AP Poll Week 8 Top 25 winners and losers: LSU up to No. 2; Georgia, Florida cling to Top 10

Following losses by Georgia and Florida, the new AP Top 25 sees some big changes, including LSU who moves up to the No. 2 spot.

In 2015, Oklahoma was ranked No. 17 in the Week 8 AP Top 25 Poll. To date, they are the lowest-ranked team in the AP Poll Week 8 to make the College Football Playoff. So when we look at the Top 25, and we see, say, Arizona State at No. 17 that doesn’t mean we should automatically rule them out. Because Oklahoma did it. But in all seriousness, they aren’t Oklahoma, and that ranking was an overreaction to a loss to Texas. Oklahoma went on to get shellacked by Clemson, but that’s neither here nor there. They were a College Football Playoff team, despite being in the middle of the Top 25 at this point. So hold out hope! Except you, Arizona State. You aren’t getting in.

Let’s play a game. It’s kind of like seven degrees of Kevin Bacon, but it’s with the Top 25. As you should be very much aware, Georgia, the former No. 3 team in the country and a prime contender to challenge Alabama for the SEC crown, lost to South Carolina, which was decidedly not anywhere near the AP Top 25, let alone Top 3.

Before going further, you need to know about the transitive property. It’s really simple, and you probably already know it, but simply put, it means that if A is better than B and B is better than SEC, then A is better than SEC. Simple enough. So let’s use our math skills here to determine who the rightful No. 3 team in the country is.

Georgia was the third-best team but lost to South Carolina. At home. Bummer.

South Carolina, on the other hand, lost to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. On the road.

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill lost to Appalachian State University, which is in Boone, North Carolina. If you’ve never been, just say you have. Nobody is going to fact check someone going to Boone, North Carolina.

Appalachian State University is undefeated, ergo, the Mountaineers of Appalachian State University are the rightful holders of the No. 3 spot in the Week 8 AP Top 25 Poll.

Q.E.D.

(Your move, Paul.)

And yet, here we are, with Clemson somehow in third. Here are the biggest winners and losers in the Week 8 AP Top 25 Poll.

Week 8 AP Top 25

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State
5. Oklahoma
6. Wisconsin
7. Penn State
8. Notre Dame
9. Florida
10. Georgia
11. Auburn
12. Oregon
13. Utah
14. Boise State
15. Texas
16. Michigan
17. Arizona State
18. Baylor
19. SMU
20. Minnesota
21. Cincinnati
22. Missouri
23. Iowa
24. Appalachian State
25. Washington

Winners

No. 2 LSU (previously No. 5) – The Tigers of LSU are legit. Joe Burrow? More like Joey Heisman. This team is rolling, and the absolute only problem with being LSU is that you have to play in the SEC West. And there’s a southpaw slinging it in Tuscaloosa. With Alabama’s defense a little suspect, his year’s LSU/Alabama slugfest might be the highest scoring in recent memory. Maybe the loser of that game will get a backdoor to the CFP a la Alabama a few years ago.

No. 7 Penn State (previously No. 10) – Don’t act like you knew Penn State was undefeated. Clemson caught some flak for playing a nail biter against the objectively better than Georgia North Carolina, Chapel Hill Tar Heels, but is there a less impressive 6-0 team than Penn State? A 17-12 win against Iowa is their best win. If Iowa is ever your best win, you need to sit down.

No. 21 Missouri (previously unranked) – Don’t sleep on the Tigers. Missouri is going to score a lot in all of their games this year as long as Kelly Bryant can stay healthy.

No. 24 Appalachian State (previously unranked) – What a slap in the face. The Mountaineers are undefeated and rolling. With their only out-of-conference test ahead being the South Carolina Gamecocks, App State might end up undefeated by the end of the season. They’re still miles behind Boise State as the class of the Group of Five, though.

Losers

No. 3 Clemson (previously No. 2) — ¯_(ツ)_/¯

No. 10 Georgia (previously No. 3) – It would be really easy to point out that Georgia was playing a team playing a backup quarterback, whose only win of note was against Kentucky. It would be even easier to say that all of that was true and that Georgia was playing at home. It would be still easier to further note that Georgia outgained South Carolina 468-297. It would be really, really easy to do all of that. So we won’t. In college football, a win is a win. And that’s what South Carolina got.

No. 9 Florida (previously No. 7) – The Gators had played out of their minds, and it looked for a while that they might be able to pull off an upset against LSU. Unfortunately, Florida’s hot hand got cold, and the Gators are left to look for a rebound against the world-beating Gamecocks. Next week we will find out of South Carolina is for real. Just kidding. Florida should roll next week.

Wake Forest (previously No. 18) – Louisville lost to Florida State. Wake Forest just lost to Louisville. At home. Bummer. It looked like the Deacons wanted to be the second-best team in the ACC (which, yay?), but the crown was too heavy for the previously undefeated squad. Maybe they’ll make it back, but at this point, does it really matter?

Virginia (previously No. 20) – More years than not, a loss to Miami wouldn’t be a big deal, but just like with Notre Dame, Virginia wilted in the spotlight. The foundations appear to be there for the Cavaliers, but this team looks like it’s at least a few years away. Virginia is still dangerous this year, but this has to be a huge letdown.

Iowa

No. 23 Iowa (previously No. 17) – They aren’t winners. They aren’t losers. They’re just Iowa.

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