NCAA Football Rankings 2014: Week 8 Standings for College's Top 25 Teams
What's in the water in the state of Mississippi? In case you weren't sure, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are the real deal—and so are the Ole Miss Rebels.
On Saturday, Dan Mullen's team defended its home turf with a 38-23 win over the No. 2 Auburn Tigers. The Bulldogs defense bailed out Dak Prescott and the offense on this day. The Bulldogs turned the ball over four times, but the defense forced four takeaways to help hold off the Tigers.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The fact that the Bulldogs won having played their B-game on offense is all the more impressive.
Ole Miss was no less dominant. They came into College Station and stymied a powerful Texas A&M Aggies attack en route to a 35-20 win. Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace was efficient, and he played smart.
He didn't turn the ball over once, and he accounted for three of his team's touchdowns. How's an all-Mississippi national championship game sound? It's looking pretty feasible. Both teams still have some substantial stumbling blocks left on their schedules—including a head-to-head meeting in the regular-season finale.
But don't be shocked to see them in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the College Football Playoff. Then again, the No. 1 Florida State Seminoles may have something to say about that.
Jameis Winston and the defending champions rolled to a 38-20 win over the Syracuse Orange on Saturday. It wasn't a major test, but with every team in the nation chasing them, the Noles did what they had to—win.
Here's a look at how the top 25 teams in the nation did this week.
| 1 | Florida State | Defeated Syracuse 38-20 |
| 2 | Auburn | Lost 38-23 to Mississippi State |
| 3 | Mississippi State | Defeated Auburn 38-23 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | Defeated Texas A&M 35-14 |
| 5 | Baylor | Defeated TCU 61-58 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | Defeated North Carolina 50-43 |
| 7 | Alabama | Defeated Arkansas 14-13 |
| 8 | Michigan State | Defeated Purdue 45-31 |
| 9 | TCU | Lost to Baylor 61-58 |
| 10 | Arizona | Lost to USC 28-26 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | Defeated Texas 31-26 |
| 12 | Oregon | Defeated UCLA 42-30 |
| 13 | Georgia | Defeated Missouri 34-0 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | Lost to Ole Miss 35-14 |
| 15 | Ohio State | Idle |
| 16 | Oklahoma State | Defeated Kansas 27-20 |
| 17 | Kansas State | Idle |
| 18 | UCLA | Lost to Oregon 42-30 |
| 19 | East Carolina | Defeated South Florida 28-17 |
| 20 | Arizona State | Idle |
| 21 | Nebraska | Idle |
| 22 | Georgia Tech | Lost to Duke 31-25 |
| 23 | Missouri | Lost to Georgia 34-0 |
| 24 | Utah | Idle |
| 25 | Stanford | Defeated Washington State 34-17 |
Who's No. 1?
Based on what we've seen thus far this season, here's the way the top four teams should be ranked.
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- Florida State
- Baylor
How can the Rebels leapfrog the Bulldogs after the latter just beat the No. 2 team in the nation? Moreover, how can either jump past the Noles considering the champions have yet to lose?
Ole Miss' body of work at this point is a little more impressive. Having defeated Alabama at home and Texas A&M on the road is downright eye-popping. Yes, the Bulldogs' wins over LSU and Auburn are certainly noteworthy, but Ole Miss deserves the slight edge over their in-state rivals for right now.
Florida State will have a major test ahead of it in Week 8 against Notre Dame, but quite honestly, the champions haven't looked like world beaters this year, and their schedule pales in comparison to Ole Miss' and Mississippi State's.
Up to now, Florida State has played just one ranked team. It beat then No. 22-ranked Clemson in overtime without the suspended Winston available. While the team has technically passed every test put in front of it up to this point, Ole Miss and Mississippi State deserve to have their excellent seasons recognized.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
