College Football Rankings 2014: Week 9 AP and Amway Standings Revealed
After another wild week of college football, fans of the sport are already looking ahead to Week 9 and the latest Top 25 polls and rankings.
With top teams like Florida State and Alabama winning and other elite programs like Baylor and Oklahoma taking losses, the turnover in the polls once again has become a staple of the season. This has been one of the wildest years in recent memory.
Here are the full Amway coaches, Associated Press and Bleacher Report Top 25 polls and a breakdown of Week 8 of the college football season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | Mississippi State Bulldogs | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| 2 | Florida State Seminoles | Florida State Seminoles | Florida State Seminoles |
| 3 | Ole Miss Rebels | Ole Miss Rebels | Ole Miss Rebels |
| 4 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Alabama Crimson Tide | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 5 | Auburn Tigers | Michigan State Spartans | Auburn Tigers |
| 6 | Oregon Ducks | Auburn Tigers | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 7 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Oregon Ducks | Michigan State Spartans |
| 8 | Michigan State Spartans | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Oregon Ducks |
| 9 | Georgia Bulldogs | Georgia Bulldogs | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 10 | TCU Horned Frogs | TCU Horned Frogs | TCU Horned Frogs |
| 11 | Kansas State Wildcats | Kansas State Wildcats | Kansas State Wildcats |
| 12 | Baylor Bears | Ohio State Buckeyes | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 13 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Baylor Bears | Baylor Bears |
| 14 | Arizona State Sun Devils | Arizona State Sun Devils | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| 15 | Arizona Wildcats | Arizona Wildcats | Arizona Wildcats |
| 16 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Nebraska Cornhuskers | East Carolina Pirates |
| 17 | Oklahoma Sooners | East Carolina Pirates | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| 18 | East Carolina Pirates | Oklahoma Sooners | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 19 | Utah Utes | Utah Utes | USC Trojans |
| 20 | USC Trojans | Clemson Tigers | Utah Utes |
| 21 | Clemson Tigers | USC Trojans | Marshall Thundering Herd |
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers | Marshall Thundering Herd | Clemson Tigers |
| 23 | Marshall Thundering Herd | LSU Tigers | West Virginia Mountaineers |
| 24 | LSU Tigers | Minnesota Golden Gophers | UCLA Bruins |
| 25 | UCLA Bruins | West Virginia Mountaineers | Duke Blue Devils |
Breaking Down Week 8
Mississippi State was lucky to have a bye in Week 8 as the madness of the college football regular season continued with a schedule full of interesting matchups and stunning losses.
The biggest game of the weekend was the ranked battle between the Florida State Seminoles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. FSU took the hard-fought victory over Notre Dame, 31-27, and leaned heavily on Jameis Winston. With 273 yards passing, two touchdowns and one interception, Winston and the Seminoles are starting to find their offensive rhythm.
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher told Jared Shanker of ESPN.com what the win means:
"That's extremely satisfying. It's what you play for. That's what you strive to get your program to all the time, to be able to persevere and play in games like this and win those games. That's what I love about our team. They have a lot of pride and know how to win.
"
For the Fighting Irish, a strong performance against the defending national champions is a great building block moving forward. The loss will be tough to swallow, but if Notre Dame stays undefeated for the remainder of the season, the team will be playoff contenders.
The most lopsided game of the week was the Alabama Crimson Tide’s beat down of Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon, 59-0. There were questions about Alabama’s validity as championship contenders, but victory over the Aggies proved the Crimson Tide are still very much a threat.
Just like Texas A&M, several other top programs fell in Week 8. There was conversation about the Baylor Bears being one of the best teams in college football, but a stunning loss to West Virginia has hurt Baylor’s chances of finishing in the top four.
Another former championship contender that fell Saturday was Oklahoma. Kansas State stunned the Sooners with a 31-30 loss, and Oklahoma continues its slow fall down the rankings. Oklahoma State also lost to TCU in Week 8, and it is clear the wide open Big 12 will be one of the most interesting conferences coming down the regular-season stretch.
Several teams did manage to win in lopsided fashion and put in their best effort to climb the top 25 polls. Programs like Ole Miss, Michigan State, Oregon and Ohio State were victorious and continue to build resumes for the college football playoffs.
With another incredible week of action scheduled for Week 9, college football fans have come to expect several upsets and plenty of intense action. If you enjoy conference rivalries, next week will be right up your alley.
*Stats via ESPN.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
