College Football Top 25: Week 8

Week 7 of the College Football season was highlighted by the worst outing in the Caleb WIlliams era and maybe the most impressive in that of Marcus Freeman as Notre Dame controlled USC in South Bend. It may not have been his worst outing as a head coach but Dan Lanning’s effort at Husky Stadium certainly cost the Ducks the win against Washington and Heisman favorite Michael Penix Jr. Elsewhere, Brock Bowers injured his ankle against Vanderbilt and could be out until the SEC Championship for the Georgia Bulldogs and Michigan actually trailed in a game after the 1st quarter but ultimately prevailed 52-7 over Indiana at the Big House.

Week 8 will eliminate schools from conference and national title contention. Among the questions that will be answered:

Can James Franklin (PSU +145) win on the road against a Top Ten school (OSU -175)? Franklin’s teams are 1-7 on the road against ranked opponents and have not won at the Horseshoe since…forever.

Can Caleb Williams and the Trojans (-250) rebound against Utah (+250)? The loser of that one will be left on the sidelines.

When will Michigan (+300 to win the Nat’l Title) be challenged? Probably not this week, regardless of the answer.

Can Tennessee (+275) make it two in a row against Nick Saban and Alabama (-350)? It is a big ask on the road against a Tide team getting more aggressive moving the ball on offense.

Do we need to start to look at FSU quarterback Jordan Travis (+1300) as a true Heisman contender if he and the Seminoles (-600) can shred the Duke Blue Devils’ defense (+425) this weekend? Michael Penix, Jr. (-145) was really good last week, but there is room for others in the competition.

The results from Week 7 caused plenty of movement in the NBC Sports Top 25.

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Here is NBC Sports’ College Football Top 25 for Week 8 with analysis from NBC Sports’ Vaughn Dalzell, Brad Thomas, and Eric Froton:

1 Georgia | Record: 7-0 | ATS: 1-5-1 | Last Week: 1
Next up: October 28 @ Florida (5-2)

2 Michigan | Record: 7-0 | ATS: 3-3-1 | Last Week: 2
Next up: Saturday @ Michigan State (2-4)

3 Ohio State | Record: 6-0 | ATS: 3-2-1 | Last Week: 3
Next up: Saturday vs. #7 Penn State (6-0)

4 Florida State | Record: 6-0 | ATS: 4-2 | Last Week: 4
Next up: Saturday vs. #17 Duke (5-1)

5 Washington | Record: 6-0 | ATS: 3-2-1 | Last Week: 7
Next up: Saturday vs. Arizona State (1-5)

Dalzell (@VmoneySports): Washington sneaks into the TOP 5 and all I can think about is how fun the College Football Playoff will be next year when the championship series is extended from four teams to eight. Washington's win was impressive and resembled Oklahoma's last-second comeback win over Texas, so deciphering who belongs at No. 5 between the Huskies and Sooners makes for an interesting conversation.

Thomas (@MrBradThomas): Despite letting the Commodores cover the massive 32-point spread, Georgia still reigns supreme in college football and is deserving of the top spot in the rankings. Welcome newcomer Washington to the party. I had them third, but I think fifth is fine.

Froton (@CFFroton): Michigan’s dominance continues while Washington makes the leap all the way to #5 after edging their way past their longtime geographic and conference rival Oregon. I think Washington’s powerful aerial attack could stress Florida State’s secondary to the breaking point, but the Huskies’ difficulty defending the run could be their Achilles’ heel, as they currently rank 84th in team rush defense after allowing 204 yards on 5.1 YPC to the Ducks. For that reason, I couldn’t bump Washington ahead of FSU.

6 Oklahoma | Record: 6-0 | ATS: 6-0 | Last Week: 5
Next up: Saturday vs. UCF (3-3)

7 Penn State | Record: 6-0 | ATS: 6-0 | Last Week: 6
Next up: Saturday @ #3 Ohio State (6-0)

8 Texas | Record: 5-1 | ATS: 3-3 | Last Week: 10
Next up: Saturday @ Houston (3-3)

9 Oregon | Record: 5-1 | ATS: 5-0-1 | Last Week: 8
Next up: Saturday vs. Washington State (4-2)

10 Alabama | Record: 6-1 | ATS: 4-3 | Last Week: 11
Next up: Saturday vs. #20 Tennessee (5-1)

11 North Carolina | Record: 6-0 | ATS: 5-1 | Last Week: 12
Next up: Saturday vs. Virginia (1-5)

12 Oregon State | Record: 6-1 | ATS: 5-2 | Last Week: 14
Next up: Saturday vs. #18 UCLA (4-1)

T13 Mississippi | Record: 5-1 | ATS: 4-2 | Last Week: 13
Next up: Saturday @ Auburn (3-3)

T13 Notre Dame | Record: 6-2 | ATS: 5-2-1 | Last Week: 22
Next up: October 28 vs. Pitt (2-4)

15 Utah | Record: 5-1 | ATS: 3-2-1 | Last Week: 16
Next up: Saturday @ #16 USC (6-1)

Dalzell: Penn State has the opportunity to vault itself into at least the Top 5 with a win at Ohio State this upcoming weekend. The Nittany Lions are a perfect 6-0 ATS and a +4 road underdog at the Buckeyes, so for me, a Penn State win would send them to No. 3 or 4, and an Ohio State win keeps them firm at No. 3 behind Michigan and Georgia.

Thomas: Unable to put away the Huskies, Oregon looked like the best one-loss team to me so far this season. They should be ahead of Texas. I’m not entirely sure how Penn State keeps dropping. They are 11th in SOR and second in margin of victory at +32.4. This weekend in Columbus should settle a lot, though; a win on the road against a Top 5 team will have them firmly in Tier 1 in our poll.

Froton: North Carolina knew they had to improve a porous defense that allowed an average of 31 points and 437 total yards per game last year. A combination of experience (15th in returning defensive production) and an infusion of four secondary starters via the portal have turned things around for the Tar Heels, who have allowed just 21 points and 359 yards per game while remaining undefeated. Notre Dame confounded the defending Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams, inducing three costly interceptions despite gaining just 252 total yards against USC’s listless defense.

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16 USC | Record: 6-1 | ATS: 2-5 | Last Week: 9
Next up: Saturday vs. #15 Utah (5-1)

17 Duke | Record: 5-1 | ATS: 4-2 | Last Week: 17
Next up: Saturday @ #4 Florida State (6-0)

18 LSU | Record: 5-2 | ATS: 4-3 | Last Week: 23
Next up: Saturday vs. Army (2-4)

19 Missouri | Record: 6-1 | ATS: 4-3 | Last Week: NR
Next up: Saturday vs. South Carolina (2-4)

20 Tennessee | Record: 5-1 | ATS: 4-2 | Last Week: T19
Next up: Saturday @ #10 Alabama (6-1)

21 Tulane | Record: 5-1 | ATS: 3-3 | Last Week: NR
Next up: Saturday vs. North Texas (3-3)

22 Louisville | Record: 6-1 | ATS: 3-4 | Last Week: 15
Next up: October 28 vs. #17 Duke (5-1)

23 Air Force | Record: 6-0 | ATS: 3-3 | Last Week: NR
Next up: Saturday @ Navy (3-3)

24 Iowa | Record: 6-1 | ATS: 4-2-1 | Last Week: NR
Next up: Saturday vs. Minnesota (3-3)

25 UCLA | Record: 4-2 | ATS: 3-3 | Last Week: 18
Next up: Saturday @ Stanford (2-4)

Fell out of the Top 25: Washington State (T19), Kentucky (21), Kansas (24), Wisconsin (25)

Dalzell: I can't believe either Eric or Brad coerced the other into putting Louisville on this list after I called the Cardinals to lose at Pitt (+225) following its win over a fatigued Notre Dame team. The guys are just hating on your boy at this point, but in all seriousness, USC drops to #16, which might be an overreaction, but the defense is bad and we should expect at least one more loss on the Trojans' schedule. Expect this 16-25 range to be shaken up even more next week.

Thomas: I was the fool all along. I had LSU outside of my Top 25 for far too long. That team is elite, and Jayden Daniels is playing his way into the Heisman conversation. They could be a Top 10 team come season end if a few breaks and wins fall their way.

Froton: Missouri bounced back from their loss to LSU with an emphatic 38-21 victory over Kentucky, exposing Wildcat QB Devin Leary’s deficiencies by inducing three turnovers and causing the Wildcats to commit 14 penalties. Louisville fell prey to a 1-4 Pitt team after knocking off Notre Dame the week prior, posting just a 7% win expectancy against the sputtering Panthers. Iowa managed to knock Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai out of the game and beat the Badgers despite their QB Deacon Hill throwing for a service academy-esque 37 yards.

The boys will be breaking down all the games and answering your questions this Saturday morning on the NBC Sports College Football Betting Q&A at 11A Eastern. They’ll be taking sides and totals as well as placing a few bets for pizzas and roast beef sandwiches.

Enjoy the games and enjoy the sweat.

*all lines courtesy of BetMGM.