We are coming off another wild weekend of college football. Week eight is now in the rearview mirror, and the SEC double-header gave us enough to talk about, with Georgia and Tennessee taking care of business that will see them rise in the rankings.
One of the better stories in college football, the Indiana Hoosiers, remain undefeated while Oregon is the No.1 team in the new AP Top-25 this week.
There were a number of close calls on Saturday, as Miami survived a close game against Louisville, and Missouri escaped with a win against Auburn. As for Clemson, the Tigers are once again in the running for an ACC championship, which we all thought might not be a possibility after being embarrassed by Georgia in the season opener.
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 19: Tennessee Volunteers fans rush the field after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 24-17 at Neyland Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
Speaking of Georgia, the Bulldogs strolled into Austin and beat up on the Longhorns, handing Texas its first loss of the season. That now leaves us with no undefeated teams in the SEC. In the first game of the massive double-header, it was Tennessee that once again defeated Alabama in Knoxville, with a dramatic victory that saw fans storm the field and fill the air with cigar smoke.
As for that at-large bid, both Army and Navy remain undefeated. We will have a massive game this weekend, as Notre Dame will play at Navy, in what should be a fascinating matchup.
Alright, let’s take a look at our expert pickers, who obviously had a very tough job at putting together the best twelve teams in college football this week.
Here is the list of pickers for each week’s OutKick Top-12 Poll.
- Clay Travis
- Trey Wallace
- Chad Withrow
- Jonathan Hutton
- Dan Dakich
- Les Miles
- Brock Huard
- Lou Holtz
- Tommy Tuberville
- Jeannine Edwards
- Will Cain
- Ricky Cobb
- Kelly Stewart
OutKick College Football Playoff Top-12, Week Eight Rankings
This is now the sixth week of rankings for the OutKick panel, and I imagine there will be a number of varying opinions in the new Top-12 poll.
Last week, it was Texas sitting atop the poll, but after that performance against Georgia, the Longhorns dropped to 6th in this week’s rankings. Moving into the Longhorns spot was the Bulldogs, who put on a fantastic performance in Austin this past weekend, even if Kirby Smart thought the referees were trying to rob his team.
The OutKick College Football Playoff Top-12
After not being ranked in last week’s poll, Tennessee has found its way back into the Top-12 according to the voters, coming in at No. 9 this week. And, Alabama has obviously tumbled out, with a playoff eliminator game upcoming this week against Missouri, for both teams.
Iowa State made a very big jump from not being ranked to No. 10 this week, while the Big 12 has two teams in this week’s poll. As you can see, voters have the SEC getting three teams in, and the Big 10 having four teams make the playoff.
How the College Football Playoff Would Look Right Now. Voters Make Their Case
As we do every week, each voter has their top-12 published for you to have a look, and argue with if there is a disagreement.
How about those Indiana Hoosiers? At 7-0 this season, Curt Cignetti has his team rolling, but will be without starting QB Kurtis Rourke for a period of time with a thumb injury. Dan Dakich has been high on the Hoosiers since the first poll was released, and will now need backup Tayven Jackson to carry this once dark-horse team for the next few weeks. A big game against Washington awaits Indiana this weekend in Bloomington.
The OutKick College Football Playoff Top-12
Les Miles has the SEC getting six teams into the playoff. The former LSU head coach has Georgia, LSU, Texas, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Ole Miss making the postseason, if it were to start today.
There is a strong argument about which team gets that coveted 12th spot in the playoffs. It was either Boise State, Army, Navy or Tulane receiving votes this week, and this one will be fascinating to watch unfold down the stretch.
The OutKick College Football Playoff Top-12
As for Tommy Tuberville, I don’t know the reasoning behind him having Alabama ranked 8th this week, after losing to Tennessee, and also not having the Vols in his Top-12. But, I’m sure there’s a reasoning behind the madness, and I guess he thinks this Bama squad is still good enough to be worthy of a playoff spot.
One of the other interesting talking points is the ACC race, and which team gets the automatic bid. Voters were pretty split this week on whether it would go to Miami or Clemson, but the first-round bye is going to be very important, so this battle is worth watching.
Send in any questions or disagreements to Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com and he’ll get to the best comments this week in his mailbag column.
Dan Dakich Announces The Elite 12 on Don’t@Me
Outkick Elite Top 12 (2)
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