College football rankings: ESPN top 25 poll updated for Week 8

The updated ESPN top 25 college football rankings moving into Week 8

James Parks | Oct 16, 2023

College football rankings: ESPN top 25 poll updated for Week 8 /

We saw another big change in the college football rankings after this weekend's action that saw eight teams in the polls lose on Saturday, including two in the top-10, both in the Pac-12, as Oregon lost a close one to Washington, while USC was exposed in an ugly loss to rival Notre Dame on the road.

The Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team's future performance
Rankings and predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team's season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team's schedule
Teams are ranked not strictly in order of talent, but by a projected point margin against an average team on a neutral field

25. Louisville

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Jack Plummer attempts a pass during a college football game in the ACC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 4

Win projection: 9.3 games

Where Louisville is now: The Cardinals responded to their statement win over Notre Dame by dropping a surprise game on the road against unranked underdog Pittsburgh.

24. TCU

Scenes at a TCU Horned Frogs college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 7

Win projection: 6.1 games

Where TCU is now: Josh Hoover stepped in at quarterback and went over 400 yards with four touchdowns in his first start as the Horned Frogs rolled BYU, moving to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play.

23. Utah

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham on the sidelines during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 3

Win projection: 8.1 games

Where Utah is now: Still awaiting the return of injured quarterback Cameron Rising, resorting to the ground game in a win over Cal this weekend, running the ball 53 times and moving to 5-1 on the year.

22. Duke

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard drops back for a pass during a college football game in the ACC. — Duke Football

Rankings change: Up 3

Win projection: 8.6 games

Where Duke is now: Henry Belin threw 2 touchdown passes in relief of injured Riley Leonard to hold off NC State and move to 5-1 and third in the ACC standings with a road trip at Florida State up next.

21. Miami

Miami Hurricanes running back Henry Parrish, Jr. on a rushing attempt during a college football game in the ACC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 2

Win projection: 7.9 games

Where Miami is now: A second straight loss drops the Hurricanes to 0-2 in ACC play after a 10-point loss at North Carolina and Clemson is up next.

20. Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers running back Damien Martinez on a carry during a college football game in the Pac-12. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: None

Win projections: 9.0 games

Where Oregon State is now: The Beavers moved to third place in the Pac-12 after an important win over a ranked UCLA team that moves them to 6-1 overall, and three winnable games ahead before the back-to-back dates against Washington and Oregon to close out the regular season.

19. Kansas State

Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson on a rushing attempt during a college football game in the Big 12. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 3

Win projections: 8.1 games

Where Kansas State is now: Freshman quarterback Avery Johnson went off, rushing for five touchdowns in a win over Texas Tech and sitting right outside the Big 12 elite at 2-1 in conference play. TCU is next.

18. Clemson

Clemson Tigers running back Will Shipley celebrates a touchdown during a college football game in the ACC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 7.9 games

Where Clemson is now: Off this past weekend, the Tigers sit in the middle of the ACC standings at 2-2 in league play with two road games upcoming, at Miami and NC State, and Notre Dame after that.

17. Texas A&M

Rankings change: Down 2

Win projection: 7.4 games

Where Texas A&M is now: Losers of three in seven games this season after a close one at Tennessee in which Max Johnson had two fourth quarter turnovers that resulted in points and Jimbo Fisher is still looking for a way to beat SEC teams on the road.

16. Tennessee

Tennessee Volunteers running back Jabari Small on a carry during a college football game in the SEC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 8.9 games

Where Tennessee is now: The Vols predictably struggled finding running lanes against the Aggies' front, but they did enough, thanks in large part to Dee Williams' punt return touchdown, and held firm on third down defense, moving to 2-1 in SEC play ahead of the Alabama game.

15. USC

USC Trojans running back Austin Jones celebrates a touchdown during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 2

Win projection: 9.0 games

Where USC is now: Looking for a way to better protect quarterback Caleb Williams, who was under constant duress and threw three interceptions in a bad loss at Notre Dame that puts the Trojans' playoff hopes on ice for the short term.

14. North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye celebrates a touchdown during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 2

Win projection: 10.9 games

Where North Carolina is now: Drake Maye played turnover-free football, found Tez Walker on 3 touchdown plays, and Omarion Hampton ran for almost 200 yards in an important win over Miami to stay undefeated and in ACC title contention.

13. Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Audric Estime on a rushing attempt during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 1

Win projection: 9.3 games

Where Notre Dame is now: The Irish defense racked up 11 tackles for loss, held the Trojans to under 100 yards rushing, and forced five takeaways in a statement win over USC. Still at 2 losses, Notre Dame is likely out of the playoff, but has a winnable schedule the rest of the way to make a good bowl game.

12. Ole Miss

Ole Miss Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins on a rushing attempt during a college football game in the SEC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 1

Win projection: 9.5 games

Where Ole Miss is now: Off this past week, the Rebels are 2-1 in SEC play with a loss to Alabama and a win over LSU and a showdown at Georgia in three weeks' time.

11. LSU

LSU Tigers running back Logan Diggs on a carry during a college football game in the SEC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 3

Win projection: 8.8 games

Where LSU is now: Sitting at 4-1 in SEC play and still in the conversation for the West Division after a big win over Auburn in which Jayden Daniels accounted for over 400 yards. Army comes to Baton Rouge this week and then it's at Alabama in a division showdown.

10. Washington

Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze on a pass during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 1

Win projection: 11.3 games

Where Washington is now: This may sound convoluted to some, but just because FPI put Washington behind Oregon, despite beating it head-to-head, doesn't mean the index thinks Washington is "worse" than Oregon. Because the Huskies had been winning by greater margins than Oregon had up to now, the close win lowers its average expected margin of victory per game, according to this metric. To see how FPI regards the Huskies over time, see that it projects they have a greater chance (43.4%) than Oregon (32.8%) to win the Pac-12.

9. Florida State

Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman catches a one-handed pass during a college football game in the ACC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 11.8 games

Where Florida State is now: Bowl eligible now after a big win over Syracuse, the Seminoles are still the class of the ACC with a ranked Duke team coming to town this weekend.

8. Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs running back Cash Jones on a rushing attempt during a college football game in the SEC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 4

Win projection: 11.4 games

Where Georgia is now: Still undefeated after taking down Vanderbilt, but the Bulldogs await news on star tight end Brock Bowers, who injured his ankle during the game. They have time as Georgia is idle this weekend before taking on Florida next.

7. Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver JaCorey Brooks catches a pass during a college football game in the SEC. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 4

Win projection: 10.6 games

Where Alabama is now: Still perfect at 4-0 in SEC play after holding off Arkansas at home and relying on Jalen Milroe to air it out while the offensive line tries to find something that works and the nation's 12th ranked scoring defense takes care of business.

6. Oregon

Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix attempts a pass during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Down 1

Win projection: 10.5 games

Where Oregon is now: Still ahead of the Huskies despite the loss, but on the FPI's point margin rankings, the close loss is still enough to be ahead of Washington, which played its closest game of the year on Saturday. The Ducks have a 9.5% chance to make the playoff now, compared to the Huskies at 16.3%.

5. Texas

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers on a pass attempt during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 1

Win projection: 10.5 games

Where Texas is now: Looking at a very winnable schedule going forward the rest of the way and well within striking distance to make a run at the Big 12 title and potentially the College Football Playoff, but there's no margin for error.

4. Michigan

Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Roman Wilson catches a pass during a college football game in the Big Ten. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 4

Win projection: 10.8 games

Where Michigan is now: Still the class of the Big Ten after another thrashing against a conference opponent, discarding Indiana at the Big House, but notably ranked behind its two principal rivals in the league right now.

3. Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith celebrates a catch during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: Up 4

Win projection: 10.9 games

Where Penn State is now: This one seems like an overreaction after Penn State destroyed UMass by 63 points, which has a major effect on any points-based rankings system, but we'll know more about this team once it goes to Ohio State this week.

2. Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jayden Gibson celebrates a touchdown catch during a college football game. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 12.2 games

Where Oklahoma is now: The Sooners look ahead to a very winnable schedule, barring some catastrophe or major injury, which might set up another date against Texas for the Big 12 championship before both teams leave for the SEC. OU is in position to completely flip the narrative from last year's problems.

1. Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes star TreVeyon Henderson in action against Penn State during a college football game in the Big Ten. — USA Today Images

Rankings change: None

Win projection: 11.3 games

Where Ohio State is now: Still perfect after thrashing Purdue on the road and playing college football's 3rd ranked scoring defense, but hoping that some injuries at running back can heal up sooner rather than later, especially with Penn State coming in this weekend.

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Published Oct 16, 2023

JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.