After last week’s seismic shifts in the AP Top 25, where four teams fell out of the first 10 spots, Week 8 only saw one upset. But it was a huge one and has serious implications for the college football playoff picture.
No. 2 Ohio State, who was the only other team besides Alabama to receive a first-place vote the prior poll, was pounded by Purdue 49-20 on Saturday, after entering the game a 13.5-point favorite. The Buckeyes lost outright, causing them to tumble out of the top 10, falling nine spots to No. 11.
It was the second consecutive year the Buckeyes lost by three touchdowns to an unranked team. Last year it was Iowa downing them 55-24.
While Urban Meyer said his team’s weaknesses were exposed, another issue has popped up. Multiple media reports have reported friction between Meyer and athletic director Gene Smith. Neither party has addressed the allegations of a rift between the two.
New College Football Playoff Race
With Georgia’s loss in Week 7, knocking it from No. 2 to No. 8, Notre Dame jumped to No. 4 and was automatically in the CFP conversation. With OSU losing and falling out of the top 10, it was LSU’s turn to receive some attention for the postseason.
The Tigers have a bye week this Saturday, and will face its toughest test of the season when the host No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 3. The Crimson Tide also has a week off, but coach Nick Saban told reporters this week will be anything but a holiday.
“You obviously want your players to get healthy, you want them to get some rest, you want them to get their strength back, hydrate, do all those things,” Saban said. “But you also want them to focus on improving. So, that means when we are practicing, everybody’s got to challenge themselves to improve and do the things that they need to do to get better.”
Challenging Alabama
This is the first time this season Alabama has claimed all 61 votes in the poll. Clemson is the new No. 2 and is 71 points behind the Crimson Tide. While Alabama has the week off, the Tigers will travel to face Florida State. They opened as 14-point favorites, but the line has since moved to 16.
Notre Dame is also a big favorite in their Saturday game against Navy. They are at home, and giving away 23.5 points to the Midshipmen. The Fighting Irish moved up a spot to No. 3 and control their destiny for being one of the four teams in the playoffs. They travel to Northwestern after the Navy game, then host Florida State and Syracuse before ending the regular season at USC.
One team that is hoping the top four teams stumble is Michigan. The Wolverines are No. 5, and with one loss will need some help from the quartet to get in the playoffs. Their schedule, however, is far more difficult than Notre Dame’s. They host Penn State Nov. 3, then travel to Rutgers and host Indiana, before finishing at Ohio State.
