Predicting the AP Top 25 Poll: Chaotic Week 8 sinks 4 Top 10 teams

Entering Week 8 of the College Football season, everyone was expecting an incredible weekend as the SEC gave us 3 massive matchups between Top 25 teams. What no one saw coming was all the chaos we'd see, starting with the Miami Hurricanes losing on Friday Night and running well into Sunday Morning with upsets around the country.

This weekend changed the entire race for the College Football Playoff as several contenders fell out of the race while teams no one saw coming move even closer to making the Playoff. This chaotic weekend will have massive implications for the rest of the season, and we'll first see it on Sunday when the latest AP Top 25 Poll is released.

Predicting the AP Top 25 Poll: Chaos changes everything

The Illinois Fighting Illini spent the weekend on the bye, which means they didn't help themselves, but all the chaos around the Country helped them. The schedule the rest of the way is rather easy for the Illini, which should allow this team to slowly climb back into the College Football Playoff hunt.

Tulane was staring a shocking loss in the face when Army took a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Jon Sumrall's team then found their rhythm on offense as Jake Retzlaff led the offense on a 75 yard drive to tie the game with 1:54 remaining. The Green Wave then got the ball back with 1:28 on the clock and drove 75 yards to win the game on a magical play. The win keeps this team very much alive in the race for the AAC and a bid to the College Football Playoff.

After getting demolished last weekend against Utah, the Arizona State Sun Devils slayed Goliath, knocking off Texas Tech. Sam Leavitt returned and reminded everyone that he's the best quarterback in the Conference, marching his team down the field to set up the game-winning touchdown by Raleek Brown. Kenny Dillingham's team got itself back in the race for the Big 12, which puts them in the College Football Playoff race.

Sherrone Moore created a buzz wearing his blue collar jacket saying this team needed to go to work, and they did, dominating Washington. Even without Justice Haynes, the Wolverines looked like they were in the best rhythm of any game this season. The Wolverines' offense bounced back in a big way, holding the Huskies to just 7 points in dominant fashion.

After losing a thriller to Nebraska to open the season, the Cincinnati Bearcats have caught fire, winning 6 games in a row. Saturday saw the Bearcats demolish Oklahoma State, which isn't overly impressive, but it keeps this team unbeaten in Big 12 play. Brendan Sorsby continues to grow as a passer, which is the most exciting development, as it'll only help this team against the best teams in the Big 12.

The Texas Longhorns will move up in the AP Poll this weekend, but it's not because of anything the Longhorns did this weekend. Texas struggled with a terrible Kentucky team, needing double overtime to escape Lexington with a win. This team isn't consistent enough to go the rest of the season without a loss, and this team will be seen as a massive disappointment.

The USF Bulls got a ton of help in their quest to win the American and make the College Football Playoff on Saturday as they dismantled FAU, while Memphis suffered a shocking loss to UAB. Alex Golesh's team continues to crush teams, adding a 48-13 win to their resume. Next week brings the real big test as USF faces Memphis in a game that will shape the race for the league title.

The LSU Tigers went all in this offseason using the Transfer Portal, and the Tigers are already looking at potentially missing the College Football Playoff. The next three weeks bring games against Texas A&M, a bye week, and Alabama, while Oklahoma is still lingering as well, and one loss would end the season. Year 4 of the Brian Kelly era should never have LSU at a worse talent level than Vanderbilt, and it should lead to changes.

Tennessee looked like it was going to make it a one-score game right before the half, and instead, the Crimson Tide picked off Joey Aguilar, taking it 99 yards for a touchdown that seemingly sunk Tennessee. The Volunteers never recovered from that Pick 6, and it drops them to 5-2 with two losses in their biggest games. This team has some of the elite talent you need to win in the SEC, but with the injuries and depth issues this team has, it's almost impossible to beat the likes of Alabama and Georgia.

On Saturday, it looked like the Virginia Cavaliers could fall in a chaotic weekend as they trailed Washington State 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers then marched down the field on a 97-yard drive to cut the deficit to 3 before kicking a field goal with just over 2 minutes left to tie the game. The following kickoff pinned Washington State deep, and the Cavaliers forced a game-winning safety. Good teams find a way to win, and Tony Elliott's group looks like a contender in the ACC.

Texas Tech looked invincible in the Big 12 until this weekend, as the Red Raiders were stunned by Arizona State. Behren Morton couldn't play this game, and Will Hammond didn't have the same effect he had coming in for Morton with an interception in this game. It's hard to knock this team for a game they lost on a last-minute touchdown when their quarterback was out, but Texas Tech will need to find a way to keep Behren Morton healthy.

The Missouri Tigers narrowly escaped Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday Night in a double overtime thriller over Auburn. The defense was bailed out in many ways by Auburn's kicking woes, as Auburn missed 3 field goals, one of which would've been a game-winner in overtime. Eli Drinkwitz's team as a whole needs to play a cleaner game if they're going to be a factor down the stretch in the SEC.

Last weekend, Oklahoma lost a winnable game to Texas, but this weekend, they got to find their rhythm again, facing a disappointing South Carolina team. Oklahoma's defense vs a terrible South Carolina was a recipe for success as they held the Gamecocks to 1.6 yards per carry while racking up 6 sacks. The offense wasn't overly impressive, but it was important for John Mateer to have a game where he could get back into rhythm after missing time and having surgery.

Nobody sent a bigger statement this weekend than the Vanderbilt Commodores as they shocked the LSU Tigers. The Commodores took the punishment to LSU, running the ball 45 times for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense made LSU work for every yard in this game, and anytime LSU broke a big play, it felt more like a fluke that the defense broke down. This team has proven they're legit, and they now have a serious chance at making the College Football Playoff.

This weekend couldn't have been better for the BYU Cougars as they won the Holy War over Utah while the top-ranked team in the Big 12 suffered its first loss. The defense was dominant, slowing Devon Dampier's rushing ability while forcing two turnovers. The offense didn't light the scoreboard up, but Bear Bachmeier took care of the ball in a big game while LJ Martin powered the offense with 122 yards on the ground.

Marcus Freeman's team found itself in a back-and-forth affair against USC last night before the Fighting Irish dominated the 4th quarter. The Irish defense forced turnovers on the final 5 drives by USC's offense, holding on to win the game. Marcus Freeman's running back duo was dominant in this game as Jeremiyah Love picked up 228 yards on the ground while Jadarian Price returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and rushed for 87 yards to help power this offense.

The ACC has broken perfectly for Georgia Tech with Miami losing, as the Yellow Jackets have a clear path to the Conference Championship. This weekend, Georgia Tech played like the best team in the conference, picking up a 27-18 win over Duke. Haynes King was dominant in this game, rushing for 120 yards and passing for 205 yards, and as he looks like the best quarterback in the ACC, this team has the player to lead them to the playoffs.

For the first 3 quarters of this game, it looked like Ole Miss was arguably the best team in the Country as the Bulldogs couldn't stop this offense. The 4th quarter became a disaster for Ole Miss, and it cost the Rebels the game as they were outscored 17-0. While Ole Miss lost, the next 5 games bring just one ranked opponent, meaning if Lane Kiffin can avoid his yearly disaster, this team should make the College Football Playoff.

After suffering their first loss of the season, the Oregon Ducks got one of the easiest bounce-back situations possible, facing off against Rutgers. After the Scarlet Knights took a 3-0 lead to start the game, Oregon unloaded on this team, scoring 56 points with 4 touchdowns passing and rushing as they moved the ball at will. Dan Lanning's team has an easy stretch the rest of the way, which should allow this team to round into its final form.

Kirby Smart's team got its resume-building win on Saturday with a dominant 4th quarter against Ole Miss. The Bulldogs had no answer for the Rebels' offense until the 4th quarter, when they shut Lane Kiffin's group down. This team had a ton of pieces to replace, and as the season moves along, this group is only going to get better with experience.

Mario Cristobal and Miami suffered their annual stunning loss as the Canes fell to the Louisville Cardinals on Friday Night. Carson Beck truly sunk this team with 4 interceptions, including his final interception which came when the Hurricanes were in position to tie the game with a field goal. This is still one of the most talented teams in the Country with an impressive resume, so they shouldn't fall too far, but their status took a big hit this weekend.

The Alabama Crimson Tide has become the hottest team in the Country, rattling off 4 straight wins over Top 25 opponents. Saturday saw the Crimson Tide beat Tennessee in dominant fashion, as it felt like the Zabien Brown pick 6 sunk the Volunteers. Kalen DeBoer's team has one of the best quarterbacks in the Country with Ty Simpson and this team looks like the team to beat in the SEC at this point.

The Texas A&M Aggies became the latest team to survive a scare from Arkansas, as the Razorbacks are a frisky team under Bobby Petrino. The offense gave you every reason to be excited as Marcel Reed looks like a Heisman contender, while the rushing attack without Le'Veon Moss was still dominant. The defense has to get better, especially against the run, as Arkansas gashed the Aggies.

The two best teams in the Country reside in the Big Ten, as the Indiana Hoosiers are arguably the best team in the Country. Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers' offense with an impressive 24-28 performance for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns. This Hoosiers team should cruise the rest of the season with a weaker schedule, and the only real test remaining could be in the Big Ten Championship.

Chaos continues to wipe out all the teams around the Ohio State Buckeyes, yet they keep coming out and handling business. This weekend, Ohio State easily could've come out flat against a terrible Wisconsin team, yet they grabbed an early 17-0 lead in the 1st quarter and cruised to victory. This team may be more talented than the group we saw win the National Championship last season, as the defense is playing at such an incredible level.

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