College Football Rankings 2016: Bleacher Report's Week 8 Top 25
With all 11 unbeaten FBS teams managing to remain that way, Week 7 didn't provide the kind of upsets and unexpected outcomes that most other weekends of college football have this season. But that doesn't mean there wasn't drama and intrigue involving teams that are featured in the Bleacher Report Top 25.
Clemson and Ohio State needed overtime to outlast their opponents, while other highly rated teams also struggled and narrowly escaped defeat. These results led to a fair amount of shake-up in the Top 25, even without those teams losing.
The Bleacher Report poll is voted on by 18 members of our college football staff: writers Greg Couch, Tyler Donohue, Ed Feng, David Kenyon, Sanjay Kirpalani, Adam Kramer, Brian Pedersen, David Regimbal, Barrett Sallee, Damon Sayles, Brad Shepard, Greg Wallace and Christopher Walsh; video staff Michael Felder, Hunter Mandel and Sean McManus; and editors Eric Bowman and Eric Yates.
First-place votes are worth 25 points, with each subsequent point worth one fewer point all the way down to one for 25th place. The 25 teams with the most poll points make our list, with the rest falling into the "others receiving votes" category.
Check out where everyone stands after Week 7, then give us your thoughts in the comments section.
Others Receiving Votes
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Colorado cruised to a 40-16 home win over Arizona State on Saturday for its fifth victory of the season, surpassing last year's win total. At 3-1 in the Pac-12, the Buffaloes are tied for the South Division and have won more league games this season than in any other year since joining the conference in 2011.
But that still wasn't enough to make it into the Top 25. Another win or two, and that might change.
Here's a look at all the teams that received votes but didn't get the number needed to be ranked.
- Colorado (33)
- Navy (21)
- South Florida (17)
- Stanford (17)
- Washington State (16)
- UCLA (13)
- Oklahoma State (11)
- TCU (11)
- Virginia Tech (8)
- Iowa (2)
- San Diego State (2)
- Northwestern (1)
- Toledo (1)
No. 24 (tie) Ole Miss Rebels
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Poll points: 41
Last week's ranking: 12th
Week 7 result: Lost 34-30 at Arkansas
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at LSU
Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2 SEC) rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter but couldn't put together one last scoring drive in the final minutes.
Quarterback Chad Kelly had the ball pop loose as he scrambled for nine yards on 4th-and-16 with 1:40 left—one of two turnovers by Kelly in addition to 342 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. His 17-yard TD run helped give the Rebels a 30-27 lead with nine minutes left, but then Arkansas retook the lead with 2:20 to go and held on for the victory.
No. 24 (tie) Miami (Florida) Hurricanes
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Poll points: 41
Last week's ranking: 16th
Week 7 result: Lost 20-13 vs. North Carolina
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 20 at Virginia Tech
Miami (4-2, 1-2 ACC) lost its second straight home game as its offense sputtered for the better part of three quarters.
The Hurricanes' lone touchdown came with 3:38 left in the third, a two-yard run by Joseph Yearby that was part of his 74 rushing yards. Mark Walton added 82 but on 24 carries—far below his 6.29 yards-per-carry average entering the game.
Miami failed to reach 20 points for a second consecutive contest after averaging 47 during a 4-0 start.
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No. 23 LSU Tigers
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Poll points: 55
Last week's ranking: 25th
Week 7 result: Won 45-10 vs. Southern Mississippi
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. Ole Miss
LSU (4-2) improved to 2-0 under interim head coach Ed Orgeron, averaging 10.9 yards per play on offense.
The Tigers only had 42 offensive snaps to 73 for Southern Miss, yet they outgained the Golden Eagles 459-242. That included 276 passing yards and three TDs from Danny Etling and 162 rushing yards with two scores from Derrius Guice, who was again starting in place of injured tailback Leonard Fournette.
Malachi Dupre had two TD catches, and D.J. Chark had a rushing and receiving score for LSU.
No. 22 North Carolina Tar Heels
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Poll points: 67
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
Week 7 result: Won 20-13 at Miami (Florida)
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at Virginia
North Carolina (5-2, 3-1 ACC) showed how efficient its offense can be when not dealing with hurricane conditions, bouncing back from last week's blowout home loss to Virginia Tech, which was played in a heavy downpour.
This game also featured rain during the second half, but the Tar Heels had built a 20-3 lead by then, and they held on to win thanks to 299 yards and two touchdowns on 33-of-46 passing from Mitch Trubisky. The quarterback was 13-of-33 for 58 yards and two interceptions in last week's 34-3 loss to Virginia Tech.
UNC won its seventh consecutive road game, with six coming in the ACC.
No. 21 Auburn Tigers
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Poll points: 82
Last week's ranking: 22nd
Week 7 result: Bye
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. Arkansas
Auburn (4-2, 2-1 SEC) has won its last three matchups with its run game and quarterback Sean White sparking the turnaround. The Tigers gained 638 rushing yards with eight touchdowns in the past two games, while White has three consecutive 200-yard passing games while completing 77 percent of his throws.
No. 20 Western Michigan Broncos
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Poll points: 108
Last week's ranking: 21st
Week 7 result: Won 41-0 at Akron
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan (7-0, 3-0 Mid-American) played as a nationally ranked team for the first time in program history and had the kind of performance befitting such a ranking, continuing its best start since 1941.
The Broncos earned their first shutout win since 2006 by holding Akron to 283 yards. In comparison, Western Michigan running back Jarvion Franklin tallied a school-record 281 rushing yards with a touchdown. The Broncos ran for 378 yards and four TDs as a team, with quarterback Zach Terrell scoring twice on the ground to go with two passing TDs and 207 yards.
Corey Davis had eight catches for 63 yards and two TDs, moving him into sixth place in FBS history with 4,430 receiving yards and a tie for fifth with 43 receiving scores.
No. 19 Utah Utes
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Poll points: 116
Last week's ranking: 23rd
Week 7 result: Won 19-14 at Oregon State
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at UCLA
Utah (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) pulled a player out of retirement to spur a big rushing effort in a game played in persistent rain with strong winds wreaking havoc on any attempt to throw the ball.
Joe Williams, a senior who gave up football after the Utes' second game this season, returned to the field and ran for 179 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. The Utes sorely needed his production with their top three rushers out with injuries.
"It's like riding a bike," Williams told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).
Utah ran for 275 yards and two TDs, and quarterback Troy Williams was just 4-of-13 for 42 yards.
No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers
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Poll points: 133
Last week's ranking: 11th
Week 7 result: Lost 49-10 vs. Alabama
Week 8 matchup: Bye
Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC) found itself down by multiple scores early on for the sixth time in seven games, but unlike those previous outings, the Volunteers never came close to mounting a rally.
The Vols trailed 14-0 after the first quarter and never got closer than within seven points, that coming after Alvin Kamara's seven-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. They were outgained 594-163 with just 32 rushing yards—more than 160 below their season average—while quarterback Joshua Dobbs was held to 92 yards on 16-of-27 passing with an interception that was returned for a TD.
That was Tennessee's 17th turnover this season; it had 12 giveaways all of 2015.
No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks
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Poll points: 169
Last week's ranking: 24th
Week 7 result: Won 34-30 vs. Ole Miss
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at Auburn
Arkansas (5-2, 1-2 SEC) put together a 10-play, go-ahead drive capped by Jared Cornelius' six-yard run with 2:20 to go to clinch its first league win of the season and avoid a 0-3 start in the conference for the third time in four seasons.
Cornelius' score was the only rushing touchdown for the Razorbacks, who ran for 200 yards with 180 coming from Rawleigh Williams in addition to a receiving score. Austin Allen threw for 229 yards and three TDs on 19-of-32 passing.
The Hogs locked it up the when they forced a fumble by Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly with 1:40 remaining.
No. 16 Florida Gators
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Poll points: 189
Last week's ranking: 19th
Week 7 result: Won 40-14 vs. Missouri
Week 8 matchup: Bye
Florida (5-1, 3-1 SEC) used three non-offensive touchdowns to fuel a lopsided home victory, which, combined with Tennessee's loss to Alabama, moved the Gators into first place in the East Division.
Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive drives during the second quarter, then Antonio Callaway scooped up an onside-kick attempt and ran it 44 yards for a score in the fourth. In between, the Gators got a 20-yard TD pass from Luke Del Rio to Tyrie Cleveland and a 33-yard TD run from Jordan Scarlett.
Scarlett ran for 101 yards, and Lamical Perine added 106 on the ground. Del Rio threw for 236 yards but completed only 18 of his 38 passes and was intercepted three times.
No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners
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Poll points: 194
Last week's ranking: 17th
Week 7 result: Won 38-17 vs. Kansas State
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at Texas Tech
Oklahoma (4-2, 3-0 Big 12) won its third straight game overall and 10th in a row in league play as quarterback Baker Mayfield had his best game of the season.
Mayfield threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns on 25-of-31 passing against Kansas State, hooking up with running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine for first-quarter scores. He also threw a pair of TDs to Dede Westbrook, who had nine catches for 184 yards and three scores, including an 88-yard scoring catch and a 26-yard TD reception from Mixon.
Mixon had 203 all-purpose yards, including 88 rushing yards, handling the bulk of the rushing work after Perine left the game with a leg injury.
No. 14 Boise State Broncos
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Poll points: 215
Last week's ranking: 15th
Week 7 result: Won 28-23 vs. Colorado State
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 20 vs. BYU
Boise State (6-0, 3-0 Mountain West) built a 25-point lead and then held on to remain unbeaten and in the running for a New Year's Six bowl slot.
The Broncos led 28-3 with 10:53 left in the fourth quarter after receiver Thomas Sperbeck threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Richardson before Colorado State scored 20 unanswered thanks to a pair of recovered onside kicks.
Jeremy McNichols ran for 217 yards and two touchdowns for Boise, while Brett Rypien threw for 207 yards and a TD on 16-of-24 passing.
No. 13 West Virginia Mountaineers
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Poll points: 217
Last week's ranking: 20th
Week 7 result: Won 48-17 at Texas Tech
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. TCU
West Virginia (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) posted season highs in points and yards, but most impressive from its dominant road win was the ability to limit Texas Tech's potent attack to its lowest scoring output since November 2014.
The Mountaineers held the Red Raiders to 379 yards with FBS passing leader Patrick Mahomes II throwing for only 305 yards and a touchdown on 28-of-44 passing. Mahomes came in averaging 454.8 passing yards per game with 20 TDs.
West Virginia gained 650 yards, with 407 of that coming from quarterback Skyler Howard, who had 318 passing yards with a TD and 89 rushing yards with two scores. Rushel Shell had 104 rushing yards and two TDs, part of a 332-yard, five-touchdown rushing effort from the Mountaineers.
No. 12 Houston Cougars
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Poll points: 230
Last week's ranking: 13th
Week 7 result: Won 38-31 vs. Tulsa
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at SMU
Houston (6-1, 3-1 American) got two tremendous plays from its defense in the final two minutes to avoid a second consecutive loss.
Emeke Egbule returned a fumble 24 yards with 1:21 left to break the tie, then the Cougars gang-tackled Tulsa's Jesse Brubaker just short of the goal line on the final play of the game. Those were two of the few stops they made on a night when Tulsa threw for 365 yards and had three scoring drives that took less than two minutes.
Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. had 396 yards of total offense for Houston but didn't produce a touchdown, as Houston's four offensive TDs came via three scoring runs from Dillon Birden and another from Mulbah Car.
No. 11 Florida State Seminoles
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Poll points: 232
Last week's ranking: 14th
Week 7 result: Won 17-6 vs. Wake Forest
Week 8 matchup: Bye
Florida State (5-2, 2-2 ACC) leaned on its defense in a game where it had a decided yardage edge but couldn't hold on to the ball.
The Seminoles won despite four turnovers—two by quarterback Deondre Francois. He threw for 319 yards with a touchdown and ran for a score, but he threw an interception and lost a fumble. Dalvin Cook also coughed the ball up twice while rushing for 115 yards.
FSU forced three turnovers and held Wake Forest to 252 yards.
No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers
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Poll points: 246
Last week's ranking: 8th
Week 7 result: Lost 30-23 (OT) vs. Ohio State
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at Iowa
Wisconsin (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) came oh-so-close to knocking off a third Top 10 team in the first half of the season, but it was unable to hold a pair of 10-point leads.
The Badgers led 10-0 and were up 16-6 at halftime, making them the first team to keep Ohio State from scoring a first-half touchdown this season. But as OSU began to get its offense going, Wisconsin's attack began to stall, scoring only a single touchdown in the second half and overtime.
Alex Hornibrook threw for 214 yards and a touchdown, but he was sacked on 4th-and-goal to end the game, while Corey Clement ran for 164 yards on 25 carries.
No. 9 Baylor Bears
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Poll points: 295
Last week's ranking: 9th
Week 7 result: Won 49-7 vs. Kansas
Week 8 matchup: Bye
Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) could have scored much more had it not missed a pair of first-half field goals and took its foot off the gas after going up 49-0 early in the third quarter. But even in easing up offensively, the Bears posted another strong defensive effort en route to their fourth consecutive 6-0 start.
The Bears gained 453 yards, with 246 of that coming on the ground. Quarterback Seth Russell ran for two touchdowns and threw for a pair, finishing with 212 yards of total offense, while Shock Linwood and Terence Williams also added rushing scores.
Baylor held Kansas to 217 yards while forcing five turnovers, including an interception Ryan Reid returned 64 yards for a first-quarter TD.
No. 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Poll points: 298
Last week's ranking: 10th
Week 7 result: Won 27-22 at Indiana
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. Purdue
Nebraska (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) scored the first 17 points but then had to hold off a late Indiana rally to lock up its best start since 2001.
Stanley Morgan Jr.'s 72-yard touchdown catch from Tommy Armstrong Jr. helped give the Cornhuskers a 24-15 lead five minutes into the fourth quarter, and then the defense took over to preserve a five-point lead when it intercepted a pass in the final minute.
Armstrong threw for 208 yards and a TD, and Terrell Newby ran for 102 yards and a score. Nebraska also got a 33-yard interception return score from Chris Jones during a 17-0 first quarter.
No. 7 Louisville Cardinals
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Poll points: 343
Last week's ranking: 7th
Week 7 result: Won 24-14 vs. Duke
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. North Carolina State
Louisville (5-1, 3-1 ACC) scored on its opening drive and then seemed to go back to being on a bye week, needing a penalty against Duke for roughing the kicker and a late touchdown to prevent what would have been a devastating home loss.
Lamar Jackson threw a five-yard TD pass to Jaylen Smith less than four minutes into the game, but the Cardinals didn't find the end zone again until the third quarter. They led just 17-14 with two minutes left when, after missing a 46-yard field goal, their drive was extended because of a penalty. Jackson turned that extra life into a two-yard TD run.
Jackson had 325 yards of total offense (his season low), throwing for 181 yards on 13-of-26 passing and adding 144 rushing yards.
No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies
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Poll points: 359
Last week's ranking: 6th
Week 7 result: Bye
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at Alabama
Texas A&M (6-0, 4-0 SEC) is off to its best start since 1994, getting past that sixth-game hump that had signaled the Aggies' downfall the previous two seasons. They've done so against five power-conference opponents and three ranked foes, most recently knocking off previously unbeaten Tennessee in double overtime.
The Aggies entered the weekend ranked eighth nationally in rushing, at 274.3 yards per game, sporting a 30-0 record under head coach Kevin Sumlin when running for at least 200 yards. True freshman Trayveon Williams has run for 704 yards, while quarterback Trevor Knight has added 502 rushing yards and nine touchdowns along with nine passing TDs.
A&M's defense has forced 17 turnovers and recorded 20 sacks and 58 tackles for loss.
No. 5 Washington Huskies
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Poll points: 381
Last week's ranking: 5th
Week 7 result: Bye
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. Oregon State
Washington (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) is looking like its conference's only hope to get into the College Football Playoff, and wins in the previous two weeks over the North Division's former top dogs have the Huskies rolling into the second half of the season.
The Huskies followed up a 44-6 thumping of defending Pac-12 champ Stanford with a 70-21 blowout at Oregon—their first win over the Ducks since 2003. That extended their streak to nine games scoring at least 35 points.
Quarterback Jake Browning has thrown 23 touchdown passes on 144 attempts and has also run for three scores on 26 carries.
No. 4 Clemson Tigers
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Poll points: 391
Last week's ranking: 3rd
Week 7 result: Won 24-17 (OT) vs. North Carolina State
Week 8 matchup: Bye
Clemson (7-0, 4-0 ACC) got two major breaks to remain unbeaten and in the driver's seat to return to the playoff on a day when the Tigers easily could have lost.
North Carolina State shanked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and after Artavis Scott caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to help give the Tigers the lead in overtime, they sealed the victory when Marcus Edmond intercepted an NC State pass on the next play. Edmond is the same player whose fourth-down stop against Louisville two weeks ago clinched that win.
Clemson won despite turning it over four times, losing a pair of fumbles in the red zone. Quarterback Deshaun Watson had 413 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns, but he also had an interception returned for a TD, while running back Wayne Gallman left the game early after suffering a head injury.
No. 3 Michigan Wolverines
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Poll points: 406
Last week's ranking: 4th
Week 7 result: Bye
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. Illinois
Michigan (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) has had arguably the easiest road of any unbeaten team so far in 2016, having played its first five games at home before finally leaving Ann Arbor. And that didn't result in much resistance, as the Wolverines poured it on in a 78-0 win at Rutgers.
The Wolverines are averaging 50 points per game, with 14 different players scoring touchdowns. Fullback Khalid Hill has been the most prolific scorer, with seven rushing TDs on only 13 carries along with a receiving score.
Michigan entered the weekend tied for second in FBS in sacks (24) and tops in tackles for loss (59).
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
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Poll points: 431 (one first-place vote)
Last week's ranking: 2nd
Week 7 result: Won 30-23 (OT) at Wisconsin
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 at Penn State
Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) was pushed to the limit in Madison, needing to rally from a 10-point halftime hole before claiming its 20th consecutive road win.
A sack of Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook by Nick Bosa and Tyquan Lewis sealed the win in overtime after Buckeyes QB J.T. Barrett threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Noah Brown to take the lead. That was the third TD Barrett was responsible for in the game and the 89th of his career, setting the school career record.
Barrett threw for 226 yards on 17-of-29 passing and ran for 92 yards and two scores. OSU's defense swarmed in the second half and OT, allowing Wisconsin to reach the end zone just once.
"At the end of his team's toughest test to date, J.T. Barrett did what he does best: He won," Ben Axelrod of Land of 10 wrote.
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide
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Poll points: 448 (17 first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 1st
Week 7 result: Won 49-10 at Tennessee
Week 8 matchup: Oct. 22 vs. Texas A&M
Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) won its 19th consecutive game overall and 10th in a row against Tennessee, never giving the Volunteers a shot to pull off one of their patented comebacks.
The Crimson Tide gained a season-high 594 yards, with 438 coming on the ground, along with five rushing touchdowns. It was their best rushing performance ever under head coach Nick Saban, who threw some shade at the competition afterward in explaining that ground effort.
"When we play really good teams, the runs aren't going to be so easy," Saban said, per AL.com's Justin King.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for 132 yards and three TDs to go with 143 passing yards, Bo Scarbrough and ArDarius Stewart added rushing scores, and the Tide got two more non-offensive TDs. Ronnie Harrison returned an interception 58 yards in the first quarter, and Eddie Jackson brought back a punt 79 yards in the fourth to give Alabama 11 non-offensive TDs this season.
All slides written by Brian J. Pedersen. Follow the author on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
