College Football Rankings 2014: Final NCAA Overview of Week 8 Standings

We're on the heels of two epic weeks of college football action that shook up the standings in a big way, and Week 8 promises to deliver more of the same. In fact, things already began in ominous fashion for the nation's top teams, as No. 20 Utah was taken into two overtimes by unranked Oregon State on Thursday.

Could we see more of the same on Saturday?

With several pivotal matchups set to take place—including No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State—the College Football Playoff picture is poised to shift yet again. Aside from that enthralling contest, four other games pit Top 25 teams against each other.

Before all of the polls shift in dramatic fashion in the aftermath of these compelling matchups, let's take one last look at the current standings followed by a preview of the week's marquee game.

Rank	Associated Press	Amway	Bleacher Report
1	Mississippi State	Mississippi State	Mississippi State
2	Florida State	Florida State	Florida State
3	Ole Miss	Ole Miss	Ole Miss
4	Baylor	Baylor	Baylor
5	Notre Dame	Notre Dame	Notre Dame
6	Auburn	Michigan State	Auburn
7	Alabama	Alabama	Michigan State
8	Michigan State	Auburn	Alabama
9	Oregon	Oregon	Oregon
10	Georgia	Georgia	Oklahoma
11	Oklahoma	Oklahoma	Georgia
12	TCU	TCU	TCU
13	Ohio State	Ohio State	Ohio State
14	Kansas State	Kansas State	Kansas State
15	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State	East Carolina (T15)
16	Arizona	East Carolina	Oklahoma State (T15)
17	Arizona State	Arizona	Arizona State
18	East Carolina	Arizona State	Arizona
19	Nebraska	Nebraska	Nebraska
20	Utah	Stanford	Stanford
21	Texas A&M	Texas A&M	Clemson
22	USC	Clemson	Texas A&M
23	Stanford	Utah	UCLA
24	Clemson	Marshall	USC
25	Marshall	USC	Marshall

Poll information courtesy of the Associated Press, USA Today and Bleacher Report.

Marquee Game

No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

This game promises to provide plenty of fireworks, as two Top Five, undefeated, high-octane squads take the gridiron to determine which will continue to remain well in the hunt for a berth in the College Football Playoff.

It's quite interesting how similar both of these teams have looked over a couple of recent turbulent contests.

Notre Dame's defense looked as solid as ever on October 4, defeating a strong Stanford team 17-14 with a last-second touchdown pass on 4th-and-11. Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan was held to 158 passing yards and was intercepted twice while Stanford's running game could only muster 1.5 yards per carry.

The following week, it was a completely different story, as the Fighting Irish gave up an unexpected 43 points to North Carolina. The team simply couldn't contain dual-threat quarterback Marquise Williams, which isn't a good sign with Jameis Winston on the horizon.

Notre Dame's defense held this impressive stat prior to the North Carolina game, via College GameDay:

Still, Notre Dame's offense has been highly explosive lately, and quarterback Everett Golson continues to be very effective. Maintaining a balanced offense while avoiding costly turnovers will be key for an Irish victory on Saturday—especially if the defense continues to struggle in the trenches.

We'll see if Golson can add another victory to this impressive record, via ESPN College Football:

Florida State has been just as inconsistent as Notre Dame lately. The Seminoles couldn't figure out North Carolina State quarterback Jacoby Brissett when the teams faced off in late September, allowing the Wolfpack to gain 520 yards of offense. In Week 7, it was more of the same, as Syracuse racked up 412 yards of offense against this unit.

Sandwiched between those two games was a masterful defensive effort against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were held to just three points and gained only 126 yards of offense against a dominant Seminoles team.

Offensively, Florida State has been outstanding of late, as Winston has looked good since returning from a suspension earlier in the season. Like Notre Dame, this offense is capable of lighting up the scoreboard on any given week. Although, it will be interesting to see if Winston is fazed by ongoing off-the-field issues. Here's a look at a discussion on the matter, via ESPN College Football:

Expect this game to come down to which defense shows up. The pressure is heavy on Notre Dame's unit, as playing in a loud, hostile environment will not be conducive to a bounce-back performance. This one could easily come down to which team can make one decisive defensive stop.