College football rankings 2021: Projected Week 8 AP Top 25 after Iowa gets upset & Alabama, Georgia roll
Projecting the AP Top 25 college football rankings for Week 8 after previously No. 2-ranked Iowa lost to Purdue.
Week 7 of the college football season brought the volatility that the rest of the college football season has brought. The chaos unfolding has left open an opportunity for a brand new playoff picture and perhaps for a team with a loss already to sneak its way back in.
As was the case last week, being in the top four can be a curse as well as a blessing. Iowa lasted just one week in the second spot in the nation before it fell apart to Purdue. This was the type of loss the Hawkeyes were hoping to avoid as they had what should have been a fairly easy schedule down the stretch.
It opens the door for a program like Cincinnati to continue to cement itself if it keeps winning. It also allows Alabama to potentially slide back into the top four. So here’s how the AP Top 25 projections should look going into Week Eight.
Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Week 7: No. 25-21
25. UTSA Roadrunners
It was frankly a travesty that UTSA didn’t make it into the AP Top 25 a week ago and they stated their case once again to be included. This time around, they get the nod. The Roadrunners rolled to a 45-0 victory over Rice, further establishing they deserve respect as one of the best Group of 5 teams in college football.
24. Pittsburgh Panthers
The Pitt Panthers only had one vote heading into last week but they absolutely deserve a spot in the top 25. Ever since the loss to Western Michigan earlier in the season, the Panthers have demolished every team in their way. Their latest victim was Virginia Tech, who took Notre Dame the distance last week.
23. Clemson Tigers
This isn’t a popular decision as Clemson has been easily one of the most underwhelming programs this season on the offensive side of the ball. That being said, there was enough turnover at the bottom of the rankings that they maybe sneak in thanks to the votes they got last week. That’s even with an underwhelming win over Syracuse.
22. San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State is still one of the remaining undefeated programs in the nation. The Aztecs needed overtime to win at San Jose State, but their defense flexed its muscles in the win. San Diego State probably gets one of the bottom spots.
21. NC State Wolfpack
NC State was already in the rankings this past week at 22, and likely just stays around there. They’ll stick in the rankings even by virtue of a meh win over Boston College. It’s hard to push them out given all the other programs that lost.