The College Football Blog: 2012 Power Rankings (After Week 8)

Power Rankings After Week 8

1. Alabama 7-0 (1^st)

2. Oregon 7-0 (2^nd)

3. Florida 7-0 (4^th)

4. Kansas State 7-0 (5^th)

5. Oklahoma 5-1 (6^th)

6. LSU 7-1 (7^th)

7. South Carolina 6-2 (3^rd)

8. USC 6-1 (11^th)

9. Oregon State 6-0 (NR)

10. Notre Dame 7-0 (8^th)

11. Stanford 5-2 (NR)

12. Texas Tech 6-1 (13^th)

13. Florida State 7-1 (10^th)

14. Mississippi State 7-0 (NR)

15. Georgia 6-1 (12^th)

Out: West Virginia (9^th); Ohio State (14^th); Texas (15^th).

Comments: The changes in my power rankings were a bit more dramatic than usual this week. In each of the 3 previous weeks I had only switched out 1 team from top 15. This week I switched out 3 teams for 3 new ones. 13 of the 15 spots in my rankings experienced change this week. 

West Virginia was obliterated for a second consecutive week, this time at home, and the Mountaineers fell out of my rankings from #9.  

Ohio State pulled off a miracle victory over Purdue for the second year in a row, doing it despite losing their do-everything quarterback Bartley Miller. They also received surprising and terrific news this week, as Miller is expected to be ready to play this Saturday against Purdue. Despite the season-saving victory and health report, I dropped the Buckeyes out of my rankings from #14 this week. It was time for them to go, as this overtime victory over Purdue came on the heels of a 3-point win over Indiana. 

Texas also dropped from rankings this week despite a victory over Baylor. The Longhorns are simply not as improved this season as I thought they would be. Texas fell out of my top 15 after holding onto the final spot in the rankings last week. 

Oregon State returned to the rankings this week after taking care of Washington on the road to stay perfect on the season. The Beavs are getting healthy at QB and they have had a stingy defense all year. They jump back into the rankings at #9 this week. 

Stanford also returns to the rankings this week after hammering rival Cal last Saturday. Stanford moves back into the rankings at #11. 

Mississippi State is back in the rankings for the first time since falling out after week 3. The Maroon Dogs are now 7-0 heading into their game with Alabama. They claimed the #14 place in my rankings this week. 

Alabama and Oregon have been near constants at the top of my power rankings this season. Bama is my #1 team for the eighth straight week, while Oregon is my #2 team for a fifth straight week. 

6 teams moved up my rankings this week. Of the 6 teams climbing the ranks, only 1 moved up more than 1 spot. USC made the biggest move up the rankings this week, climbing 3 spots from #11 to #8.

4 teams dropped in my rankings while still remaining in the top 15 this week and all 4 teams fell at least 2 spots. South Carolina took the biggest fall in my rankings this week, dropping 4 spots from #3 to #7. 

One goal I’ve always had for my power rankings has been to do more than just reflect won-loss records and standings. At the moment, only 7 of the 11 undefeated FBS teams are in my top 15. The top 4 teams in my rankings are all among the unbeaten, but just 6 of my top 10 are undefeated. South Carolina and Stanford are the only 2-loss teams in my power rankings.