Live, up-to-the-minute Week 8 college football rankings: Georgia drops Ole Miss

On College GameDay, when Nick Saban spurned Vanderbilt for LSU in his pick for the game, he defended his selection, saying it's hard for him to come to terms with Vanderbilt turning the corner and being a good program. Well Saban, it's time to start showing Vanderbilt some respect. They're a legit contender this season in the SEC and make a strong argument to land in the College Football Playoff.

For the second-straight season, the Commodores have a top 10 win at home, this time beating LSU 31-24. It shouldn't be a surprise anymore when Vandy pulls off a big win because it's seemingly what their new identity is. They're acting like they've been here before by not even storming the field or taking down the goal post; maybe it's time we start acting like they belong here too.

In the other marquee, ranked match to start Saturday's slate, Georgia Tech avoided the dreaded conference game upset loss to Duke, holding off the Blue Devils on the road for a 27-18 win. It's time to start thinking about CFP reservations for Georgia Tech as well. Usually by this point, they would have played themselves out of the conversation. It turns out, they just might belong too.

The afternoon slate brought more fireworks thanks to a thrilling battle between Ole Miss and Georgia. The Bulldogs outlasted the Rebels in a high-scoring shootout. The race for an SEC title game bid only gets tighter.

Here are the projected rankings after an exciting early window and an intriguing afternoon slate.

Projected college football rankings

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Indiana Hoosiers
3. Texas A&M Aggies
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. Georgia Bulldogs
6. Oregon Ducks
7. Miami Hurricanes
8. Ole Miss Rebels
9. Vanderbilt Commodores
10. Tennessee Volunteers
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
12. Texas Tech Red Raiders
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
14. Oklahoma Sooners
15. BYU Cougars
16. Missouri Tigers
17. Louisville Cardinals
18. Virginia Cavaliers
19. South Florida Bulls
20. USC Trojans
21. Texas Longhorns
22. Utah Utes
23. Cincinnati Bearcats
24. LSU Tigers
25. Illinois Fighting Illini
    

Texas Tech flops vs. Arizona State

Arizona State was a flop to begin the season. Now they're creating flops of the rest of the Big 12. The Sun Devils gave Texas Tech their first loss of the season, 26-22. The Red Raiders actually erased a double-digit fourth quarter deficit. They scored with two minutes remaining to take their first lead since the second quarter. But the Sun Devils drove 10 plays, 75 yards to score in the final minute.

Texas Tech had looked like the class of the Big 12. This loss opens the door even wider in the conference. BYU is the only remaining undefeated team at 6-0.

Georgia takes down Ole Miss

Georgia continues to bounce back well since their loss to Alabama at the end of September. In the Dawgs' 43-25 win over Ole Miss, Gunner Stockton amassed 289 yards and five total touchdowns. None were more important that a seven-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to put Georgia up for good.

No one will be waxing poetic about the level of defense played in Athens on Saturday. That's not the norm for Kirby Smart teams, but this years' team has found a way to win via offense. They put up 44 in overtime to best Tennessee. This time it took 43 to take down Ole Miss.

Vanderbilt earns respect of AP voters after another home upset, jumps to top 10

Diego Pavia; like him or hate him, he knows how to win the big ones. Last year he and the Commodores stunned the Alabama Crimson Tide and this year, Vanderbilt took down No. 10 ranked LSU for yet another ranked home win. It’s time to start accepting that this team is good and will be a team to watch in the SEC. The Commodores dominated this game from start to finish. 

This isn’t the same Vandy that’s going to get steamrolled each week. Clark Lea has turned his alma mater into a sleeper team in the SEC and with a top 10 win on the year, they could very well force their hand into the CFP. They’ll make the massive jump into the top 10 after dominating LSU on Saturday. 

LSU’s offense wakes up, but sufferers second loss of season and hangs on in rankings by a thread

Brian Kelly is entering the same territory as James Franklin at Penn State. Kelly suffered his second upset loss of the season and now the Tigers have a lot more questions than they probably want to answer. It’s another year of frustrating losses that ultimately keep the Tigers out of the College Football Playoff. As a two-loss team the Tigers could very well crash the CFP party, but it’s probably out of their control at this point. 

The SEC title game feels out of the question with two conference losses. They’d be fortunate enough to stay in the rankings after losing to Vanderbilt, but if they do, No. 25 feels fair for them. They still have Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma left to play. This season could get out of hand fast if they don’t bounce back quickly.

More chaos to come in Week 8: Predictions for ranked matchups

While this first slate of games has plenty to be excited about, the chaos really starts in the mid-afternoon. Georgia will face Ole Miss in Athens in what could be a must-win game for the Bulldogs, as they already have one loss on the season. Alabama finds itself in a similar situation, as they play host to the one-loss Tennessee Volunteers in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium tonight. Rivalry matchups in USC-Notre Dame (should the weather hold off) and BYU-Utah make for a fun day of college football that could come to define the CFP race when all is said and done.