College Football Top 25 Week 8: Texas # 1, TCU # 3, Alabama Falls To # 4

It was not a week of upsets, but it was a week where superior teams separated themselves against solid teams on the road. There were some very close calls, however. And there is a ton of change in my top 25.

1. Texas (3) — Beat Missouri 41-7. While the teams ahead of Texas struggled against inferior competition, Texas did what they were supposed to do: absolutely dominate.  They made a strong case for the #1 overall ranking. And with how vulnerable Florida and Alabama have looked as of late it was enough for me.

2. Florida — Beat Mississippi State 29-19, but it was hardly a convincing victory. The game was in doubt well into the 4th quarter, and the Gators were stymied in the red zone all night, and Tebow threw two touchdowns—to the other team. But they still won by a comfortable margin, which is more than can be said for Alabama.

3. TCU (7) — I attended this game personally, and TCU looked like a top three team in the country, winning 38-7. This was not a case of BYU imploding like in the Florida State game. This TCU team has the best defense in the country, they have a good dual threat quarterback, a great running game and great special teams.

Gary Patterson is one of the best coaches in America. They held BYU, which averaged 38 points a game, to seven points. On a neutral field I'd give TCU a good chance over any team in the country. Not only have they beaten BYU on the road, they have beaten Virginia and Clemson as well. This isn't just a BCS buster, but a potential national championship game buster.

4. Alabama (1) — Beat Tennesee 12-10, requiring several miracles to do so. Three missed field goals, two of them blocked, were the difference. Alabama needs a passing game, or they might not get past LSU. Tennessee should have won that game, but they could not block well enough in their FG protection. Alabama cannot count on miracles like this, this truly was a great escape. They are looking more vulnerable every week. Kudos though for finding a way to win a game that they should not have won.

5. Iowa (4) — Beat Michigan State 15-13 in the final seconds. This team always finds a way to barely win, no matter who they are playing. A road game against the Buckeyes is their last real test preventing them from having an undefeated season.

6. Boise State — Smacked Hawaii in a late night game 54-9. If they and TCU win out, both deserve BCS bids.

7. Cincinnati — Beat Louisville 41-10, but dropped two spots because their victory over South Florida is starting to look like a paper tiger. And they don't really have any landmark victories. 

8. Oregon — Destroyed Washington 43-19. This clearly looks like the best team in the Pac-10.

9. LSU — Defeated Auburn convincingly 31-10.

10. Georgia Tech — Defeated Virginia convincingly 34-9

11. Penn State — Had a huge road victory against Michigan, 35-10. They are one of the better one-loss teams in the country.

12. Oklahoma State — Defeated Baylor 34-7.

13. USC — What happened to USC's vaunted defense? They are still a great team, but I don't like their chances next week against Oregon.

14. Houston — Defeated SMU 38-15.

15. Pittsburgh — Crushed South Florida 41-14. I like Pitt to win the Big East and end Cincinnati's undefeated season later this year.

16. Virginia Tech — Took the week off.

17. Utah — Beat Air Force 23-16 in OT.

18. West Virginia — Beat Connecticut in an emotional game, 28-24; and showed a ton of class by respecting Jasper Howard (U-Conn CB who was murdered last week) as if he was one of their own.

19. Arizona — Beat UCLA 27-13. This team has only two losses; at Iowa and at Washington. They are the only team to beat Central Michigan and are 3-1 in the Pac 10. They are my surprise pick for third place in the conference.

20. Miami — Got upset 40-37 by a solid Clemson team at home.

21. Ohio State — Beat up on Minnesota 35-7, and righted the ship (at least temporarily).

22. Central Michigan — Beat Bowling Green 24-10. They have won their last seven games (including at Michigan State), after losing to Arizona on opening day.

23. South Carolina — Beat Vanderbilt 14-10. Is one of a quagmire of teams competing for fourth best team in the SEC.

24. BYU — Got shellacked 38-7 by one of the best teams in the country at home. Say hello to the Vegas bowl yet again, Cougar fans.

25. Oklahoma — Destroyed Kansas 35-7. The best three loss team in the nation. Could easily be 7-0u` right now, but they are not. Lost three games by five points combined. I've ranked BYU ahead of them, for now, but that could change quickly.

Please post any comments below! Let me know what you think about these rankings.

What do you totally disagree with? Please let me know!

Here is a link to my rankings from last week.

Thanks for reading, everyone!