O-H? Oh, yeah. After Week 8, Ohio State has officially elbowed its way into the top spot in the Power Rankings. Call it too much of too much. The Buckeyes aren't just winning, they're annihilating the competition.
Their 44-point win over Iowa almost covered the total itself (49.5). Quarterback C.J. Stroud has thrown more touchdowns (28) than 100 teams did all of last season. Ohio State's average margin of victory (34.7 points) is more than -- once again -- 100 teams are scoring per game. Coach Ryan Day has the best wide receiver room in the country as well as the No. 2 scoring offense and No. 2 scoring defense.
All of it adds up to the No. 1 ranking in these Power Rankings. Of course, Ohio State's bonafides will be tested this week when it visits Penn State and again later this season when Michigan travels to Columbus, Ohio.
There are still six unbeatens at the top of college football. Goodbye UCLA, Ole Miss and Syracuse. The Pac-12 is once again midway through a season without an undefeated team as those remaining populate the other four Power Five conferences: two from the Big Ten (Ohio State, Michigan), two from the SEC (Georgia, Tennessee) and one each from the Big 12 (TCU) and ACC (Clemson).
Finally, on the opposite end of the spectrum, a reminder that Miami is paying Mario Cristobal $80 million over 10 years. A billionaire oversees its collective. None of that prevented eight turnovers (!) that led to 31 Duke points on Saturday. That's the most turnovers in a single game by a Power Five team since 2009.
Same with Texas and all its NIL dollars. All those bucks couldn't keep QB Quinn Ewers from playing possibly the worst game of his young career (three interceptions) against Oklahoma State. And let's not even get started on Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher, which now sits 3-4 (1-3 SEC) after three straight league losses on the road -- its latest at South Carolina.
That's why we love the game, for better or worse. Let's take a look at this week's updated Power Rankings.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Maybe Iowa isn't a fair measuring stick, but the seven-game snapshot stands up. The Buckeyes have been dominating despite not having faced any currently ranked teams. They are now 26-0 as at least a 20-point favorite since giving up double nickels (55-24 in 2017) in an upset loss to the Hawkeyes. | 1 | 11-2 |
| 2 |  | Bye. Hope you got some rest, Dawgs. The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is next. Georgia starts the week as a 22-point favorite, the largest pre-game margin in the rivalry since at least 1995. | 1 | 13-1 |
| 3 |  | No Bama hangover. Hendon Hooker was pulled early in an easy win over UT-Martin. The Heisman Trophy contender now has 49 touchdowns and four interceptions since transferring from Virginia Tech. | -- | 9-4 |
| 4 |  | Bye. The week was spent working on Ohio State. If not, it should have been. | -- | 15-0 |
| 5 |  | Eight days before Halloween, a program that hasn't been to a bowl game in four years is the only Texas team with a chance to go to the playoff. After beating K-State, the Horned Frogs will be favored in every remaining game with the possible exception of Texas. | -- | 5-7 |
| 6 |  | Something is just off with Clemson. DJ Uiagalelei got yanked against Syracuse, but Dabo Swinney said he's still the Tigers' quarterback. Does Clemson win without Cade Klubnik's relief performance? The Tigers just don't look like a playoff team. | -- | 9-4 |
| 7 |  | Say it with me: Bama is back! What a long slog it has been back to relevance -- seven days. | 1 | 12-2 |
| 8 |  | Bye. You either believe the Pac-12 is out of the playoff race now that UCLA has lost or you think it's loaded with possibilities given there are three teams in the top 11. | 2 | 8-5 |
| 9 |  | Bo Nix has completely remade himself. The offensive line hasn't allowed a sack. UCLA still hasn't won in Eugene since 2004. The only undefeated in Pac-12 play (4-0) has flushed the Georgia result. | 5 | 12-2 |
| 10 |  | A key stat you may never see again: Penalties -- Texas 14, Oklahoma State 0. A week after coughing one up at TCU, the Cowboys roll up 535 yards against the Longhorns, coming from behind in the second half. | 1 | 10-4 |
| 11 |  | Chip Kelly was reminded once again that Autzen Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in the country. Back to the drawing board, especially in the secondary, which got torn apart by Nix. | 2 | 8-5 |
| 12 |  | Bye. A tricky one at Washington State on Thursday night. The Utes have won the last three in a row (all in Salt Lake City), but lost the last two at Wazzu. | -- | 8-5 |
| 13 |  | Jayden Daniels has found paradise by the Mississippi. After beating Ole Miss, he now has a school-record nine rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Another field storming, another SEC fine. | NR | 10-3 |
| 14 |  | After gaining 200 yards and running 23 plays in the first quarter, the Rebels fell apart at LSU getting outscored 42-3. "We got pushed around," Lane Kiffin said. Ya think? | 7 | 11-2 |
| 15 |  | Did the "white out" crowd really boo Sean Clifford? Nice bounce back from being bullied at Michigan. Clifford threw four touchdowns against Minnesota. Now, he's got to do it again against Ohio State. | 5 | 10-3 |
| 16 |  | Bye. Bret Bielema is a national coach of the year candidate. The freakin' Illini are in control in the Big Ten West. Nebraska next. | 1 | 5-7 |
| 17 |  | Backup QB Will Howard hadn't taken a snap in practice, and yet, the Wildcats led 28-10 after Adrian Martinez was injured. TCU then scored 28 unanswered. We'll find out more about Martinez this week with Oklahoma State coming to town. | 4 | 9-4 |
| 18 |  | Time to elbow Sam Hartman into the Heisman race. Six total touchdowns against Boston College (five passing). Hartman now is third all-time in ACC touchdown passes (93) ahead of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. | 1 | 4-8 |
| 19 |  | Bye. The Wildcats have had two weeks to prepare for the mighty Volunteers, who have scored 117 points in their last two games. | 3 | 7-6 |
| 20 |  | Bad clock management by Dino Babers in the end at Clemson. He let 20-30 seconds run off before calling his last timeout with 1:38 left on Clemson's last drive. RB Sean Tucker touched the ball twice in the fourth quarter. Deflating for a team that led 21-10 after three quarters. | 2 | 6-7 |
| 21 |  | Bye. Drake Maye and his 24 passing touchdowns face Pittsburgh's second-ranked (in the ACC) pass efficiency defense. | 1 | 8-5 |
| 22 |  | A late-career spurt has made Willie Fritz's Green Wave a New Year's Six favorite. Tulane stayed in the AAC lead after beating Memphis by double digits. | 1 | 11-3 |
| 23 |  | Luke Fickell's defense had to stop SMU on a game-tying two-pointer with less than 2 minutes left. Cincinnati has won 51 out of its last 57. | 1 | 3-9 |
| 24 |  | Without Taulia Tagovailoa (knee sprain), the Terrapins became bowl eligible at the earliest point in the season since 2001. Roman Hemby ran 75 yards for the game winner with 3 ½ minutes left. | 1 | 8-5 |
| 25 |  | Shane Beamer continues to amaze. The Gamecocks have won four in a row for the first time since 2013. The win over Texas A&M was the South Carolina's first since the Aggies became the designated SEC West rival in 2014. The Aggies are under .500 for the first time in five years. | NR | 5-7 |
Out: Texas, Mississippi State
