Saturday Blitz Top 25 Poll Week 8: SEC and Big 12 Dominate Top 10

Hey SEC and Pac 12, you’ve got competition. The Big 12 is now proving itself to be equally as deep and good as those other two conferences, and it only has 10 teams.

Finally, now eight weeks into the season, we can say that margin of victory and preseason hype means nothing as we get set to bring you our Top 25. Record, strength of schedule, and head to head is all that matters now.

The SEC West is clearly the dominant division with four teams in the Top 5 and five teams in the Top 25. The addition of Georgia makes for six teams from the conference in the Top 25. There are five teams from the Big 12 in the Top 25, and five from the Pac 12 are in the Top 25. That means that for right now, the Big 12 is the deepest conference given how many teams it has. But that doesn’t chance that the SEC is still by far the best conference.

And take a look at the Big Ten. While we knew about Michigan State and Ohio State, Nebraska burst onto the scene early, and now it’s time to give credit and respect to one other team, allowing for four from the conference in the Top 25. Two hail from the ACC, and then there’s an independent and two mid-majors in the rankings.

So here is our Top 25 following Week 8 of the college football season. Just remember that these aren’t power rankings, so they’re not ranked based on how good we think each team is. They’re ranked based on body of work.

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1. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Nothing has changed despite Mississippi State not playing last week. The win over Texas A&M may not look as good anymore, but the win over LSU looks a heck of a lot better after this past weekend And the win over Auburn is still on the resume, which gives them two Top 25 wins, a Top 5 win, and another win over a team that could sneak back into the Top 25 by the end of the year. That’s enough for us to keep them at No. 1. But they aren’t guaranteed this spot by consistently winning unless they win out.

2. Florida State Seminoles

It was a tough decision, but we decided to jump Florida State to No. 2 this week. Although the win over Oklahoma State doesn’t look as good anymore, the win over Notre Dame dramatically improves their resume. The Seminoles may have won off of a call that never should have been made, but remember that this poll only factors in whether or not you win or lose on the resume. And Florida State won against a Top 10-caliber team, so we are bumping them to No. 2.

3. Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss looked absolutely dominant in its win against Tennessee on Saturday. If we’re factoring in style points, the Rebels could be No. 1 in the country. But we’re not. This team is No. 3 because while it has the best win among the three undefeated Power Five teams, it is also the only win. Mississippi State and Florida State have other quality wins on the resume; Ole Miss does not. That’s why we are putting them at No. 3 in our rankings for right now, although a road trip to LSU Saturday could change that.

4. Auburn Tigers

Among the 1-loss teams in college football right now, who can say they have a better resume than Auburn? The Tigers lost to the No. 1 team in the country, and they have beaten LSU and Kansas State. That’s two Top 25 wins, and Kansas State is a Top 10 win. It’s not even close. Auburn has played by far the toughest schedule to date, and don’t forget that Alabama and Ole Miss are still on the slate. At 5-1, the Tigers are basically in control of their own destiny unless Mississippi State finishes the year undefeated.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama is back. They never should have been written off. After struggling against a good team, which anybody can do, there was no reason to hit the panic button, and Nick Saban got his team back on track with a dominant performance against Texas A&M. They also look better now with the win over West Virginia after the way the Mountaineers beat Baylor over the weekend. With that win on the resume, and the only loss for the Tide to Ole Miss, so next to Auburn, they have the best 1-loss team resume.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

It’s sad because the Irish are a pathetic call away from being at No. 2. But it is what it is. Notre Dame still has a pretty decent win over Stanford, the win over North Carolina looks a little bit better this week, and the loss to Florida State is not a bad loss to have on the resume. All things considered, the Irish should still be in control of their own destiny to reach the College Football playoff at the end of the year, but they have got to win out for that to happen.

7. Baylor Bears

We could make a case to put Baylor higher on the list because the Bears actually have the best win of anybody with a loss. But they have a far worse loss than anybody above them based on what we have seen to this point (no disrespect to West Virginia, who is clearly a good team). The Bears beat up on a bunch of pathetic competition to start the season, so for right now we are sleeping on this team. But they are still one of three 1-loss Big 12 teams, and head to head is enough to rank them above the others.

8. TCU Horned Frogs

TCU’s loss to Baylor obviously may not look as good anymore, but beating Oklahoma State certainly does. The Horned Frogs are only ranked this low because you can’t put them over Baylor when both have a loss and Baylor beat TCU. Still, with two quality wins, the Horned Frogs have proven to be a Top 10 team so far, and Gary Patterson’s squad has plenty of chances to prove itself even further. Don’t sleep on this team going forward, because they could be in the playoff discussion.

9. Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats have a strong case to be the top team in the Big 12 right now. Their only loss is to Auburn, which is not a bad loss, and they do have a win against Oklahoma, just like TCU. But right now that is their only quality win, while the Horned Frogs beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Since TCU has better wins, and the loss isn’t that bad, for right now we have to put Kansas State below TCU. And TCU has to be below Baylor for head to head. That’s why these rankings are the way they are. But Kansas State could change this very quickly.

10. Arizona Wildcats

We still have no reason to drop the Wildcats out of the Top 10 yet or off the top of the Pac 12. They didn’t play last week, so we’re not going to overreact and put them above the other Big 12 teams, but we are also not going to drop them below other Pac 12 teams. They have 1 loss, as good as anybody else in the conference, and it is to USC. They still have that win against Oregon, and we aren’t ignoring that. Based on resume and body of work, the Wildcats are still the top ranked Pac 12 team.

11. Oregon Ducks

Oregon fans don’t need to panic because the Ducks still control their own destiny for the Pac 12 title. They are only this low because we can’t put them ahead of Arizona right now, but that could change going forward. The Ducks still have a nice win against Michigan State and plenty of chances to jump up our rankings with the rest of the Pac 12 schedule up.

12. Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State is still not yet a Top 10 team. They lost to Oregon, so we can’t leapfrog them over the Ducks when the Ducks also only have 1 loss. A dominant win over Indiana is not going to make us more impressed by them. To have a big jump back into the Top 10 and the playoff discussion, we have to wait until they beat Ohio State. Nebraska alone isn’t going to cut it.

13. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is back to impressing people and being in the college football playoff discussion after a big win against Arkansas. They are finally overcoming some disrespect they have received. But to get back into the discussion from our perspective, they actually have to have a big SEC win. They control their own destiny, but they won’t move up too much unless they win their next two games and then beat Auburn.

14. Utah Utes

Utah, like TCU, is finally gaining respect as a Power Five team. Those two schools along with Boise State were the elite mid-majors in the BCS, but they struggled their first few years in Power Five conferences (Utah and TCU, that is). Now, both have only one loss and are in championship discussions. UCLA and Oregon State are still two quality wins, and they are one bad quarter away from being in the Top 5.

15. Arizona State Sun Devils

After getting blown out by UCLA, Arizona State has spent two straight games gaining back respect. The Sun Devils may have been lucky, but the win against USC is to be commended. Following that up with a convincing win against Stanford is enough for us to propel them back into the Top 15. Like the rest of the Pac 12 it seems like, this team is in great position to compete for the conference title right now.

16. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers may only be a 1-loss team, but they still haven’t yet beaten anybody. We have to keep them below other 1-loss teams because of that. Their close loss to Michigan State is respectable, but that’s not enough to move them up this list yet. They play in a very weak Big Ten West, and the least we could do is wait and see what they do against Minnesota before moving them up.

17. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Right now the Minnesota Golden Gophers have as good of a record as Nebraska, Michigan State, and Ohio State. And guess what: their only loss is to TCU, a top 10 team. This is a legitimate Top 25 team right now that has as good of a resume as anybody in the Big Ten. We have no reason to not put it in the Top 20.

18. Ohio State Buckeyes

Sorry Ohio State, but we can’t put you guys above Minnesota, Nebraska, or Michigan State right now. Your loss is by far worse than the other three teams’ losses. The Buckeyes also don’t have any quality wins yet. Guess how many ranked teams they have played so far this year: 0. We aren’t giving this team any respect until it plays Michigan State.

19. LSU Tigers

This may be a bit of a stretch, but it’s fair to say the Tigers belong back in the Top 25. Their two losses may have been blowout losses, but Mississippi State and Auburn are two Top 5 teams. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, so we are going to give this team credit for right now. Kentucky, Florida, and Wisconsin are good enough wins to keep them in the Top 25.

20. Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers are back on track after a horrendous start to the season with that blowout loss to Georgia. Only Florida State has beaten them since, and that took overtime and a plethora of mistakes on Clemson’s part. The Tigers belong in the Top 25 again, and we are going to keep giving them respect until they lose, which may be hard with an ACC schedule.

21. USC Trojans

Right now USC has one of the best wins among any 2-loss team in college football after beating Arizona two weeks ago. Backing it up with a blowout win against a Colorado team that isn’t terrible is pretty impressive, so Steve Sarkisian’s team belongs in the Top 25 for right now. They are still in the thick of the Pac 12 South race, so don’t sleep on this team yet.

22. Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners suffered their second loss on Saturday that all but knocked them out of the college football playoff discussion, but on the bright side one of their earlier wins can now be considered a quality win: West Virginia. Still, as a 2-loss team, Oklahoma is in trouble. Their resume is not strong enough for them to be higher in our rankings yet.

23. West Virginia Mountaineers

The Mountaineers have earned their way back into the Top 25 and are relevant again under Dana Holgorsen. Let’s give this team respect for only losing to Alabama and Oklahoma, two good teams, and then owning Baylor on Saturday. Unfortunately, based on record and head-to-head, we can’t put this team above Oklahoma, Kansas State, TCU, or Baylor yet. But that could change soon enough.

24. East Carolina Pirates

The Pirates unfortunately had to drop this week in our rankings despite continually winning. They may only have 1 loss, but there are 2-loss Power Five teams that have far better quality wins than they do, so we can’t sit here and put ECU over them just because they have played such a weak schedule to this point. Keeping them in the Top 25 is enough respect.

25. Marshall Thundering Herd

Marshall is 7-0 right now and keeps rolling. Are they going to be like the 1999 Marshall team or the 1998 Tulane team? Possibly. Unfortunately, while we have nothing against mid-majors fighting into the playoff discussion, Marshall has no business being in that discussion. They have played a terrible schedule, including avoiding even halfway decent teams out of conference. We can’t ignore that, and for that reason we are going to leave them out of any major playoff discussion but still put them in our Top 25 simply for being undefeated.