NCAA Football Rankings 2020: Predicting Top Movers in Week 9 Post-Week 8 Results

The Big Ten wasted little time matching the surprise results from the other three Power Five conferences already in action.

The Penn State Nittany Lions became the latest top-10 side to suffer an upset loss Saturday, when they fell in overtime to the Indiana Hoosiers. James Franklin's side is expected to join the LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, Oklahoma Sooners and North Carolina Tar Heels as teams with above-average expectations to take large falls in the AP Top 25.

Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines could bypass their Big Ten East rival on their way up the rankings. They earned one of the best wins over Week 8 on the road over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

A few other programs listed at the bottom of the Week 8 rankings could receive multiple-spot jumps in Sunday's polls since five teams ranked from No. 16-No. 25 lost Saturday.

Predicting Top Movers in Week 9 Polls

Penn State

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Penn State was the only top-15 team to stumble Saturday.

The Nittany Lions had trouble with Indiana for the second straight year, but this time around, they failed to put away Tom Allen's side.

Indiana absorbed Penn State's fourth-quarter comeback and marched down the field to tie the game at 28 and send it to overtime. In the extra period, Michael Penix Jr. scrambled to the left and touched the pylon with the ball in his outstretched arm on a two-point conversion to finish off the win.

Penn State outgained Indiana 488-211, but three turnovers and poor decision-making out of quarterback Sean Clifford kept the game within reach for the host Hoosiers.

The defeat dealt a significant blow to Penn State's Big Ten title and College Football playoff hopes. It could fall from No. 8 to outside the top 15 because of the success of other programs in Week 8, including divisional rival Michigan.

Penn State's season is far from over since it still has Michigan and the Ohio State Buckeyes on the schedule, but now there is no room for error if it wants to reach the Big Ten Championship Game.

The Nittany Lions have a chance to rebound right away, with Ohio State coming into Beaver Stadium on Saturday, but they have just one win in their past eight matchups with the Buckeyes.

If Penn State fails to win its Week 9 contest, it could face a drop out of the Top 25 similar to what Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns experienced out of the Big 12.

Michigan 

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

Michigan produced arguably the most impressive win in the four Week 8 matchups between ranked teams.

With a new quarterback leading the offense, the Wolverines went on the road and beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 49-24. The Wolverines ran for 253 yards, and Joe Milton turned in a strong performance with 225 passing yards and a touchdown.

Michigan's explosiveness was on display early, as it busted loose for 21 first-quarter points and did not slow down in the final three periods.

Because of the circumstances surrounding the game, Michigan's win can be viewed as better than those earned by the Cincinnati Bearcats, Oklahoma State Cowboys and North Carolina. Oklahoma State and North Carolina won their respective matchups at home, and Cincinnati used its typically strong defense to down the SMU Mustangs.

With SMU and the Iowa State Cyclones dropping, Michigan will move up at least two positions from No. 18.

The road victory over a ranked side could push the Wolverines up a few more spots, but that will come down to whether the voters believe their win was more impressive than those from North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Michigan should build on Saturday's victory against the Michigan State Spartans, who looked lost in their home defeat to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Marshall

Emilee Chinn/Associated Press

The Marshall Thundering Herd could charge into the top 20.

Marshall reeled off its fifth consecutive win to start the season Saturday, and a handful of teams in front of it lost.

The defeats suffered by SMU, Iowa State, Minnesota and the Virginia Tech Hokies could push Marshall up as many as four positions from No. 22.

The Conference USA side fended off a challenge from the Florida Atlantic Owls in its 20-9 home victory. FAU held Marshall to seven first-half points, but the Herd outscored the Owls 13-3 in the second half to remain undefeated.

Marshall held three of its five opponents to single digits, and none of its five foes this year have reached the 20-point mark.

The Herd's defensive dominance should catch the attention of voters and push them nearer to the top 15, and they could inch closer to that position with a road win over the Florida International in Week 9.

If Marshall is victorious next time out, it should be in great position to win the rest of its regular-season games since they all come at home. However, the Thundering Herd still have a long road ahead of them to become the best Group of Five team given Cincinnati sat in the top 10 prior to its win over SMU.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.