Who moves up after unbeatens in top 10 fall? Our college football coaches poll prediction
There will be no changes to the top five of this week's Paste BN Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, which will be released Sunday.
But look for several familiar faces to return to the top 10 after two previously unbeaten teams, Mississippi and UCLA, suffered their first losses during a critical Week 8 slate of games. A third Power Five unbeaten, Syracuse, cost itself a sure spot in the top 10 after Clemson climbed out of a 21-10 hole to beat the Orange 27-21.
That will open up room for Oklahoma State and Southern California to bounce right back into the top 10. Ranked as high as No. 6 two weeks ago and No. 11 in last week's poll after falling to TCU, the Cowboys held off Texas in a 41-34 win and will remain in the mix for the College Football Playoff.
After losing to Utah on a late touchdown and two-point conversion, Southern California had an open date and will next face Arizona on the road.
Pac-12 rival Oregon stands to see the biggest bump inside this week's top 10. Ranked No. 9 heading into the weekend, the Ducks slowed down the UCLA offense and netted a 45-30 win. That gives Oregon six wins in a row and a clear path to the top four following a blowout defeat to Georgia to open the season.
HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers after Week 8 in college football
LOOKING BACK: Scores and analysis from Top 25 games in Week 8
Here's how the top 10 should look in this week's poll.
1. Georgia (7-0)
The Bulldogs get set for a run of divisional games and rivalry games after an open date, beginning with next weekend's neutral-site matchup with Florida. Then comes one of the biggest games of the year against Tennessee, followed by Mississippi State, Kentucky and Georgia Tech.
2. Ohio State (7-0)
Boosted by six Iowa turnovers, Ohio State overcame a season-worst offensive effort to net what can only be characterized as an ugly 44-point win. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was held in check through the first half and the opening drive of the second before stepping up with four touchdown passes.
3. Michigan (7-0)
An open weekend should help the health of junior running back Blake Corum, who has had at least 25 carries in his last four games as Michigan's ground game has blossomed into one of the nation's best. Corum has run for 666 yards in this four-game span and ranks third nationally in rushing (901 yards) and first in touchdowns (13) to begin building a case for the Heisman Trophy.
4. Tennessee (7-0)
The Volunteers set a program record with 52 first-half points and rolled past Tennessee-Martin 65-24 to remain undefeated heading into make-or-break games against Kentucky and the Bulldogs. Playing just the first half, Hendon Hooker completed 18 of 24 throws for 276 yards and three touchdowns with another 28 yards on the ground.
5. Clemson (8-0)
There may be a quarterback quandary afoot for Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney, who yanked DJ Uiagalelei in the third quarter against Syracuse with the Tigers trailing 21-10. True freshman Cade Klubnik replaced Uiagalelei and led three scoring drives to nail down a 27-21 win, but Uiagalelei still represents Clemson's best option under center.
NOT CHANGING: Clemson coach Swinney backs DJ Uiagalelei after benching:
6. Alabama (7-1)
There was no post-Tennessee hangover for the Crimson Tide, who stepped out to a 24-0 lead at halftime and swamped Mississippi State's offense in a solid 30-6 win. Alabama held MSU quarterback Will Rogers to just 239 yards on 60 attempts while Bryce Young continued to make a steady march back into the Heisman race by overcoming the Tide's unproductive running game with 249 yards and two touchdowns.
7. TCU (7-0)
The Horned Frogs have an argument for coming in ahead of Alabama after beating Kansas State 38-28 for a fourth win in a row against an opponent then ranked in the Top 25. Alabama is Alabama, however, and the Tide's easy win against Mississippi State should keep them in front of TCU. In the bigger picture, another comeback win against one of the top teams in the Big 12 keeps the Horned Frogs poised for a major-bowl bid in Sonny Dykes' debut.
8. Oregon (6-1)
The team that was blitzed by Georgia in the opener doesn't look anything like the team that's currently atop the Pac-12 and the league's best hope of getting back into the playoff. The key has been the play of former Auburn transfer Bo Nix, who tossed five scores against UCLA to become the third quarterback in program history with multiple five-touchdown games in the same season. While Oregon has been getting it done on offense, the defense has also taken a step forward since the Georgia game.
9. Oklahoma State (6-1)
Texas had several chances to put Oklahoma State in a really tight spot but couldn't quite seal the deal, giving Spencer Sanders and the Cowboys the chance to steal control of the game in the final minutes. The 41-34 win came down to quarterback play: Sanders had over 400 yards of total offense while Texas freshman Quinn Ewers completed just 19 of his 49 attempts with three interceptions.
10. Southern California (6-1)
An already easy schedule looks even easier down the stretch. The Trojans' first seven games included three against teams currently with a winning record: Rice (4-3), Oregon State (6-2) and Utah (5-2). The final five opponents are Arizona (3-4), California (3-4), Colorado (1-6), UCLA (6-1) and Notre Dame (4-3).