College Football 2019: Week 8 AP Top 25 winners, losers

There was a big reshuffling in the AP Top 25 heading into Week 8 play. Who were the biggest winners and losers in the latest poll that came out on Sunday?

Four new teams entered the AP Top 25 this week. Those that remained in the rankings saw positions shift as the Week 7 results caused some major rethinking of the common narratives about multiple teams around the country.

Some teams benefitted greatly from the shuffle. Others saw their star fall as pollsters either embraced other teams or in some cases saw through the façade.

Who were the biggest winners and losers in the latest iteration of the AP Top 25? Keep reading as we look at the winners and losers in the newest AP Top 25 at the midpoint of the regular season, starting with the biggest winner and the biggest loser.

Big Winner: LSU (No. 5 to No. 2)

LSU and Florida were deadlocked for most of their game in Death Valley on Saturday night. But the defense came through with a timely turnover, got a few stops on the Gators, and ensured that the  home side would walk away victorious in Baton Rouge.

Coupled with everything else around the country, that led pollsters to give the Tigers a massive leap in the AP Top 25 the next day. Ed Orgeron’s team leapfrogged both Clemson and Ohio State, securing the No. 2 spot in the country behind Alabama.

Entering Week 7, the Bayou Bengals received two first-place votes. After their top-10 win over the Gators, LSU snatched all three of Georgia’s first-place votes as well as two from Alabama, four from Clemson, and one from Ohio State. The decision by the voters put them in prime position to threaten for a College Football Playoff position — even if the Tigers fail to win their division.

Big Loser: Georgia (No. 3 to No. 10)

On the other hand, it wasn’t all good times for the SEC. Georgia’s stunning double-overtime home loss against South Carolina sent the Bulldogs plummeting seven spots down the AP Top 25. Already skeptical about Kirby Smart’s team after bleeding first-place votes the past two weeks, AP voters saw fit to drop Georgia below even the Notre Dame team they already knocked off earlier this season.

Georgia still has a clear path to the SEC championship game if they win out, and they can still play their way back into the College Football Playoff discussion. But the loss to an unranked Gamecocks team proved that there are still deficiencies that need to be patched up if Georgia hopes to step up and regain their pole position in the SEC East.