John Makuch's Top 25 in CFB - Week Eight

Date: October 25, 2022

By: John Makuch

This article was originally written on 10/21/22

Randy Sartin/USA TODAY Sports

This past week saw chaos aplenty, but this upcoming week should see just as much as the last. Once you get to the middle of these conference slates, drama truly begins to unfold.

With unrest and said drama in these slates, comes movement in the top 25, and there was plenty of that this past week.

 

1.         Ohio State

The Buckeyes are facing a great deal of competition for that No. 1 spot, and there are even pollsters who have this team at five. They have Iowa next, which will not be a top 25 win that this team truly needs to excel and prove itself to the rest of the country.

Penn State comes up the week after though, and that will be their proving ground.

 

2.         Tennessee

Where were you when Tennessee beat Alabama and stole the goalposts from their own stadium? That will be a question we ask each other forever, and that game will forever go down in history.

More importantly, though, Tennessee needs to continue to win, and they still have the rest of the SEC to go through. Their offense can keep up with anyone though, and UT Martin will be a nice break in competitiveness.

 

3.         Michigan

The Wolverines have officially shown that the loss of Hassan Haskins is not as big of a deal as we originally thought. They ran all over a tough Big Ten defense at Penn State, and the running back duo of Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum looks unstoppable.

Now when the Michigan vs. Ohio State game rolls around, that may be an even better game than the one we had last season.

 

4.         Georgia

Georgia falling to four is not a result of this week’s performance, beating Vanderbilt 55-0 is just about as good as they could have done.

However, the new resume of Tennessee and Michigan has moved the Bulldogs down the totem pole a bit. They still have to take on Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Kentucky this season, so they have plenty of opportunity to rise back up the ranks.

 

5.         Clemson

Clemson got it done against a solid Florida State team that should be consistent members of the top 25 in years to come. The Tigers were able to do just enough though to take down a great team in Tallahassee.

WE WIN, WE DANCE‼️ pic.twitter.com/9D3LcLAhW2

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) October 16, 2022

Clemson needs to win by larger margins though to secure a spot in the top four, and this week against Syracuse is their chance to move up.

 

6.         TCU

The Horned Frogs had some of the best jerseys in the nation last week, and they impressed against Oklahoma State.

They fought in a tough overtime victory over the Cowboys, and now TCU stands atop the Big 12 with all the momentum in the world. Max Duggan will have to lead his squad against another tough team the Kansas State Wildcats as this Big 12 race continues to get interesting.

 

7.         Ole Miss

Ole Miss’s 48-point outing was a sign that this team has truly put the offense together at a crucial point in the season. The Rebels find themselves undefeated with the lead in the SEC West at this point.

The Playoff could be in this team’s future, but they will have to face LSU this week, and then face the gauntlet that is the Alabama Crimson Tide later on.

 

8.         UCLA

UCLA has surprised the country and put itself in a position to hold steady in the top ten in this country. Their offense has put up 40 points in all but one of their games so far this season, and they will look to put up those numbers at Oregon this week.

UCLA is now in the best position out of anybody in the Pac-12 to make the Playoff, but a loss can take them entirely off track of that goal.

 

9.         Alabama

Alabama has been welcomed to the one-loss club after being on the losing end of a contender for the game of the century. Alabama will now have to run the table to make the playoff in all likelihood, but the Crimson Tide can definitely get that done.

They do have a tough matchup against Mississippi State, but they have homefield advantage with a fan base that knows how important this game is.

 

10.      Oregon

Christian Peterson/Getty Images

Oregon has continued to benefit from the success of Georgia with their season-opening loss not looking as bad now. Bo Nix has continued his resurgence to lead this team to some tough wins against BYU and Washington State. However, besides Georgia, UCLA will be the toughest team they faced all season, and the Bruins are red hot.

This could determine who makes the Playoff if anybody out of this conference, so this is a game to watch for this week.

 

11.      Syracuse

The Orange of Syracuse have put together quite the resume for themselves so far, and their undefeated record speaks for itself. They have played in close games against Purdue and Virginia, so the NC State game was a huge test, and they passed with flying colors.

Only allowing nine points is impressive, and they will need that defensive energy against Clemson. This team is red-hot, or orange-hot, this season, and the new orange crush could shock the world with a win over the Tigers.

 

12.      USC

Caleb Williams and company suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Utah in their game-of-the-century contender, and now, USC and the Pac-12 are in a tough spot as there are no longer any undefeated teams in the conference besides UCLA.

In terms of the Playoff, USC cannot afford to lose another game on their path to winning it all in the first year of Lincoln Riley.

 

13.      Oklahoma State

When you play in overtime, it is usually two teams that are very deserving to win, but unfortunately, one team has to lose. Oklahoma State just so happened to be the team that lost this time around.

The offense keeping up with TCU is a great sign for the Cowboys, but this is not the defense that was expected to be here coming into the season.

Oklahoma State has the chance to rebound against a quality opponent at home against Texas this week, and they need to take advantage of the opportunity.

 

14.      Kansas State

Kansas State has had a whole bye week to think about their near loss to Iowa State, a team that has given multiple squads problems so far including Texas. The Wildcats now have a loss to a ranked team in Tulane which helps their case, and a win against TCU would put them right in the hunt yet again.

The Big 12 is the conference of chaos, and a team like Kansas State is one of the greater bringers of such. With TCU, Oklahoma State, and Texas in their next three games, the Wildcats can cause all the chaos they would like in a short period of time.

 

15.      Utah

Utah is one of the most resilient teams in the nation. An early loss to Florida hindered their Playoff chances completely, and a loss to UCLA felt like a nail in the coffin. But they came back from their near end after upsetting USC with great support from their home crowd.

This is what it means for @Utah_Football ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qnpIHNIyQj

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 16, 2022

The Utes have proved they can beat anybody in the country, although those two losses are a great blemish on the schedule.

 

16.      Penn State

Classic Penn State showed up against the Michigan Wolverines, unfortunately, and they absolutely disappointed on a national stage. The Nittany Lions are a great football team, and beating Michigan is a tall task to ask, but the blowout has to be embarrassing.

Michigan showed how good they are, but Penn State needs to pick up the pieces going forward.

 

17.      Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons are back, and they will be taking on Boston College coming off their bye week. The remaining schedule for Wake Forest includes winnable games for this squad but are not easy by any means.

Teams like NC State, UNC, and Syracuse are all great resume boosters, and a Wake Forest team that finishes as ACC Champions could sneak into the top four. However, they would need two losses from Clemson which is unlikely.

 

18.      Texas

Texas is back folks? Maybe, maybe not? The Longhorns followed up their blowout of Oklahoma with a home win against Iowa State that came down to a few key plays at the end. A final score of 24-21 against a weaker conference opponent is a bit shocking, especially for a team that was in the conversation to maybe make the Playoff if they run the table and get enough help. They travel to Stillwater next to take on an Oklahoma State team coming off a heartbreaking loss to TCU, so Texas will be going against a fired-up squad.

 

19.      UNC

UNC snuck past Duke on the road in a rivalry that also includes football. This Tar Heel offense has continued to be strong, but they will need to pick it up defensively if they want to keep their strong season alive.

Chapel Hill will see the return of their Tar Heels taking on a tough Pitt team that took Tennessee to overtime earlier this season.

 

20.      Illinois

Ron Johnson/USA TODAY Sports

Illinois has continued to be sneaky throughout this season, and with their remaining schedule, they could climb much higher than anyone expected them to.

Their next three games include Nebraska, Michigan State, and Purdue, with the last two being at home. After that, they will take on Michigan, but this could very well be a two-loss team when the season is all said and done.

 

21.      Tulane

Tulane has gotten some sneaky and impressive wins this season, and if they won that close game against Southern Miss this may be a top-18 or so team. Early in the season they took down Kansas State in Manhattan no less, and also have an overtime win on the road against Houston.

As more teams lose, teams like Tulane can rise, and that has led to them being welcomed back to the top 25.

 

22.      LSU

LSU just did what few teams can do, and that is marching down to the swamp and taking down the Florida Gators. The offense looked impressive, and the Tigers have found their way back into the top 25.

They take on Ole Miss this week, and that challenge could put this squad back near the top 15 if they come out victorious.

 

23.      Kentucky

This team is a few plays against Ole Miss away from being a top 10 team in the nation, their momentum was ruined after that defeat, which also could have led to the loss against South Carolina.

They got back on track with a home win against Mississippi State, and the Wildcats are a game away from being bowl-eligible yet again.

 

24.      Mississippi State

The Bulldogs faced a tough team in Kentucky and were unable to get their offense working enough to take down this unit. Kentucky is an offense that will force you to score 30 points to beat them, and the Bulldogs were only able to put up 17.

They travel to Alabama this week, and they can cause chaos if they can pull off the upset.

 

25.      South Alabama

Note: this ranking was created before the Thursday night game against Troy

South Alabama? Yes, South Alabama has an underrated resume on its hands here. They currently lead Group B in the Sunbelt otherwise known as the “Funbelt,” and have some solid wins all things considered.

We ain’t don’t yet #LEO pic.twitter.com/1W6tOXmZCp

— South Alabama Football (@SouthAlabamaFB) October 16, 2022

They picked up a win against Louisiana back in early October, and what puts them here is the rise of UCLA. Back on September 17, UCLA squeaked by the Jaguars 32-31, and now that win is notable for a program that deserves the love.

John Makuch can be reached at john.makuch@student.shu.edu.

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