Amway College Football Poll 2016: Week 9 Top 25 Rankings Announced

You never know which moment might affect the national championship picture. Maybe, just maybe, it's a blocked field goal on an October night that shifts the balance of power in college football. Or maybe, in the long run, a blocked field goal on an October night is ultimately insignificant. 

Time will tell.

What we do know, though, is that this week's Amway Coaches Poll and Bleacher Report rankings have seen some major changes after the results of Week 8. Below, we'll take a look at each poll and break down all of the action from another wild weekend in college football. 

Analysis

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In most weeks, Alabama's convincing victory over a Top 10 team would be the top storyline, as the Crimson Tide pulled away from Texas A&M in the second half and beat the Aggies 33-14.

But Penn State just had to go and beat Ohio State 24-21 on Saturday night, stealing the limelight away from Tuscaloosa. 

Certainly, the Nittany Lions opened the door for Michigan in the Big Ten and only further strengthened the hold Alabama, Michigan, Clemson and Washington should have on the top four spots in the rankings after the Buckeyes and Aggies lost. Additionally, teams such as Louisville that are looking to climb back into the playoff picture after early-season losses will see a glimmer of hope following Ohio State's stumble.

Certainly, traveling to Happy Valley and coming away with a win is no easy task. But when Grant Haley returned a blocked field goal 60 yards for a touchdown, capping a 17-0 fourth quarter for Penn State, and the Nittany Lions sacked J.T. Barrett twice on Ohio State's ensuing possession, the Buckeyes' title hopes grew much longer.

But they are still within reach.

"Every goal is still alive," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com. "We're not a great team right now. We've got to regroup, get guys healthy and come back and keep swinging."

The ESPNU crew discussed the school's playoff hopes going forward:

Win out, and Ohio State can still reach the Big Ten title game. Win that, and it will have an excellent chance at earning one of the four playoff spots up for grabs. Awaiting the Buckeyes are matchups against Northwestern, unbeaten Nebraska, Maryland, a floundering Michigan State side and, of course, undefeated Michigan. 

In the Big Ten title game, either Nebraska or Wisconsin is the likely opponent. So the Buckeyes have quite the road ahead of them. But indeed, every goal is still alive.

We can say the same for Alabama, Michigan and Washington. Alabama dismissed its toughest opponent to date, Texas A&M, and now has LSU and Auburn remaining as its stiffest tests. More than likely, the Crimson Tide are headed toward another berth in the SEC title game.

Michigan, meanwhile, smoked Illinois, while Washington led 31-0 at the half against Oregon State and shifted to cruise control for the next 30 minutes, winning 41-17.

The Wolverines have a manageable schedule until their huge Nov. 26 matchup against Ohio State. Washington, meanwhile, will face a dangerous Utah team next week in a potential preview of the Pac-12 title game.

But the Huskies, to their credit, aren't worried about the implications of such games. They're more worried about winning one matchup at a time.

"We're not in this position if we don't focus on what's up each week," running back Myles Gaskin told Ken Goe of the Oregonian. "If you get busy looking ahead, you take an 'L.' You lose. We don't ever want to get caught up in that. All that ranking stuff is just media stuff. At the end of the day we come in here to play whoever the opponent is."

A few other teams kept themselves in the mix, although they are still on the outside looking in at this point—notably Nebraska and West Virginia, both of which remain undefeated. Houston, meanwhile, suffered its second loss, virtually ending the team's playoff or major bowl hopes, especially with Boise State remaining undefeated.

In other key results, Oklahoma survived a ridiculous shootout against Texas Tech that saw each side accumulate 854 yards of offense, while Auburn hammered Arkansas and LSU beat Ole Miss.

Next week should feature even more intrigue. Michigan will have a rivalry game against Michigan State, while Washington and Utah will clash in a huge Pac-12 showdown. Boise State takes on a tough Wyoming team, while Nebraska and Wisconsin will clash in a contest with huge implications for the Big Ten title game. 

Finally, in prime time, Clemson will take on Florida State, with the Tigers looking to stay in the driver's seat in the ACC's Atlantic Division. A Florida State win would give Louisville hope as the Cardinals look to claw their way back into contention for a national title.

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