College Football Rankings 2018: Latest Polls, Predictions for Week 8 Standings
The Week 8 college football polls look significantly different than the ones from a week ago.
After four teams in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 fell Saturday, Sunday's rankings release provided plenty of intrigue.
LSU, Michigan and Texas were the beneficiaries of Saturday's chaos, but UCF was the biggest loser, as the Knights were stuck beneath the trio of surging power-conference teams.
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While a seismic shakeup isn't expected to occur for the second consecutive week, there will be some movement that stands out once the Week 8 games are finished.
Week 8 Polls
AP Top 25
1. Alabama (7-0)
2. Ohio State (7-0)
3. Clemson (6-0)
4. Notre Dame (7-0)
5. LSU (6-1)
6. Michigan (6-1)
7. Texas (6-1)
8. Georgia (6-1)
9. Oklahoma (5-1)
10. UCF (6-0)
11. Florida (6-1)
12. Oregon (5-1)
13. West Virginia (5-1)
14. Kentucky (5-1)
15. Washington (5-2)
16. NC State (5-0)
17. Texas A&M (5-2)
18. Penn State (4-2)
19. Iowa (5-1)
20. Cincinnati (6-0)
21. South Florida (6-0)
22. Mississippi State (4-2)
23. Wisconsin (4-2)
24. Michigan State (4-2)
25. Washington State (5-1)
Amway Coaches Poll
1. Alabama (7-0)
2. Ohio State (7-0)
3. Clemson (6-0)
4. Notre Dame (7-0)
5. LSU (6-1)
6. Georgia (6-1)
7. Michigan (6-1)
8. Texas (6-1)
9. UCF (6-0)
10. Oklahoma (5-1)
11. Oregon (5-1)
12. Florida (6-1)
13. West Virginia (5-1)
14. Washington (5-2)
15. NC State (5-0)
16. Penn State (4-2)
17. Kentucky (5-1)
18. Texas A&M (5-2)
19. Wisconsin (4-2)
20. South Florida (6-0)
21. Cincinnati (6-0)
22. Iowa (5-1)
23. Washington State (5-1)
24. Stanford (4-2)
25. Colorado (5-1)
Week 8 Standings Predictions
Oregon Gets Pac-12 Back Into Top 10
The Pac-12 is once again at a disadvantage in the hunt to earn a College Football Playoff spot.
After Oregon knocked off Washington in overtime at home in Week 7, the Ducks weren't able to crack the top 10 despite all the turnover in the rankings.
By taking its third straight game over a ranked opponent, Oregon will boost itself into the top 10 after Week 8 and make some noise in the playoff discussion.
The Ducks are going to have to win out, starting with the road trip to Washington State, and that's possible given how weak the rest of their schedule is after facing the Cougars.
Oregon faces an uphill climb because of the strength of other conferences, but at the least, it is playing for a spot in the Rose Bowl as the Pac-12 champion.
The one concern to have about the Ducks is they've played five of their six games at Autzen Stadium, but in their only road test, they knocked off California, who was ranked 24th at the time.
A third win over a ranked team combined with a loss from a top-10 team and the lack of respect the voters have for UCF will boost the Ducks to a deserved spot in the rankings.
Trio From The American Reside in Top 15
No one wants to give The American any respect, especially when one of the Group of Five teams inch inside the top 10.
UCF's ascendancy in the AP Top 25 appears to be stuck in neutral, as it remained at No. 10 despite four teams in front of them falling in Week 7.
Further down the rankings, fellow undefeated teams No. 20 Cincinnati and No. 21 South Florida continued their slow climbs up the Top 25.
All three of the teams jockeying for position as the best Group of Five team should reside in the top 15 following dominant victories in Week 8.
UCF and South Florida face two of the bottom feeders in The American East, as East Carolina and UConn have combined for three wins and are 0-6 in conference play.
Cincinnati faces the toughest test of the trio, as it visits Temple, who is the fourth team in The American East with a perfect conference record.
While going on the road to face a 4-3 team might seem like a difficult task, the Bearcats are taking on a Temple team that is 2-2 at Lincoln Financial Field with losses to Villanova and Buffalo.
With wins by UCF, South Florida and Cincinnati, the hype will continue to build for the matchups between the three teams in November to decide The American East and the Group of Five representative in the New Years Six bowls.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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