AP College Football Poll 2023: Week 8 Rankings Unveiled for Top 25 Teams

Washington moved up to No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll on the strength of its dramatic 36-33 victory over Oregon on Saturday.

The Ducks, meanwhile, didn't lose too much ground and fell from eighth to ninth.

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AP Top 25 Poll Week 8

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Ohio State

4. Florida State

5. Washington

6. Oklahoma

7. Penn State

8. Texas

9. Oregon

10. North Carolina

11. Alabama

12. Oregon State

13. Ole Miss

14. Utah

15. Notre Dame

16. Duke

17. Tennessee

18. USC

19. LSU

20. Missouri

21. Louisville

22. Air Force

23. Tulane

24. Iowa

25. UCLA

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Expectations were high for this weekend's clash in Seattle. Beyond pitting the Pac-12's two best teams against one another, this was potentially a Heisman Trophy eliminator with Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. both vying for the honor.

The battle delivered on all fronts as it featured wire-to-wire action, late-game heroics, and impressive individual performances.

In addition to coming out on the winning end, Penix outshone Nix by throwing for 302 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. His final TD toss to Rome Odunze with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter was the decisive score and could serve as his "Heisman moment."

Nix's Heisman campaign is now in tatters despite him going for 337 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Oregon had an opportunity to force overtime after putting Camden Lewis in position for a 43-yard field goal on the final play. His kick initially looked on target before slicing wide right.

There's a chance the Ducks can exact some revenge in the Pac-12 championship because they and the Huskies continue to look like the conference's strongest squads.

USC remains unbeaten in Pac-12 play but suffered its first loss of the season in a 48-20 defeat to Notre Dame.

The result didn't come as a total shock, but the nature of it will have left some fans dumbfounded. It was the Trojans offense and not their rickety defense that did them in at Notre Dame Stadium.

Caleb Williams threw three interceptions, while Mario Williams and Quinten Joyner each lost a fumble.

Thanks to all of those turnovers, Notre Dame's offense didn't have to work that hard. The Fighting Irish led 24-6 at halftime, and their three touchdown drives totaled 64 yards combined.

It says a lot about the general perception around USC that the Trojans were ranked 10th even though they opened 6-0. The AP voters recognized this was a flawed team that would get exposed sooner or later.

Now, you can't help but wonder how much farther USC might fall when it still has matchups with Utah, Washington, Oregon and UCLA ahead.

Like the Trojans, Louisville is undefeated no more. Perhaps suffering a bit of a hangover from their upset of Notre Dame, the Cardinals lost 38-20 to Pittsburgh. M.J. Devonshire's 86-yard pick-six capped off a 17-point third quarter for the Panthers that turned the game on its head.

Week 7 didn't provide a ton of big surprises otherwise.

Georgia beat Vanderbilt by 17 points. Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State combined to outscore their opponents 156-14. Florida State is 6-0 for the first time since 2015 after dispatching Syracuse 41-3. Alabama, which looked like a bit of long shot for the College Football Playoff following an uncharacteristically sluggish start, is now 6-1 after holding off Arkansas for a 24-21 victory.

Week 8's slate is headlined by Ohio State hosting Penn State. Although it's a stretch to say this will be a defining moment for Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin, a seventh straight loss to the Buckeyes will only further the narrative he can't get the program over the top.

Out west, Oregon will look to extend Washington State's losing streak to three games. As disappointing as Week 7 was for the Ducks, they may still have a path to the playoff if they run the table from here.

The aforementioned Crimson Tide will attempt to keep their CFP window open as well when they most Tennessee.