Power Rankings – Week 8

Oregon ended Washington’s CFP hopes and kept its alive by defeating the Huskies in overtime this past Saturday in Eugene.

Published on Tuesday, 10/16/18, at 11:08 a.m. Eastern.

My Power Rankings are based on one thing only: If I were the book/house and had to take the bets, who would be favored over whom on a true neutral field in (say…Omaha or Topeka) and the teams were playing today, tomorrow or this weekend?

1-Alabama
2-Clemson
3-Ohio St.
4-Oklahoma
5-LSU
6-Georgia
7-Notre Dame
8-Michigan
9-Florida
10-Texas
11-Oregon
12-Washington
13-Texas A&M
14-Penn St.
15-UCF
16-Kentucky
17-N.C. St.
18-West Virginia
19-Iowa
20-Mississippi St.
21-USC
22-Washington St.
23-Michigan St.
24-Wisconsin
25-Utah

NEXT: Fresno St., Stanford, Cincinnati, Missouri & San Diego St.

Best of the Rest: Appalachian St., Duke, Utah St., South Carolina and Texas Tech.

FADING FAST: Auburn, TCU, Miami, Troy, Oklahoma St. & Arkansas St.

RISING: Florida, Iowa, Utah St., Utah, North Texas, Houston & Ga. Southern.

QUICK HITTERS:

–Ole Miss third-year sophomore WR D.K. Metcalf is out for the season with a neck injury. Metcalf had 26 receptions for 569 yards and five TDs this year. You have to wonder if he’s played his last down at Ole Miss, because dude has a bright future on Sundays.

–USC star LB Porter Gustin is out for the season with an ankle injury that’ll require surgery. Gustin is an outstanding player, another one with a bright future in the NFL, but he’s struggled to stay healthy the past two seasons.

–Ohio St. confirmed today that star DE Nick Bosa’s season and collegiate career are over due to a core injury sustained in September that required surgery. Bosa is expected by most draftniks to be an early first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

–Rice QB Shawn Stankavage is ‘doubtful’ Saturday at FIU due to a foot injury. Stankavage, a grad transfer from Vanderbilt, has thrown for 1,011 yards with a 9/7 TD-INT ratio.

–Illinois sophomore TE Louis Dorsey announced on social media that he’s transferring. Dorsey had only played in one game this season but as a freshman in 2017, he garnered Freshman All-Big-Ten honors after catching 22 balls for 395 yards and three TDs.

–The Gators have won five in a row both SU and ATS since losing to Kentucky.

–East Carolina has named true freshman QB Holton Ahlers as its starter for Saturday’s home game vs. undefeated UCF.

–Speaking of UCF, what a Herculean effort from its defense to give up 30 points in the first half at Memphis this past Saturday, only to hold the Tigers scoreless in the final 30 minutes of a 31-30 come-from-behind victory. Nevertheless, Mike Norvell’s team took the cash as a home underdog.

–UNLV RB Lexington Thomas (concussion) has been upgraded to ‘probable’ for Friday’s home game vs. Air Force. Star QB Armani Rogers remains ‘out,’ however.

–Oh boy! The natives are restless on The Plains after Tennessee went into Jordan-Hare Stadium this past Saturday and ended its 11-game SEC losing streak by beating Auburn as a double-digit undedog. As noted Finebaum caller Legend, a devout Alabama fan, said on Paul show’s yesterday, “It’s a dumpsta fiyah over ‘der at Auburn and I love every minute of it!” AU fans are off ‘The Gus Bus’ and bitter about that contract extension signed in early December of last year.

–Temple RB Ryquell Armstead (ankle) has been upgraded to ‘probable’ for Saturday’s AAC showdown vs. Cincinnati at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Armstead has run for 626 yards and six TDs. The unbeaten Bearcats have had two weeks to prepare for the Owls, who are off a 24-17 win at Navy as 6.5-point road ‘chalk.’ Since opening the season with home losses to Villanova (19-17) and Buffalo, Temple has gone 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS with the lone defeat coming at Boston College. Geoff Collins’s squad won by 21 at Maryland as a 15-point underdog on Sept. 15.

–UCLA will be without RB Soso Jamabo and LB Jaelan Phillips for the rest of this season due to concussions. Both have played fewer than four games so because of the new redshirt rules, they could both get this season of eligibility back. Both are former 5-star recruits.

–Tennessee senior LB Jonathan Kongbo saw his collegiate career end when he tore his ACL in Saturday’s win at Auburn. Kongbo, who started 10 games in 2017 and recorded 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks, had started five of six games this season and tallied 11 tackles, four QB hurries and one interception.

–Wyoming has failed to cover the spread in six straight games.

–Rutgers is mired in a 1-5 ATS slump.

–Appalachian St. star RB Jalin Moore, a two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection, saw his collegiate career sadly end last week during his team’s 35-9 win at Arkansas St. when he dislocated his ankle.

–You think Troy is missing QB Kaleb Barker, who was lost to a season-ending injury two weeks ago? The Trojans lost at Liberty without him.

–North Texas junior QB Mason Fine has an incredible 16/1 TD-INT ratio for the Mean Green, who will take a 6-1 record into Legion Field this weekend to take on UAB.

Share this post: