Last Week Rank: 21
Week 7: Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3
Up Next: at Texas
The Florida loss was a bad day that happened weeks ago. Ole Miss made up for it by ripping up Vanderbilt on the road and beating a strong Missouri team by 28. The Rebels still only have that one loss.
10. Kentucky Wildcats
Record: (6-1)
Last Week Rank: 11
Week 7: Kentucky 21, Oklahoma 13
Up Next: Vanderbilt
The 45-17 loss at Alabama seems more and more like a bad day in Week 2 with a new head coach getting up to speed. Will Stein’s team was rock solid against an Oklahoma team coming off the high of the Texas win. Get used to the idea that Kentucky might be in the College Football Playoff.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: (5-2)
Last Week Rank: 4
Week 7: Tennessee 26, Alabama 10
Up Next: Texas A&M
The Tide came within a few bad calls and worse weather of probably beating Georgia, and Tennessee’s great defensive front took its game up a few notches on Saturday. Bama gets one home game against a rested Texas A&M before going to LSU, and then it’s a crank-it-up-or-get-out-of-our-top-ten moment.
8. Tennessee Volunteers
Record: (6-1)
Last Week Rank: 10
Week 7: Tennessee 26, Alabama 10
Up Next: at South Carolina
Tennessee is still just a final throw against Texas away from being unbeaten. Now the 24-14 win over Auburn is fabulous, and getting cigars after a 26-10 win over the Tide just took the expectations up several notches.
7. UCLA Bruins
Record: (6-0)
Last Week Rank: 12
Week 7: UCLA 17, Wisconsin 7
Up Next: Michigan State
That’s a great, professional-looking Big Ten win UCLA just got over Wisconsin. It’s proving to be tough as nails in its 6-0 start, and looking ahead, going unbeaten in the regular season isn’t a crazy idea. This is a smart team that knows how to adapt on the fly.
6. Georgia Bulldogs
Record: (6-1)
Last Week Rank: 1
Week 7: Auburn 27, Georgia 24
Up Next: OPEN DATE
Wow, did that Auburn loss look exactly like how Georgia might make another early exit from the College Football Playoff. It had several chances to pull that off, and couldn’t do it. Now it gets two weeks to rest up for Florida, and then a trip to Ole Miss.
5. Indiana Hoosiers
Record: (6-1)
Last Week Rank: 6
Week 7: Ohio State 19, Indiana 15
Up Next: at Michigan
One foot down first. That’s all that came between Indiana and an all-time finish in a great game against Ohio State. There’s no punishing the Hoosiers for that, and if anything, it showed just how tough this team will be to get out of the tournament in a few months. (I’ve typed and texted this several times over the last 12 hours in a few different ways – it’s not like that was Rutgers on the other side of the ball.)
4. Miami Hurricanes
Record: (6-0)
Last Week Rank: 5
Week 7: Miami 43, Florida State 35 2OT
Up Next: Pitt
Ehhhhhhhhhhhh, okay, fine, Florida State is always a dangerous rivalry game, and the Seminoles gave the Canes mega-problems last year, too. But we’re not going to just give away the No. 1 spot because Miami is still unbeaten and is the only team to beat Wake Forest. We still think these three teams are better, starting with …
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Record: (5-1)
Last Week Rank: 2
Week 7: BYU 28, Notre Dame 24
Up Next: OPEN DATE
It’s a bit too simplistic to say that Notre Dame was exposed or finally got caught playing someone great. If anything, that final drive showed a coolness to CJ Carr as he came achingly close to pulling that out of the fire. (BTW, 1) yes, there was still one second on the clock, and 2) we’re not getting into a twist over jockeying on that last pass play.)
2. BYU Cougars
Record: (6-0)
Last Week Rank: 15
Week 7: BYU 28, Notre Dame 24
Up Next: at UCF
Notre Dame is just that good, and right now, it’s still the pick to at least play for the national title – and BYU is the team that took it down. Give the Cougars almost as much credit for being the one team able to get by Arizona so far.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: (6-1)
Last Week Rank: 3
Week 7: Ohio State 19, Indiana 15
Up Next: OPEN DATE
It doesn’t seem like it, but no, Ohio State isn’t one of the top teams that lost on Saturday.
Our rankings aren’t predictive. We’re not going to preemptively punish Ohio State for Julian Sayin getting hurt. That’s bad, but almost as troubling is how the Buckeyes came brutally close to dropping yet another big game against a good team.
But they didn’t; they won, and they also handed Iowa its only loss, with credit given for the 31-14 win happening in Iowa City. Ohio State came within a missed field goal of beating a jacked Texas team in Austin, and it just went into Bloomington and left with a win.
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