NCAA Football Week 8 results and Top 25

Two more unbeatens lost perfection, leaving just five.  Only two of them are in Power 5 conferences, while two are in the American Athletic and the other, Notre Dame, is an independent.  This does improve Notre Dame's chances of making the College Football Playoffs, especially since they won't be facing a ranked team for the rest of the year, and their biggest challenge remaining may be Syracuse.

Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) [1]
2. Clemson Tigers (7-0) [3]
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0) [4]
4. Michigan Wolverines (7-1) [5]
5. UCF Golden Knights (7-0) [6]
6. Oklahoma Sooners (6-1) [8]
7. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) [7]
8. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) [2]
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1) [9]
10. LSU Tigers (7-1) [11]
11. Florida Gators (6-1) [10]
12. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2) [13]
13. Texas Longhorns (6-1) [14]
14. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-1) [15]
15. Washington State Cougars (6-1) [NR]
16. Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) [19]
17. Fresno State Bulldogs (6-1) [20]
18. Utah State Aggies (6-1 [NR]
19. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-1) [17]
20. Washington Huskies (6-2) [25]
21. Miami Hurricanes (5-2) [21]
22. Kentucky Wildcats (6-1) [22]
23. Syracuse Orange (5-2) [23]
24. Houston Cougars (6-1) [NR]
25. Oregon Ducks (5-2) [12]

Dropped off: Colorado Buffaloes [#16], NC State Wolf Pack [#18], Mississippi State Bulldogs [#24]
On the Edge: Appalachian State Mountaineers (5-1), South Florida Bulls (7-0), Buffalo Bulls 7-1), UAB Blazers (6-1), Texas A&M Aggies (5-2), Temple Owls (5-3)

Big Ten Report
Ohio State was blown away by Purdue and has thrown open the Conference Championship.  Michigan now leads the East and is the only realistic hope to reach the playoffs -- they must win out to do so. Michigan next hosts Penn State (after a bye) and has two easy games before traveling to Columbus to face Ohio State.  Under Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes get tougher after their first loss, so Ohio State may knock off Michigan and, for the second straight year, leave the Big Ten champion out of the playoffs (of course, an unbeaten Notre Dame will help that).

Northwestern still leads the West by half a game, but truly this division is Wisconsin's to win.  The Badgers hold the tiebreaker against Iowa, so if they win out, they win the division.  Iowa is the stronger team, though, so one slip by Wisconsin opens the door for the Hawkeyes to advance. The Badgers have the easier schedule, so they really have the advantage.

Nebraska won their first game of the season by upsetting Minnesota.  That puts the Gophers at the bottom of the West, and the only team in the division who is winless in conference play.  Rutgers now becomes the worst team in the conference, and likely to stay that way.

Pac-12 Report
Washington State's dismantling of Oregon makes them the only Pac-12 candidate to reach the playoffs, and it's a long shot.  Washington still leads the North by half a game, and these two don't meet until the last week of the season, so we may not know how the division will lay out until then. The Cougars also need to get past Stanford and Colorado before then.

Colorado's loss to Washington gives Utah the South division lead, and they seem poised to keep it.  The Utes' biggest challenge will be against the Buffaloes, and they have to travel to Colorado.  The winner of that game likely wins the division.

SEC Report
A 3-way logjam appears at the top of the East division, with Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia all with a piece of the action.  Kentucky beat Florida and Georgia is yet to play any of them.  The next two weeks sees Georgia face Florida, then Kentucky, so the division picture might come in much clearer then.

Alabama basically has a lock on the West.  They've already beaten LSU and A&M, the only other teams with any shot at the division.  Even if Bama loses the Iron Bowl, they'll have the division locked up by then.

ACC Report
Clemson demolished NC State, basically assuring them the Atlantic title (and the conference title).  They still have to face Boston College, but the crushing Tiger defense gives them a huge edge.

Big XII Report
Texas seems likely to win this conference.  Their only real challenge remaining is West Virginia.  Whether Texas can make the playoffs depends upon their performance against their conference opponents, and how those opponents show up in their remaining games.  Strength of schedule is not on Texas' side, especially the more Maryland loses to tarnish the Longhorns' sole loss of the season.

Group of Five Report
UCF wants a shot at the playoffs, but the committee is likely to take a one-loss Ohio State or Michigan team, or even a one-loss Texas team, over the Golden Knights.  Not fair, but that's the way it goes.  Temple is proving a real threat within the conference, and the showdown with South Florida remains.  Houston seems likely to win the West division, and they could make the conference title game interesting. 

UAB beat North Texas to take the Conference USA West lead, and became the favorite to win the conference.  The 6-1 Blazers are starting off hotter than they have in over a decade, and makes two teams to watch in the state of Alabama.

Western Michigan may lead the MAC West with an unbeaten conference record, but East-leading Buffalo remains the favorite in this conference.  Quite a feat for a team who looked pathetic for the first few years they played in this conference.

Utah State reached the Top 25 with an impressive victory, and lead the Mountain division.  Fresno State leads the West, and sets up an interesting contest if Utah State can run the table and meet them in the conference championship.