College football rankings: Projecting the AP Top 25 after Week 8

It’s almost like it was scripted. Days (ok, a little over a week) before the first College Football Playoff rankings come out (Oct. 30), we were treated to a major upset as Purdue knocked off undefeated No. 2 Ohio State.

The Buckeyes have long been projected as one of the sure CFP final four teams. Now, the Michigan game has taken on a whole new level of importance. The debates of which conferences are on the outside looking in and if the SEC will send two teams are about to get cranked up.

As far as the Associated Press Top 25 rankings, fans will debate whether Ohio State should drop past fellow one-loss teams Georgia and Oklahoma. The Buckeyes have arguably the most impressive win of the trio (at Penn State) and worst loss (at Purdue).

Here’s how we project the new AP Top 25:

1. Alabama (8-0) def. Tennessee
2. Clemson (7-0) def. No. 16 NC State
3. Notre Dame (7-0) OFF
4. LSU (7-1) def. No. 22 Mississippi State
5. Michigan (7-1) def. No. 24 Michigan State
6. Texas (6-1) OFF
7. Georgia (6-1) OFF
8. Oklahoma (6-1) def. TCU
9. Ohio State (7-1) lost to Purdue
10. UCF (7-0) def. East Carolina
11. Florida (6-1) OFF
12. West Virginia (5-1) OFF
13. Washington State (6-1) def. No. 12 Oregon
14. Kentucky (6-1) def. Vanderbilt
15. Washington (6-2) def. Colorado
16. Texas A&M (5-2) OFF
17. Penn State (5-2) def. Indiana
18. Iowa (6-1) def. Maryland
19. Oregon (5-2) lost to No. 25 WSU
20. USF (7-0) def. UConn
21. Wisconsin (5-2) def. Illinois
22. Stanford (5-2) def. Arizona State
23. NC State (5-1) lost to Clemson
24. Utah (5-2) def. USC
25. Cincinnati (6-1) lost to Temple

Projected to fall out of Top 25: No. 22 Mississippi State (4-3) lost to LSU; No. 24 Michigan State (4-3) lost to Michigan

SDS Staff

Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.