NCAA Football Rankings 2017: Week 8 College Top 25 Standings Shakeup Predictions
It was another excellent Saturday night for top-ranked Alabama, but the weekend was a disaster for No. 2 Clemson.
Nick Saban's Crimson Tide took charge early against the Arkansas Razorbacks and rolled to a 41-9 victory as Damien Harris ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
The defending national champion Tigers went to Syracuse for a Friday night game against the seemingly non-threatening 3-3 Orange. However, the game turned out to be a nightmare as Eric Dungey threw three TD passes and led Syracuse to a 27-24 upset of the nation's second-ranked team.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
That loss will clearly have an impact on the top 25 rankings. Look for Penn State to move up from its No. 3 ranking to the No. 2 spot, while No. 4 Georgia should get the No. 3 spot in the AP rankings.
Penn State was idle over the weekend, while the powerful Bulldogs hammered struggling Missouri by a 53-28 score.
Washington faced a huge challenge on the road against Arizona State, and the No. 5 Huskies fell behind the Sun Devils early in the game and could not catch up. Their offense was held in check throughout by a team that is not noted for its defense, and the Huskies dropped a 13-7 decision late Saturday night. The Huskies are likely to drop out of the top 10.
The sixth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs went on the road and dispatched Kansas State with a solid 26-6 victory. The seventh-ranked Wisconsin Badgers remained undefeated as they ground out an ugly 17-9 victory at home over the improving Purdue Boilermakers. The Badgers were fairly sloppy with three turnovers, but they were rescued by RB Jonathan Taylor's 219-yard rushing effort.
Eighth-ranked Washington State suffered through a disastrous Friday night game against California. The Cougars went on the road to Berkeley and were beaten badly from the start. The Bears emerged with a 37-3 victory, and Washington State is almost certain to drop quite a few stops.
Ohio State played one of its most complete games of the season as the Buckeyes rolled over Nebraska 56-14. Ohio State had a 35-0 lead at halftime and quarterback J.T. Barrett threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns.
The 10th-ranked Auburn Tigers also suffered a tough defeat, going on the road and dropping a 27-23 decision to LSU in Baton Rouge.
Here's a look at the way the AP Top 25 rankings stood going into the weekend, along with updated records and this week's results. Top 25 teams that lost are listed in bold.
1. Alabama, 7-0, defeated Arkansas, 41-9
2. Clemson, 6-1, lost at Syracuse, 27-24
3. Penn State, 6-0, idle
4. Georgia, 7-0, defeated Missouri, 53-28
5. Washington, 6-1, lost at Arizona State, 13-7
6. TCU, 6-0, defeated Kansas State, 26-6
7. Wisconsin, 6-0, defeated Purdue, 17-9
8. Washington State, 6-1, lost at California, 37-3
9. Ohio State, 6-1, defeated Nebraska, 56-14
10. Auburn, 5-2, lost at LSU, 27-23
11. Miami, 5-0, defeated Georgia Tech, 25-24
12. Oklahoma, 5-1, defeated Texas, 29-24
13. Southern California, 6-1, defeated Utah, 28-27
14. Oklahoma State, 5-1, defeated Baylor, 56-14
15. Virginia Tech, 5-1, idle
16. Notre Dame, 5-1, idle
17. Michigan, 5-1, defeated Indiana, 27-20 (OT)
18. South Florida, 6-0, defeated Cincinnati, 33-3
19. San Diego State, 6-1, lost to Boise State, 31-14
20. North Carolina State, 6-1, defeated Pittsburgh, 35-20
21. Michigan State, 5-1, defeated Minnesota, 30-27
22. UCF. 5-0, defeated East Carolina, 63-21
23. Stanford, 5-2, defeated Oregon, 49-7
24. Texas Tech, 4-2, lost at West Virginia, 46-35
25. Navy, 5-1, lost at Memphis, 30-27
The losses by Clemson, Washington, Washington State and Auburn will play havoc with the top 10, and other top 25 losses were suffered by No. 19 San Diego State, No. 24 Texas Tech and No. 25 Navy.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
