Amway College Football Poll 2014: Complete Week 8 Rankings Released

Week 7 of the 2014 college football season was not as wild as the previous weekend’s action, but there were still several ranked programs that fell in heated matchups.

With Mississippi State beating Auburn, Ole Miss handing Texas A&M another loss and Baylor holding on against TCU, the latest college football polls have been shifted once again as the cream continues rising to the top.

Here are the full Amway Coaches and Bleacher Report Top 25 polls and a breakdown of Week 7.

Rank	Amway Top 25	Bleacher Report Top 25
1	Mississippi State Bulldogs	Mississippi State Bulldogs
2	Florida State Seminoles	Florida State Seminoles
3	Ole Miss Rebels	Ole Miss Rebels
4	Baylor Bears	Baylor Bears
5	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
6	Michigan State Spartans	Auburn Tigers
7	Alabama Crimson Tide	Michigan State Spartans
8	Auburn Tigers	Alabama Crimson Tide
9	Oregon Ducks	Oregon Ducks
10	Georgia Bulldogs	Oklahoma Sooners
11	Oklahoma Sooners	Georgia Bulldogs
12	TCU Horned Frogs	TCU Horned Frogs
13	Ohio State Buckeyes	Ohio State Buckeyes
14	Kansas State Wildcats	Kansas State Wildcats
15	Oklahoma State Cowboys	East Carolina Pirates
16	East Carolina Pirates	Oklahoma State Cowboys
17	Arizona Wildcats	Arizona State Sun Devils
18	Arizona State Sun Devils	Arizona Wildcats
19	Nebraska Cornhuskers	Nebraska Cornhuskers
20	Stanford Cardinal	Stanford Cardinal
21	Texas A&M Aggies	Clemson Tigers
22	Clemson Tigers	Texas A&M Aggies
23	Utah Utes	UCLA Bruins
24	Marshall Thundering Herd	USC Trojans
25	USC Trojans	Marshall Thundering Herd

Breaking Down Week 7 

While there has been turnover at the top of the polls on several different occasions this season, one of the only consistencies has been the undefeated play of the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles.

Still, that wasn't enough to keep the Seminoles at the top spot.

There is no doubt that quarterback Jameis Winston hasn't been as dangerous as he was when he won the Heisman Trophy last year, but the team is still winning games consistently. Add in the team’s favorable schedule, and Florida State should easily make the College Football Playoff.

The toughest remaining game comes next Saturday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. After watching Notre Dame barely pull out a win over North Carolina in Week 7, the Seminoles should be victorious and maintain their position as viable championship contenders.

Despite several off-field distractions, Winston has found solace playing on Saturdays, telling Josh Moyer of ESPN.com about what football has meant to him during this period of his career:

"

It's not about distractions -- it's about playing Florida State football. It's about going out there every day in practice, doing our school work, making sure we're being a great student-athlete. And like I said, being on the field, it's a sanctuary. You get between those lines, all the cameras are on you, and we're out there playing football.

"

The biggest news of the weekend was Mississippi State beating Auburn. The Tigers were ranked second in the Amway Poll last week and the Bulldogs were sixth overall, but it was Mississippi State that looked far superior in this matchup. The Bulldogs scored the first three touchdowns of the game and won by a score of 38-23.

Mississippi State is now No. 1 overall in the latest rankings.   

It was a good day to be a college football fan from Mississippi, as Ole Miss also managed to beat its ranked opponent on Saturday. Texas A&M was coming off a loss to Mississippi State, and the Rebels only made the situation worse for the Aggies by scoring early and taking the victory on the road.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard talked about the state of Mississippi dominating Week 7:

The most thrilling game of the weekend was the Big 12 battle between Baylor and TCU. After entering the fourth quarter trailing by 14, the Bears managed to score 24 points in the final 15 minutes of the game and beat the Horned Frogs, 61-58. The high-scoring game proved that both programs have the offensive firepower and tenacity to be top teams in the nation.

As great as the wins for Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Baylor were, the wheels are starting to come off for several other top programs. After losing to the Rebels last Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide bounced back with a lackluster 14-13 win over Arkansas. If the Crimson Tide want to return to prominence, they will have to develop chemistry on offense as soon as possible.

Alabama wasn’t the only team that disappointed, though, as the Arizona Wildcats failed to capitalize on the momentum from a victory over Oregon and were defeated by USC. The Ducks may have beaten the UCLA Bruins in Week 7, but Arizona’s loss further discounts Oregon's championship hopes. 

Other teams like Michigan State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were involved in games that were much closer than fans expected (all managed to win), but programs like Georgia and East Carolina continued playing well.

The 2014 college football season was expected to be a wild ride leading into the inaugural four-team playoff, but few experts predicted this kind of turnover in the polls from week to week.

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the sport.

*Stats via ESPN.com.