College Football Rankings 2016: Latest Polls, Predictions for Week 8 Standings

After a second week of October that saw numerous upsets throughout the Top 10 of both major polls, it was a relatively uneventful Week 7, as the majority of the best teams in college football stayed put within the rankings.

A pair of Top 10 matchups took place over the weekend, with Alabama crushing Tennessee 49-10 and Ohio State pulling out a thrilling 30-23 win at Wisconsin in overtime. Other than that, there was little movement in the Week 8 polls, and the only notable takeaway was that Michigan moved ahead of Clemson in the Associated Press poll.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the AP and Amway Coaches polls, as well some predictions for two of the more intriguing teams in the rankings.

Is West Virginia a Playoff Contender?

Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas tend to receive most of the attention in the Big 12, but a new team is emerging this season in West Virginia, which is now pushing for a Top 10 rating in both major polls.

The Mountaineers moved to 5-0 on the year after an impressive 48-17 dismantling of Texas Tech. The Red Raiders and quarterback Patrick Mahomes II were held to a startling 379 yards of offense, which is far below their season average.

As a result, West Virginia is getting some play as a potential threat for the College Football Playoff, as pundits like Fox Sports' Dieter Kurtenbach noted:

So is the hype real? Well, it is too early to tell.

True, Saturday's win was a tremendous all-around effort, but it was the only time West Virginia put together such a performance this season. This was the team's largest margin of victory on the year, and it has played teams like Missouri and Youngstown State at home.

West Virginia is averaging a solid 32.8 points per game, but it only beat mediocre squads like BYU and Kansas State by a combined four points. 

Defensively, the Mountaineers rank an underwhelming 71st nationally, allowing 410.6 yards per game. The unit was stout against Texas Tech, but this was by far its best outing of the year. West Virginia held Missouri to 11 points, but Mizzou is no juggernaut, as it scored a combined 21 points against Florida and LSU. West Virginia also let BYU and Youngstown State put up 32 and 21 points, respectively.

So who are the real Mountaineers? Are they the complete team that derailed Texas Tech, or are they the squad that needs one unit to step up to overcome a sloppy performance from either the offense or defense? That question will be answered with the beef of their Big 12 schedule upcoming.

The Mountaineers have difficult road tests at Oklahoma State and Texas, not to mention they host Baylor, Oklahoma and TCU. These are the five best teams in the conference, and one team in particular stands out as a bad matchup for West Virginia.

Oklahoma employs a punishing rushing attack with Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, which allows space for quarterback Baker Mayfield to operate in play action. West Virginia ranks 71st nationally with 159.8 rushing yards allowed, and it has yet to face an offense as complete as Oklahoma's.

Undefeated means what is says, and West Virginia deserves its current ranking. But it has not proven that it can run the gauntlet in the Big 12 unscathed and establish itself as a playoff contender at this point.

Louisville Is Vulnerable

After getting through the early part of its schedule at 4-1 with impressive showings in a 63-20 win over Florida State and a close 42-36 loss at Clemson, Louisville appeared to have a cakewalk of a schedule before its Nov. 17 date at Houston. That notion changed in Week 7.

The Cardinals barely escaped a pedestrian Duke team on Friday, winning 24-14 thanks in large part to a late roughing penalty on a field-goal attempt when Louisville led 17-14. The Blue Devils came up short on the road, but they exposed the formula for beating Louisville.

Louisville put up 469 yards of offense to Duke's 239, but the Blue Devils dominated possession, holding onto the ball for 37 minutes and 12 seconds and leaving the Cardinals with only 22 minutes and 48 seconds to work with. Duke was also highly effective on third down, converting eight of 16 attempts. 

Duke defended Lamar Jackson by keeping him on the sideline with a slow, methodical offensive tempo that emphasized clock management through the run game and ball security. As a result, Louisville's playoff resume took a slight hit, according to Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde:

Looking ahead, every team is going to try to use this style to some extent, but there are two teams on the Cardinals' schedule that can replicate it to the point Louisville could lose.

North Carolina State nearly took down Clemson on the road in Week 7, falling 24-17 in overtime. It did so with a stingy defense and a powerful rushing attack. Running back Matthew Dayes carried the ball 22 times for 106 yards and a score while the Wolfpack forced four turnovers and led in time of possession. 

The team has a smart quarterback in Ryan Finley, who is completing 64.9 percent of his throws for 1,272 yards, nine touchdowns and only two picks. The Wolfpack rank 29th nationally, with a 46.3 percent success rate on third down, and they are a much more talented team than Duke.

Wake Forest could also give Louisville some problems. The Demon Deacons are roughly on par with the Blue Devils in terms of personnel, but they competed well with Florida State last week in a 17-6 loss.

Wake Forest ranks 18th nationally in run defense with 119.3 yards allowed per game and is tied for 12th in turnover margin at plus-six, so it has the ingredients necessary to play a grinding type of game against Louisville.

Louisville is still the most explosive team in the nation, ranking No. 1 in total offense and scoring offense. However, it can be beat when opponents control the tempo of the game, which is a possibility in its upcoming schedule.

It's not likely, but don't be surprised if the Cardinals slip up before their epic showdown with Houston.

Statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com.