Welcome to the fallout. Week 8's AP Poll is filled with surprised and, frankly, some disappointments. The Red River Rivalry took centerstage this past weekend, while Georgia-Auburn, Oregon-Indiana and Missouri-Alabama proved overwhelmingly important. At the end of the day, the Associated Press does its best to decide which teams are the best of the best, and which deserve some standing in the top-25. It's not an easy job, and includes a wide variety of opinions.
The AP also gets a lot of their projections wrong. For example, Texas earned its way back into the top-25 after falling out altogether. Arch Manning and Co. defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl. Penn State, meanwhile, proved it never belonged in the first place, losing to Northwestern on Saturday and firing its coach, James Franklin, shortly thereafter. If you add early risers Florida State in the mix – which lost yet another ACC game to Pitt this week – it's easy to understand how quickly minds can change.
AP Top 25 college football rankings for Week 8
1. Ohio State
2. Miami
3. Indiana
4. Texas A&M
5. Ole Miss
6. Alabama
7. Texas Tech
8. Oregon
9. Georgia
10. LSU
11. Tennessee
12. Georgia Tech
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. BYU
16. Missouri
17. Vanderbilt
18. Virginia
19. South Florida
20. USC
21. Texas
22. Memphis
23. Utah
24. Cincinnati
25. Nebraska
College football teams ranked too high in AP Poll
Oklahoma
I cannot stress how poorly Texas has looked this season, namely Arch Manning. While the defense came up strong in the Longhorns season-opening loss to the No. 1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas doesn't have many impact victories so far. Texas had beaten San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston State prior to this week. They lost to both OSU and their first SEC opponent, Florida. Yet, Oklahoma looked remarkably human against Texas. Quarterback John Mateer came back – clearly still injured, for what is's worth to his draft stock – for the Red River Rivalry and the team scored just six points. The Sooners dropped eight spots following their loss to Texas, but quite frankly it wasn't enough.
Texas
On the other end of this coin, the Longhorns now have just one good win on the season. Texas lost to Ohio State (reasonable) and Florida (unreasonable), while beating a bunch of teams they paid to play them. While those athletic departments surely thank Texas for their contribution, that's not enough to rank the Longhorns after eight weeks. Texas defeated an Oklahoma team that was overrated to begin with. John Mateer wasn't at full strength, either, which all but ruined their chances of scoring on a stout Texas defense.
Georgia
I never thought I'd list Georgia as an over-ranked team, but here we are. The Bulldogs found a way to win at Auburn, which means more than fans might think. However, Georgia has historically dominated Auburn. It's one of the more lopsided rivalries in SEC history. Add in some questionable calls at the end of the first half which essentially led to a 17-point swing in the Bulldogs' favor, and UGA shouldn't have jumped a spot to No. 9. Am I nitpicking? Absolutely, but Georgia got away with one on the plains.
College football teams ranked too low in AP Poll
Georgia Tech
The ACC is a mess, and we won't know nearly enough about Haynes King and Georgia Tech until they face off against the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Championship Game. Tech also faces off against the Georgia Bulldogs to end the season, which could send a message to the College Football Playoff committee. Tech remains one of the lowest-ranked undefeated teams, and has big wins under their belt so far this year. Whether it be at Colorado or against Clemson or Virginia Tech, GT shows up week-in and week-out.
Oregon
Oregon fell, at home, against an undefeated Indiana team. Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers deserve their flowers, but it's about time we start judging that win as an indictment of these rankings, rather than the Ducks. Oregon still has Dylan Moore at their disposal and one of the best head coaches in the Big Ten in Dan Lanning. Sure, their big win over Penn State looks much worse these days, as the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin. But Oregon falling five spots is a lot for one defeat, especially against the new No. 3-ranked team in the nation.