Michigan Makes a Strong Push Against Georgia in Week 8 AP Top 25
In the latest edition of the AP Top 25, there have been no changes in the top six teams. However, there are a few adjustments that reflect what we have learned about the best teams in the country after the games played on Saturday.
One notable development is that while Georgia maintained its position as the top-ranked team even though they were off during Week 8, Michigan is gaining momentum and challenging for the number one spot. The margin between the two teams in terms of voting points is now incredibly slim, with Georgia at 1536 and Michigan not far behind at 1504. Furthermore, there has been a swap of a few more first-place votes. Nevertheless, the consensus still puts Georgia at the top, followed closely by Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Washington, and Oklahoma.
The rankings have experienced some shifting after Ohio State’s victory over Penn State. This defeat caused the Nittany Lions to drop three spots to number 10. As a result, Texas and Oregon were able to move up one spot each, while Alabama rose two spots to number 9 following their strong second-half performance in a rivalry win against Tennessee.
North Carolina was among the teams that witnessed the biggest drop in the poll this week, falling from number 10 to number 17 after suffering a loss to unranked Virginia. USC also came close to falling out of the top 25 after their loss to Utah, but they managed to hold onto the 24th spot. Duke and Tennessee also experienced drops in the rankings, but only four spots each, falling to number 20 and number 21, respectively, after losing on the road against higher-ranked conference opponents.
In other news, James Madison, with a record of 7-0 after their victory against Marshall on Thursday night, has entered the top 25 for only the second time in school history. Previously, the Dukes made their AP poll debut in October 2022 but only lasted one week in the rankings. They will have the opportunity to defend their newfound ranked status next Saturday when they face ODU at home. It is worth mentioning that Iowa’s home loss to Minnesota played a role in James Madison’s inclusion in the poll by knocking the Hawkeyes out of the top 25.
Here is the complete AP Top 25 after Week 4, with the number of first-place votes in parentheses:
– Georgia (38)
– Michigan (19)
– Ohio State (3)
– Florida State (3)
– Washington
– Oklahoma
– Texas
– Oregon
– Alabama
– Penn State
– Oregon State
– Ole Miss
– Utah
– Notre Dame
– LSU
– Missouri
– North Carolina
– Louisville
– Air Force
– Duke
– Tennessee
– Tulane
– UCLA
– USC
– James Madison
Other teams receiving votes include Florida (34), Liberty (17), Kansas State (16), Miami (12), Fresno State (8), Oklahoma State (5), Toledo (3), Kentucky (2), Rutgers (2), UNLV (1), Wisconsin (1).
(Source: AP Top 25, Week 8 Update)
Please note: The article above is based on the AP Top 25 rankings after Week 8 and the mentioned developments therein. The rankings are subjective and represent the opinions of the voters.
