College Football Rankings 2015: Latest Polls, Predictions for Week 8 Standings

This past weekend will largely be remembered in the annals of history for the "Gift Six"—or whatever title you decide to associate with the final play in the thriller between Michigan and Michigan State—but there were so many other results that will go a long way toward deciding who makes it into the final four at the end of the year.

From statement wins by Alabama and Baylor to the survival of the aforementioned Spartans and LSU in tight contests, college football’s final standings have started to take shape as the season moves into its second half.

A relatively tame Week 8 awaits after a weekend with five games between teams in the AP Top 25 Poll, but that doesn’t mean the top teams can take off and coast to comfortable wins.

So what are the top matchups heading into Week 8, and which teams need to be careful of possible upsets? Let’s take a look at the Top 25 rankings and what next weekend has in store.

Rank	AP Poll	Coaches Poll
1	Ohio State	Ohio State
2	Baylor	Baylor
3	Utah	TCU
4	TCU	Michigan State
5	LSU	LSU
6	Clemson	Clemson
7	Michigan State	Utah
8	Alabama	Alabama
9	Florida State	Florida State
10	Stanford	Notre Dame
11	Notre Dame	Stanford
12	Iowa	Oklahoma State
13	Florida	Iowa
14	Oklahoma State	Florida
15	Texas A&M (Tie)	Oklahoma
16	Michigan (Tie)	Texas A&M
17	Oklahoma	Memphis (Tie)
18	Memphis	Michigan (Tie)
19	Toledo	California
20	California	Toledo
21	Houston	Duke
22	Temple	Houston
23	Duke	Mississippi
24	Mississippi	Temple
25	Pittsburgh	Georgia

No. 15 Texas A&M at No. 24 Ole Miss

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Both teams coming off of disappointing losses, Ole Miss and Texas A&M might be the lone ranked matchup of the weekend, but both teams are much more desperate to secure a victory and risk falling behind in the SEC.

The Aggies, having succumbed to the powers of the Crimson Tide in embarrassing fashion, have some serious issues on both sides of the ball. Unable to stop Derrick Henry in the running attack was the real problem on the day, even with the four interceptions aiding significantly in the defeat, and that isn’t a new issue.

Ranking No. 98 in the country in run defense, Texas A&M has to solve its problem against the run if it is going to find its way back into the playoff picture.

Ole Miss has looked like a different team since handing Alabama its lone loss of the season—which the Tide nearly won despite five turnovers—and now has two double-digit defeats in the last three weeks to Florida and now Memphis.

Memphis is a much better team than the Rebels critics are willing to admit, but defensive issues have been on display and without much of a running game, Ole Miss doesn’t have the balance offensively it needs to challenge for a title.

But with its SEC fate still in its hands because of the win against Alabama and a game against LSU still on the schedule, Ole Miss should be able to ride out the storm against Texas A&M at home and claim another upset victory in the SEC.

Prediction: Ole Miss 31, Texas A&M 24

No. 3 Utah at USC

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

It wasn’t the prettiest result of the year, but thanks in large part to a 20-point fourth quarter, the Utah Utes survived against Arizona State 34-18 and managed to stay undefeated.

Devontae Booker and Travis Wilson continued as one of the nation’s top run-pass duos, with each recording a pair of touchdowns against the Sun Devils amid a myriad of mistakes that nearly cost Utah the game.

But the only thing that matters is that the Utes won for the sixth time this year and have some of the most impressive wins this season: a Week 1 handling of Michigan, a Pac-12 after-dark victory over California and a dismantling of Oregon that was the sign of things to come for the Ducks.

Each of these wins is a part of an impressive resume that has Utah in the Top Three and with a playoff spot on the horizon should the record remain unblemished. Next up, though, is another stiff Pac-12 test—this time a trip to the down-on-their-luck USC Trojans.

With a season’s worth of drama packed into the last week alone, USC is in a tough spot after starting the year with high hopes after coming off back-to-back losses against Washington and Notre Dame.

Against the Irish, USC held its own and nearly pulled off the upset, but it couldn’t do enough to get the job done in a high-scoring affair. A return home should give the Trojans a boost, though, and the chance to knock off a Top Three team and get their season back on track could be enough to pull off the upset.

It will be another hard-fought affair for Utah, who hasn’t looked great since beating Oregon, but the Utes should be able to take advantage of a soft USC defense and secure a close win to move to 7-0 on the season.

Prediction: Utah 31, USC 30

Western Kentucky at No. 5 LSU

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

There has been no shortage of highly ranked SEC teams falling to Group of Five opponents and elevating some of the middle-tier teams to higher positions. Arkansas losing to Toledo and Ole Miss falling to Memphis stand out as resume-defining wins for teams searching for a spot in the New Year’s Six Bowls.

But both could all be topped if Western Michigan can walk into Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and shock the undefeated No. 5 Tigers.

The Tigers have climbed the polls on the back of superstar sophomore Leonard Fournette, who leads the country in total rushing yards, average yards per game and is tied for the top spot with 14 rushing touchdowns.

With an undefeated record, including wins against Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida on its resume, LSU has more than earned its spot in the Top Five and could find itself in the playoff if the wins keep piling up.

For a team with such high hopes and as much skill as the Tigers have, Western Kentucky shouldn’t provide much of a threat. The Hilltoppers only beat Vanderbilt by two points to start the year and lost to Indiana by three in Week 3.

But Western Kentucky is actually quite a good team and has turned its season around since losing to the Hoosiers. In the four games since then, the Hilltoppers are averaging 54.5 points per game and are only allowing 20 to their opponents.

Western Kentucky can put up points quickly, and it isn’t like the Tigers have blown out every opponent they have faced this year. Wins against Eastern Michigan and Syracuse were less than impressive and showed LSU can be stopped.

A bye week buffer should prevent LSU from looking ahead to its matchup with Alabama, but Western Kentucky will still come ready to play. In the end, the Tigers and Fournette are just too talented for the Hilltoppers, but don’t be surprised if it is kept close throughout.

Prediction: LSU 41, Western Kentucky 34