College Football Rankings 2011: Top 25 Heading Into Week 8
Week 8 has plenty of movers and shakers. Eight ranked teams face off in four games loaded with heavy implications. Win, and you'll catapult ahead in the AP rankings. Lose, and you may find your team buried.
Several non-ranked teams also insert themselves into the national conversation, and at least one perennial giant is knocked off it's throne. See how inside.
No. 1: LSU
1 of 25No surprises here. LSU may not be the consensus choice, but beating Tennessee this week won't do much to affect the debate.
No. 2: Alabama
2 of 25Beating Ole Miss on Saturday won't hurt their ranking, that much is certain. But they won't have a chance to challenge LSU's supposed superiority until Nov. 5, when the teams play at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Two teams enter: One comes out No. 1.
No. 3 Oklahoma
3 of 25The Sooners are riding high on last week's 55-17 drubbing of then No. 11 Texas.
On the season they are averaging 45 points per game, and allowing only 15. All that adds up to disaster for poor Kansas.
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No. 4: Wisconsin
4 of 25The best and the worst of the Big Ten clash. Let's hope Indiana makes it out alive.
No. 5: Oklahoma State
5 of 25Oklahoma State's No. 1 ranked offense looks to overpower the Texas defense like no one since, well, Oklahoma did it last week. This game closes the gap between the state rivals, but Oklahoma State's defense must improve if it wishes to surpass the Sooners.
No. 6: Boise State
6 of 25If a team plays in the forest in the Mountain West Conference and there's no one there to see it, does it make a splash?
No. 7: Stanford
7 of 25The Cardinal has perhaps the most balanced team in the NCAA; seventh in points forced, sixth in points allowed. Expect Washington State to run into some good Luck—and that's bad for them.
No. 8: Michigan
8 of 25The winner of this week's matchup between Michigan and Michigan State has a lot to gain—three places in the AP rankings to be exact, as well as state bragging rights in one of the fiercest football locales in America.
Michigan State's defense has been exceptional, but after managing only 10 points in its win over Ohio State two weeks ago, the Spartans haven't shown they can control the ball long enough to slow down the Wolverine offense.
No. 9: Clemson
9 of 25Clemson should handle Maryland, but they slip one spot due to the competition.
No. 10: Arkansas
10 of 25The Razorbacks will come out of their bye week in the same condition they went in—ranked No. 10.
No. 11: Georgia Tech
11 of 25The Yellow Jackets should gain a little ground after beating conference rival Virginia.
No. 12: West Virginia
12 of 25West Virginia gains a little credibility against scrappy Syracuse, and moves up one place.
No. 13: Illinois
13 of 25Illinois is slowly making believers out of their opponents with a smothering defense and efficient offense. They will make another statement on Saturday when they host a tough Ohio State team.
No. 14: Arizona State
14 of 25Arizona State has found its offense since falling to Illinois three weeks ago, but will it be enough to keep pace with Oregon?
LaMichael James' injury leaves the Ducks without their biggest play-maker, and the 23rd ranked Sun Devil defense should have just enough audacity to deal a crushing blow to Oregon—in Eugene no less. This game has huge implications for the AP rankings, and even more for the race for PAC-12 supremacy.
Arizona likely would have stood to gain more ground had they not lost in Week 3 to the team directly above them, Illinois.
No. 15: South Carolina
15 of 25South Carolina treads water at No. 15 after taking care of Mississippi State.
No. 16: Nebraska
16 of 25Nebraska beats Minnesota easily, but slides down three spots.
No. 17: Oregon
17 of 25The injury to LaMichael James will hurt a little more when Oregon wakes up on Sunday having slipped eight places in the AP rankings after a Sun Devils upset.
No. 18: Texas A&M
18 of 25Look for Texas A&M to pull a Big 12 upset over Baylor and their high-powered offense. Although the Bears score at a prolific rate, they have yet to play an opponent of Texas A&M's stature. Look for A&M to grind out a win, and leapfrog their Texas rival.
No. 19: Texas Tech
19 of 25Look for Texas Tech to pull a huge upset over Kansas State this weekend. They barely fell short against Texas A&M, who will have beaten yet another good team by the time the Red Raiders eighth ranked offense blindsides the Wildcats—who have not seen a team as good as Texas Tech yet this season.
No. 20: Kansas State
20 of 25Dropping three spots to No. 20 doesn't hurt nearly as much as Oct. 29 through Nov. 19 will.
The Wlidcats play Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A & M and Texas in consecutive weeks. The good news is that each opponent should be easier than the last. The bad news is they may be knocked out of the picture before they see the a victory.
No. 21: Florida
21 of 25Look who's back!
A strong showing against Auburn will let everybody know that while Florida may not be as good as Alabama or LSU—who beat them consecutively to knock them out of the rankings—they certainly deserve to be in the discussion of elite teams.
The Gator's offense is out to prove something against Auburn's porous defense, while Florida's 20th ranked defense should be able to shut down the Tigers.
No. 22: Baylor
22 of 25The road ahead gets much harder for Baylor, and they are going to need to stiffen up defensively if they are going to survive Oklahoma State in two weeks.
No. 23: Wake Forest
23 of 25Wake Forest looks to make a statement this week against No. 19 Virginia Tech, and I expect them to do just that. The Demon Deacons are coming off a great victory over Florida State, and are undefeated since a close overtime loss to Syracuse in Week 1.
Virginia Tech barely squeaked by Miami last week—expect them to have problems containing the Wake Forest offense.
No. 24: Washington
24 of 25Washington has flirted with the top 25 for two weeks now, and they should handle hapless Colorado with ease. That, coupled with the struggles of other ranked teams this week will propel them up the list as Kieth Price and Chris Polk continue to impress.
No. 25: Houston
25 of 25The Houston Cougars should have no problem with Marshall, and their 47 points forced per game should be enough to keep them in the top 25.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
