For the first time in quite a few weeks, college football had a calmer weekend in Week 8. By a calmer week, I mean that there were no huge upsets, some teams were sweating it out like Texas against Vanderbilt, but for the most part, the top-ranked teams were able to pull off wins in their games.
The Big Ten and SEC both faced scares this weekend as Ohio State was almost upset by Nebraska. The Cornhuskers had a chance, but true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola showed his youth in a big moment of the game.
So after a quieter week of college football, here is my prediction of who will make the College Football Playoff at the end of the season.
Rank | Team | Why they are here | Previous ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oregon | Big Ten Champion | 1 |
2 | Miami | ACC Champion | 2 |
3 | Georgia | SEC Champion | 3 |
4 | Kansas State | Big 12 Champion | 4 |
5 | Ohio State | At-large | 5 |
6 | Notre Dame | At-large | 8 |
7 | Penn State | At-large | 6 |
8 | Texas | At-large | 7 |
9 | Indiana | At-large | 11 |
10 | Tennessee | At-large | 10 |
11 | Texas A&M | At-large | N/A |
12 | Boise State | MW Champion | 12 |
There was no movement in the top four spots for the first time in three weeks. The Oregon Ducks survived the No. 1 ranking curse as they had their way with ranked Illinois. The Ducks have now played probably their two toughest games of the season and made it through both without a loss. The Ducks are hitting their stride at the right time of the season and are truly looking like the No. 1 team in the country.
I moved Notre Dame up in these rankings and absolutely manhandled Navy, a Cinderella team so far this season. The Fighting Irish put together a quality performance against a quality opponent, but with their softer schedule this season and that early loss against Northern Illinois, they could still have a short leash going forward.
The Indiana Hoosiers made the jump this week as well, as they are 8-0 for just the second time in program history. The Hoosiers have truly been one of the best stories in college football this season as new head coach Curt Cignetti is making a name for himself.
Texas A&M makes their way into the rankings for the first time this season as the Aggies found a way to tame a hot LSU team. The Aggies do have the one loss this season to Notre Dame, but that loss looks better and better with each win the fighting Irish get.