The Ohio State Buckeyes are the best team in America, and it’s not close.
It’s not just that Julian Sayin is completing 80% of his passes, or that the projected WR1s in the next two NFL Drafts — Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith — are shredding secondaries. It’s that Matt Patricia’s defense has allowed just 41 total points through seven games.
In a week when three top-25 teams lost to unranked opponents — and with only one unbeaten team remaining in each of the Power 4 conferences — the Buckeyes have never looked more like favorites to repeat as national champions.
Still, even if Ohio State finishes October undefeated and rolls through its next four games like a cakewalk at the county fair, there’s still one looming obstacle: Michigan. Ryan Day hasn’t beaten the Wolverines since 2019.
With that, here’s a look at my Top 25 rankings following Week 8 of the college football season:
Week 8 result: Defeated Wisconsin 34-0
Julian Sayin threw for 393 yards and four touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. Wideouts Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith combined for 15 catches, 208 yards, and two scores. The Buckeyes have now pitched two shutouts in seven games — and look a cut above the rest of the sport.
2. Indiana (7-0)
Week 8 result: Defeated Michigan State, 38-13
Fernando Mendoza threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns, completing 85.7% of his passes in another double-digit win for the Hoosiers — who, through eight weeks, appear to be the only team capable of competing with Ohio State in 2025.
Week 8 result: Defeated Arkansas, 45-42
The Aggies survived a high-scoring affair to earn their seventh win this season and their first 7-0 start since 1994. Texas A&M stands alone as the only undefeated team left in the SEC. Quarterback Marcel Reed accounted for 335 total yards with four total touchdowns in the win.
Week 8 result: Defeated Tennessee, 37-20
Alabama joined Texas A&M as the last remaining undefeated teams in SEC play with a decisive win over Tennessee in Tuscaloosa.
The Tide defense scored eight points in the first half — including a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown and a safety — helping propel Alabama to a 6-1 start and its 22nd consecutive season of bowl eligibility.
Week 8 result: Defeated Rutgers, 56-10
The Ducks led Rutgers 42-3 at halftime. For perspective, that was the score in Ohio State’s win over Minnesota.
Dante Moore bounced back after a disappointing performance last week against Indiana. The redshirt sophomore QB completed 15 of 20 passes for 240 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Oregon put up 750 yards of total offense in the victory.
Week 8 result: Defeated Ole Miss, 43-35
The Dawgs survived an early storm — allowing Ole Miss to score on its first five drives — before rallying to defeat the Rebels at Sanford Stadium. Quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards and accounted for five total touchdowns. Georgia’s ground game was dominant, rushing for 221 yards against Mississippi.
Week 8 result: Lost to Georgia, 43-35
The Rebels scored all 35 of their points in the first three quarters but were shut out 17-0 in the fourth quarter, suffering their first loss of the season. Ole Miss struggled to run the ball, gaining just 88 yards on 24 carries (3.7 yards per attempt).
Week 8 result: Defeated LSU, 31-24
Not only did the Commodores beat LSU for the first time since 1990, but they also improved to 6-1 — their best start since 1950 — with Diego Pavia extending his streak of scoring a touchdown (passing or rushing) to 25 straight games.
The win marked another historic milestone: 2025 is the first season in which Vanderbilt has defeated multiple top-15 opponents.
Week 8 result: Lost to Alabama, 37-20
The Vols lost control early when quarterback Joey Aguilar threw a goal-line interception that was returned for an Alabama touchdown — a 14-point swing in what had been a tightly contested game. A second costly mistake — an intentional grounding penalty by Aguilar that resulted in a safety — further hurt Tennessee’s chances of earning its first win in Tuscaloosa since 2003.
10. BYU (7-0)
Week 8 result: Defeated Utah, 24-21
LJ Martin carried the ball 26 times for 122 yards to lead the Cougars to their seventh win of the season. Freshman QB Bear Bachmeier threw for 166 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 64 yards and a score on the ground.
Week 8 result: Defeated Duke, 27-18
Is Georgia Tech this year’s Indiana? Following a school-record 95-yard fumble-return-for-touchdown by safety Omar Daniels to help Tech dispatch the Blue Devils, it feels that way.
At 7-0 for the first time since 1966, Georgia Tech looks like the program best positioned to win the conference title and make its first-ever trip to the College Football Playoff.
Week 8 result: Defeated Auburn, 23-17
This was Missouri’s first road test of the season — and they passed. After allowing an opening-drive touchdown, the defense clamped down, holding Auburn to just 10 points the rest of the way.
Ahmad Hardy carried the ball 24 times for 58 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers bounced back from a home loss to Alabama.
Week 8 result: Defeated South Carolina, 26-7
The Sooners finally found a consistent run game — and not with quarterback John Mateer leading the charge. True freshman Tory Blaylock rushed for over 100 yards, and Brent Venables’ defense racked up six sacks on South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers to secure a crucial win ahead of what might be the toughest five-game stretch in college football.
All five of Oklahoma’s remaining opponents were ranked in the top 16 of the AP Top 25 heading into Week 8.
Week 8 result: Defeated Miami, 24-21
The Cardinals earned their first win over an AP top-2 team since 2016, when Lamar Jackson led Louisville to a 63-20 rout of Florida State. This time, Jeff Brohm’s squad pulled off the upset as double-digit underdogs.
Week 8 result: Lost to Louisville, 24-21
Miami QB Carson Beck threw four interceptions — one more than he’d thrown all season — in the Hurricanes’ loss to the Cardinals, who won without scoring a single point on their four takeaways. Miami had won 10 straight games at Hard Rock Stadium before the loss.
Week 8 result: Defeated USC, 34-24
Jeremiyah Love rushed for a career-high 228 yards and a touchdown, while Jadarian Price added 87 yards and a score of his own in the win.
After dropping their first two games of the season, the Fighting Irish have won five in a row while outsourcing their opponents by an average of 25.8 points per contest.
Week 8 result: Defeated Florida Atlantic, 48-13
Byrum Brown completed 14 of 24 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another 111 yards and a score on the ground.
The Bulls piled up 522 yards of offense while holding the Owls to just 23 rushing yards on 30 carries. They now join Tulane and Navy as the only teams still undefeated in AAC play.
Week 8 result: Lost to Arizona State, 26-22
The Red Raiders became the third undefeated team in two days to fall to an unranked opponent, joining Miami and Memphis. With starting quarterback Behren Morton sidelined by injury, Will Hammond made his first career start on the road. He completed 22 of 37 passes for 167 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, but was outplayed by an Arizona State team that held Texas Tech to just 267 total yards and 6-of-16 on third downs.
Week 8 result: Idle
Week 8 result: Defeated Oklahoma State, 49-17
Brendan Sorsby threw for 270 yards and three touchdown passes, while also running for a score as the Bearcats beat Oklahoma State for their sixth straight victory.
Cincinnati and BYU are the only remaining unbeaten teams in Big 12 play after Arizona State’s win over previously unbeaten Texas Tech.
Week 8 result: Defeated Kentucky, 16-13
Steve Sarkisian won his 30th game in the last three seasons, but this one was far from pretty. The Longhorns only managed 179 yards of total offense and reached the end zone just once, a 1-yard run from Quintrevion Wisner that came midway through the second quarter.
Arch Manning only completed 12 of 27 passes for 132 yards in the win. He has been held to under 200 passing yards in four of the Longhorns’ seven games this season.
Week 8 result: Defeated Washington, 24-7
Before their loss to Michigan, the Huskies were averaging more than 39 points per game, and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. had thrown just one interception all season. But on Saturday, Washington reached the end zone only once, and Williams was picked off three times in a game dominated by the Wolverines’ defense and run game.
With Justice Haynes unavailable, Jordan Marshall stepped up, rushing for 133 yards to help keep Michigan’s College Football Playoff hopes alive.
23. LSU (5-2)
Week 8 result: Lost to Vanderbilt, 31-24
The Tigers hadn’t lost to the Commodores in 35 years, until Saturday. The defeat drops LSU to 2–2 in SEC play and puts them on the outside looking in with the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings just weeks away. LSU could not establish a consistent run game against the nation’s No. 16 scoring defense with just over 22 minutes in time of possession.
Week 8 result: Defeated Washington State, 22-20
Virginia’s Kam Robinson and Hunter Osborne stuffed Kirby Vorhees for a game-winning safety as the Cavaliers remained unbeaten in ACC play.
Chandler Morris completed 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards, helping Virginia became bowl eligible for the first time under head coach Tony Elliott.
25. USC (5-2)
Week 8 result: Lost to Notre Dame, 34-24
Jayden Maiava completed 22 of 42 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns while also adding two interceptions in the Trojans’ loss to Notre Dame.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.
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