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Top 25 Predictions: How the AP Poll Could Look After Week 8
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- Top 25 Predictions: How the AP Poll Could Look After Week 8
Just when you thought you had a handle on who was who and what was what, college football throws another curve ball. The Week 8 slate was an upset-filled doozy that saw nine AP Top 25 teams go down and left just six undefeated teams standing.
Once again, upsets on Friday set the stage for more madness on Saturday. One of the more shocking outcomes in a weekend full of them was No. 2 Miami's loss to Louisville at home. Carson Beck threw four interceptions in a 24-21 defeat, the first of the season for the Hurricanes. That was just the tip of the iceberg, as three other top-10 teams fell the following day.
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No. 5 Ole Miss also blew a fourth-quarter lead in a 43-35 shootout against No. 9 Georgia in Trinidad Chambliss' first road SEC start. No. 7 Texas Tech looked like it was ready to run the table in the Big 12, but Sam Leavitt and Arizona State stunned the Red Raiders, 26-22. No. 10 LSU was the other top-10 team that lost as Diego Pavia and No. 17 Vanderbilt handed the Tigers a 31-24 loss.
Also of note, Bryant-Denny Stadium was shrouded in cigar smoke after No. 6 Alabama's 37-20 rout of No. 11 Tennessee. No. 13 Notre Dame kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive by beating rival No. 20 USC behind Jeremiyah Love's monster game on the ground. And out west in the Holy War, Bear Bachmeier and No. 15 BYU stayed perfect and sent rival No. 23 Utah packing for the third year in a row in a 24-21 thriller.
UAB ended No. 22. Memphis' perfect season with a 31-24 triumph a week after the Blazers fired their head coach. And No. 25 Nebraska laid an egg on the road against Minnesota on Friday. The Cornhuskers could not find the end zone in a 24-6 shocker.
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Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) runs with the ball against Tennessee at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Got all that? Good. Because those results guarantee an almost unrecognizable top 25. Your eyes do not deceive you: Vanderbilt is on the cusp of being a top-10 team.
Here's how Athlon Sports projects how the AP Top 25 will look after the end of Week 8.
| Projected Rank |
Team |
Record |
Week 8 Result |
Week 7 Rank |
Difference |
| 1. |
Ohio State |
7-0 |
W at Wisconsin (34-0) |
1 |
0 |
| 2. |
Indiana |
7-0 |
W vs. Michigan State (38-13) |
3 |
+1 |
| 3. |
Texas A&M |
7-0 |
W at Arkansas (45-42) |
4 |
+1 |
| 4. |
Alabama |
6-1 |
W vs. Tennessee (37-20) |
6 |
+2 |
| 5. |
Georgia |
6-1 |
W vs. Ole Miss (43-35) |
9 |
+4 |
| 6. |
Oregon |
6-1 |
W at Rutgers (56-10) |
8 |
+2 |
| 7. |
Georgia Tech |
7-0 |
W at Duke (27-18) |
12 |
+5 |
| 8. |
BYU |
7-0 |
W vs. Utah (24-21) |
15 |
+7 |
| 9. |
Vanderbilt |
6-1 |
W vs. LSU (31-24) |
17 |
+8 |
| 10. |
Miami |
5-1 |
L vs. Louisville (24-21) |
2 |
-8 |
| 11. |
Ole Miss |
6-1 |
L at Georgia (43-35) |
5 |
-6 |
| 12. |
Notre Dame |
5-2 |
W vs. USC (34-24) |
13 |
+1 |
| 13. |
Oklahoma |
6-1 |
W at South Carolina (26-7) |
14 |
+1 |
| 14. |
Texas Tech |
6-1 |
L at Arizona State (26-22) |
7 |
-7 |
| 15. |
Missouri |
6-1 |
W at Auburn (23-17 OT) |
16 |
+1 |
| 16. |
LSU |
5-2 |
L at Vanderbilt (31-24) |
10 |
-6 |
| 17 |
South Florida |
6-1 |
W vs. Florida Atlantic (48-13) |
19 |
+2 |
| 18. |
Tennessee |
5-2 |
L at Alabama (37-20) |
11 |
-7 |
| 19. |
Virginia |
6-1 |
W vs. Washington State (22-20) |
18 |
-1 |
| 20. |
Texas |
5-2 |
W at Kentucky (16-13 OT) |
21 |
+1 |
| 21. |
Cincinnati |
6-1 |
W at Oklahoma State (49-17) |
24 |
+3 |
| 22. |
Louisville |
5-1 |
W at Miami (24-21) |
NR |
N/A |
| 23. |
Tulane |
6-1 |
W at Army (24-17) |
NR (32) |
+9 |
| 24. |
USC |
5-1 |
L at Notre Dame (34-24) |
20 |
-4 |
| 25. |
Michigan |
5-2 |
W va. Washington (24-7) |
NR (27) |
+2 |
Dropped out: No. 22 Memphis, No. 23 Utah, No. 25 Nebraska
Related: It's Time to Talk About Vanderbilt as a College Football Playoff Contender
Related: Carson Beck Places Blame After Miami's Upset Loss to Louisville
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Related: Carnell Tate, Ohio State's Next Great NFL WR Prospect
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
