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

Losers

Loser: Wake Forest (No. 19 to Unranked)

Wake Forest inexplicably gave up 62 points to a Louisville team that came into Week 7 averaging just 32.4 points per game through the first five contests of the season. Despite mounting a comeback bid that came close to toppling the Cardinals, the Demon Deacons ultimately fell by a field goal — and fell hard in the AP Top 25 in the process.

After vaulting all the way up to No. 19 two weeks ago, Wake Forest collapsed completely out of the Top 25 after their loss in the biggest offensive shootout of the day. Now down at No. 29, the Demon Deacons lost 355 of their 380 points from the Week 7 poll as they collapsed 10 spots.

Loser: Virginia (No. 20 to Unranked)

All around, the ACC had a tough weekend. Clemson won in their most convincing fashion of the season and dropped a spot behind LSU. Wake Forest stumbled out of the poll with the aforementioned Louisville defeat. So too did Virginia, which 17-9 in Miami on Friday night for their second straight loss of the season.

The Cavaliers outgained the Hurricanes on offense, had a 10-minute possession advantage, and gained seven more first downs than their hosts. But Bronco Mendenhall’s team was only able to muster nine points in the process. That left the ACC with only one team to carry the league’s banner in the AP Top 25 and imperiled any shot Virginia has of reaching a New Year’s Six bowl.

Loser: Iowa (No. 17 to No. 23)

It almost feels harsh in some ways. After their 10-3 defeat against Michigan in Week 6, Iowa’s defense once again did their part as they held No. 10 Penn State to only 17 points at Kinnick Stadium. But once again the offense struggled to produce, leaving Iowa to rely on field-goal attempts until a late Nate Stanley touchdown pass pulled the Hawkeyes within five.

But the two-point conversion attempt failed, and so did the onside kick, and the Nittany Lions were able to run out the clock. The five-point defeat at home send Iowa tumbling six spots down the AP Top 25, barely hanging on to a spot in the poll above the cut line into the world of Others Receiving Votes.

After losing two in a row, Iowa could on one hand be considered lucky for even remaining in the rankings. On the other hand, they were punished harder than anyone else besides Texas A&M this week who lost to a team ranked higher than them.

Florida fell two spots after losing to LSU. Texas fell four places after falling in the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma. In both cases, the Gators and Longhorns lost by wider margins of victory. But ultimately Kirk Ferentz’s team was punished much more sternly due to the loss coming at home and only the faintest of pulses on offense.