NCAA Football Rankings 2022: Week 8 College Top 25 Standings Shake Up Predictions

Alabama lost. All it takes is those two words for college football fans to know that it was likely an exciting Saturday, because it's been quite rare for the Crimson Tide to lose a regular-season game in recent years.

However, that was the case Saturday. In a thrilling SEC matchup, Tennessee outlasted Alabama for a 52-49 win in Knoxville, with Chase McGrath booting a game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired.

That means the Vols will be moving up in the AP Top 25 poll, which will be released Sunday, while the Crimson Tide will be dropping down. But that won't be the only movement in the rankings, as there were six games on Saturday that featured a pair of ranked teams. So quite a few schools will be moving either up or down a few spots.

With the Week 7 action complete, here's a projection for how the AP poll will look heading into Week 8.

Projected AP Top 25 Poll

David Madison/Getty Images

PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: A football sits on a kicking tee before a Pac-12 college football game between the USC Trojans and the Stanford Cardinal played on September 10, 2022 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)

1. Georgia (7-0)

2. Ohio State (6-0)

3. Michigan (7-0)

4. Tennessee (6-0)

5. Clemson (7-0)

6. Alabama (6-1)

7. Ole Miss (7-0)

8. TCU (6-0)

9. UCLA (6-0)

10. Oklahoma State (5-1)

11. Oregon (5-1)

12. Syracuse (6-0)

13. Utah (5-2)

14. USC (6-1)

15. Wake Forest (5-1)

16. Penn State (5-1)

17. Kansas State (5-1)

18. Kentucky (5-2)

19. Illinois (6-1)

20. Cincinnati (5-1)

21. Texas (5-2)

22. NC State (5-2)

23. Mississippi State (5-2)

24. North Carolina (6-1)

25. LSU (5-2)

Michigan Proved It's a Top-3 Team

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards runs the ball against Penn State in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Some will argue that Tennessee, which was ranked No. 6 heading into the week, should take over the No. 3 spot that had been occupied by Alabama. But let's not overlook Michigan, which notched an impressive victory of its own on Saturday.

The No. 5 Wolverines had a dominant second half in their home matchup against No. 10 Penn State, as they reeled off 25 unanswered points to come away with a 41-17 victory. The Nittany Lions led 17-16 early in the third quarter, but they were held scoreless for the final 28 minutes and 15 seconds.

Michigan racked up 563 total yards of offense and possessed the ball for a whopping 41:56. Running backs Donovan Edwards (173 yards and two touchdowns) and Blake Corum (166 yards and two touchdowns) each had huge days on the ground as part of a Wolverines rushing attack that totaled 418 yards.

With a perfect 7-0 record (which includes four Big Ten wins), Michigan should move up to the No. 3 spot in the AP poll, behind only No. 1 Georgia (which beat Vanderbilt 55-0) and No. 2 Ohio State (which was idle). And the Wolverines have mostly been winning with ease.

Tennessee may have taken down Alabama, but Michigan beat a top-10 team itself. So the Vols shouldn't jump ahead of the Wolverines yet, although that could change in the weeks to come.

Tennessee Will Jump Up to No. 4 After Huge Win

AP Photo/Wade Payne

Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Even if Tennessee doesn't pass Michigan in the AP poll, it's still going to move up multiple spots. The Vols will pass Alabama, and they should also move ahead of Clemson, which was ranked No. 4 before pulling out a narrow 34-28 road win over Florida State.

So it seems fair to put Tennessee at No. 4 in the rankings this week. But considering the Vols have a road matchup at No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 5, they're going to have an opportunity to move up again, even if the other teams ahead of them don't lose anytime soon.

This is easily the best team that Tennessee has had in some time. The Vols hadn't defeated the Crimson Tide since 2006, as Alabama had won 15 straight meetings between the two schools.

Tennessee proved its resiliency on Saturday. The Tide led by seven points late in the fourth quarter, but the Vols tied the game at 49 on Hendon Hooker's 13-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt with 3:26 remaining. Then, Tennessee capitalized on a missed Alabama field goal attempt to win the game.

The Vols are worthy of being a top-five team, and if they keep this up, they may even be heading to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Utah Should Be Ranked Ahead of USC

AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Utah wide receiver Jaylen Dixon (25) carries the ball past Southern California defensive back Jaylin Smith (19) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

USC had been playing some close games against some of its unranked Pac-12 rivals in recent weeks. It only beat Oregon State by three points, and its victories over Stanford and Washington State were each by 16 or fewer points.

Now, after winning six straight to open the season, the Trojans are no longer undefeated. On Saturday, they fell 43-42 to Utah, which scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion with 48 seconds to go. The Utes improved to 5-2 with their biggest win of the season.

Even though USC has only one loss and was ranked No. 7 in the country, it's hard to justify putting it ahead of Utah, which entered the matchup at No. 20. Don't be surprised if the Trojans and Utes both end up in the Nos. 13-16 range, with Utah a spot or two ahead of USC.

Sure, the Utes previously lost to Florida and UCLA, but they proved they're a better team than the Trojans on the field. And that loss to the undefeated Bruins wasn't a bad one.

Will the voters for the AP poll agree? We'll see. But it would be a mistake to put USC ahead of Utah after that close, competitive game that ended with the Utes on top.