Week 8 college football rankings: Washington Huskies soar, USC Trojans plummet after Week 7

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Oct 14, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) is interviewed after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

You can find our Week 9 college football rankings on the aforementioned link.

Saturday’s Week 7 college football schedule featured some of the best teams in the country going head-to-head. With Oregon vs Utah, USC vs Notre Dame and Miami vs North Carolina in the books, it’s time for Week 8 college football rankings.

While things started quiet on Saturday with all the top-five teams rolling to victories, the action intensified as the day progressed. The Washington Huskies picked up a monumental win, Washington State was dismantled and the Trojans were decimated by Notre Dame.

Dropped from Rankings: (13) Louisville Cardinals, (21) Washington State Cougars, (22) Kentucky Wildcats, (23) Miami Hurricanes, (25) UCLA Bruins

Let’s dive into our Week 8 college football rankings following Saturday’s enticing action.

Week 8 college football rankings

25. Iowa Hawkeyes

After getting crushed by Penn State in September, the Iowa Hawkeyes have done an admirable job pushing their way back up the standings. They faced a difficult test on the road in Wisconsin, but Iowa’s defense (two turnovers, 11.7% third-down conversion rate allowed) came through again. Of course, the Hawkeyes’ offense remains hard to watch and that could bite them soon.

24. Tulane Green Wave

If Michael Pratt doesn’t miss the Ole Miss game, it’s fair to wonder if the Tulane Green Wave are undefeated right now. Pratt’s been his typical self since rejoining the offense, scoring four total touchdowns with Tulane scoring 30-plus in consecutive games. Moving forward, as long as everyone stays healthy, the Green Wave should be favored in every game to close out their regular season.

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23. James Madison Dukes

Don’t look now but James Madison is 6-0, off to one of its best starts in program history. Led by head coach Curt Cignetti, the Dukes have enjoyed hot starts in recent years. Unfortunately, a 5-0 start in 2022 ended with an 8-3 record. If James Madison can avoid that kind of collapse this time around, the Sun Belt Conference will have a new powerhouse program.

22. Liberty Flames

No Hugh Freeze? No problem. Led by head coach Jamey Chadwell, the Flames look just as good as they did last year. Some early-week games have provided small challenges for this team but Liberty keeps finding ways to win when over 100 other college football programs have dropped at least one game in 2023. The Flames might not crack the consensus top 25 rankings right now, but that should happen by November if they stay perfect.

21. Missouri Tigers

The Missouri Tigers needed a big win after what happened at home against LSU. One weekend later, the Tigers’ defense showed up and had itself a phenomenal night. Missouri allowed 14 points to Kentucky early, then snagged three takeaways with just seven points allowed the rest of the way. With the help of 18 points in the fourth quarter, the Tigers put an impressive three-score win over a ranked opponent on their resume.

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20. Air Force Falcons

The one thing missing from the Air Force Falcons’ list of accomplishments was a marquee win. Taking the field on Saturday night against Wyoming (5-2), the Falcons’ offense took flight once again. The win marked the fourth consecutive game that Air Force scored 34-plus points and won by at least a touchdown. Based on the Navy’s performance this season, we fully expect Air Force to be 7-0. Even if they don’t get there, this is the Falcons’ best start in over two decades.

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19. Utah Utes

The Utah Utes won on Saturday, but they’ve run out of time. It seems unlikely quarterback Cam Rising is cleared to start in Week 8, meaning the Utes’ backup quarterback faces USC. Bryson Barnes could put up some quality numbers on the Trojans’ defense, but Utah has absolutely no shot to win if they need to score 35-plus. Then again, USC’s habit of falling flat on its face might give the Utes a chance at a 27-24 win.

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18. USC Trojans

Any NFL team thinking about hiring Lincoln Riley as a head coach should look elsewhere. Riley’s decision-making was already proven poor by retaining defensive coordinator Alex Grinch in 2023, ensuring one of the worst defenses in the Power 5 would remain an eyesore. On Saturday night, Riley and Caleb Williams were outplayed and outcoached by Notre Dame

17. LSU Tigers

After coming out of Missouri with a 10-point victory, the LSU Tigers delivered another impressive win over an SEC rival. Jayden Daniels was far from perfect on Saturday night, but Logan Diggs and Malik Navers came up big. Plus, the Tigers’ defense showed more flight than it has for the majority of the season. Up next, a cakewalk matchup against an Army Black Knights team that remains one of the worst football programs in the nation.

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16. Notre Dame Fighting Irhs

Saturday made Week 6 all the more painful for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame absolutely put the Trojans’ offense in a blender, with Caleb Williams and Co. only making things look closer in the second half. THis is a huge win for the Fighting Irish, but fans rightfully have to ask “What if?” about a team that just lost to Louisville a week ago.

15. Tennessee Volunteers

You can’t help but watch the Tennessee Volunteers offense in 2023 and see how much worse this passing attack is with Hendon Hooker gone. Fortunately for the Vols, Jaylen Wright keeps coming up big and Tennessee’s defense elevated its game on Saturday. Of course, the pressure will be on Joe Milton’s shoulders to take out Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

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14. Duke Blue Devils

With Riley Leonard out in Week 7, the Duke Blue Devils needed just about everyone to step up in a major way. Jalon Calhoun came through for unproven quarterback Henry Belin IV, but the real credit for Saturday’s victory goes to Duke’s suffocating defense. If Leonard isn’t cleared for next week, Florida State will decimate the Blue Devils.

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13. Ole Miss Rebels

All things considered, Lane Kiffin has to be fairly happy with a 5-1 record coming out of the bye week. Things are looking even better right now thanks to the upcoming schedule, with Auburn (Oct. 21) and Texas A&M (Nov. 4) providing Ole Miss with an opportunity for quality wins against competitive SEC opponents. if the Rebels can head into Georgia with an 8-1 record, they’ll at least have a shot at the top-10. That said, the Bulldogs look far superior right now.

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12. Oregon State Beavers

On a cool evening when the Oregon State Beavers offense was struggling, its defense saved the day with three first-half takeaways. Three interceptions resulted in 17 points for the Beavers, including a pick-six. While this offense has really pulled a disappearing act in some big ranked games as of late, Oregon State’s defense is pushing this team up the rankings.

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11. Alabama Crimson Tide

There haven’t been a lot of smooth victories for the Alabama Crimson Tide, especially in the last two weeks, but Nick Saban cares about the win column. Jalen Milroe is making at least one jaw-dropping paly every Saturday, but Alabama’s offense really hasn’t been able to erupt – only scored 30-plus points once since Week 1 – because of a woeful offensive line. One thing is for certain, even at home, the Crimson Tide’s offense needs to be rolling in Week 8 for Alabama to avoid consecutive losses to Tennessee.

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10. North Carolina Tar Heels

Drake Maye is on a roll right now. In Week 7, the North Carolina Tar Heels superstar picked up four passing touchdowns in three quarters alone against the Miami Hurricanes. With that effort, he’s now responsible for over 750 yards of offense and seven touchdowns in the last two weeks. North Carolina’s schedule for the rest of October is pretty smooth, setting Maye and the Tar Heels up for a historic season.

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9. Oregon Ducks

Bo Nix, Bucky Irving and Troy Franklin did just about everything humanly possible to win on Saturday. Ultimately, home-field advantage, a few injuries in the Ducks’ secondary and a missed field goal proved costly. The undefeated season is gone, but Oregon still has a chance at three more ranked wins this season and double-digit victories mean a New Year’s Six bowl game.

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8. Texas Longhorns

Coming off the bye week, the Texas Longhorns face a massive uphill climb to have any shot at the College Football Playoff and Quinn Ewers’ chances of winning the Heisman Trophy have plummeted. However, a last-second loss to Oklahoma can be made up for, it’s just going to take blowout victories to close out the season with an 11-1 record at the end of November. Can that be done? Only if Texas plays clean football.

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7. Penn State Nittany Lions

It’s the game we’ve all been waiting for. Week 7 effectively served as a practice for the Penn State Nittany Lions, allowing this offense to figure things out and find a rhythm before facing the Ohio State Buckeyes. The loser of the Week 8 matchup will suffer a devastating blow to its playoff hopes, while the victor should arguably be viewed as the best college football team in 2023. We’re just a bit weary of Penn State because of James Franklin.

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6. Oklahoma Sooners

Dillon Gabriel and the Oklahoma Sooners are right where they want to be. Standing at a perfect 6-0, with a win over Texas, the Sooners’ playoff odds are higher than they’ve been in years. With Kansas dropping another game, the path to winning out the regular season becomes even clearer. If that happens, the Sooners should make it into the CFP.

5. Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs have won 24 consecutive games, four shy of the SEC’s all-time record. With the Florida Gators and Missouri Tigers up next, there’s no reason to think Kirby Smart’s program won’t have a shot at history in November. However, the Brock Bowers injury hangs a cloud over Week 7. If he suffered a high-ankle sprain, the Bulldogs can’t afford to metaphorically play around with their food, which has been a bit of an issue in recent years. It won’t cost them against the Gators, but it could in November vs Ole Miss and Tennessee.

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4. Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines allowed Indiana to experience hope for a moment, taking a 7-0 lead into the second quarter. Any belief the Hoosiers had of stunning the Wolverines quickly disappeared. Michigan responded with 52 unanswered points, led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy throwing as many incompletions (three) as touchdowns. Of course, the real standout is the Wolverines’ defense that allowed just 232 total yards to Indiana, perfectly replicating how this unit has performed in 2023. Allowing the third-fewest total yards per game (233) expect the Wolverines to feast on Michigan State in Week 8.

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3. Washington Huskies

The Washington Huskies are 6-0 for the first time since 2017 and Michael Penix Jr. is the Heisman Trophy favorite. At home in Week 7 in a fantastic top-10 matchup, Penix Jr. (302 yards, 4 TDs) came through in the clutch to lead Washington to the comeback victory. It’s now a 13-game winning streak and there’s zero reason to believe it won’t continue against Arizona State.

2. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis didn’t have top wideout Johnny Wilson on the field in Week 7, so he just peppered another standout pass-catcher with targets. Keon Coleman was phenomenal in the first half and that’s all the Seminoles’ offense really needed with Florida State’s defense shutting down Syracuse. Assuming Travis avoided a long-term injury and Wilson returns in the near future, FSU is in an excellent position for next Saturday’s matchup versus Duke.

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1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Even with multiple starters sidelined and on the road, the Ohio State Buckeyes solidified their status as the best team in college football right now. Kyle McCord has nearly 600 passing yards and five touchdowns in the last two games and Marvin Harrison Jr. keeps proving why he’s the best offensive weapon in the nation. Plus, this Buckeyes’ defense is playing fairly well. It all sets the perfect stage for the Week 8 matchup vs. Penn State.

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