Danny Kanell releases updated top 12 rankings after Week 8, drops Texas several spots

Danny Kanell is back at it with another edition of his top 12 rankings following an exciting Week 8 of college football action. Texas was the biggest mover, falling from No. 1 in last week’s rankings to No. 11 this week after a loss to Georgia.

The Bulldogs were in control from start to finish and never trailed in the eventual 30-15 victory. The win gave them a boost from No. 9 to No. 5 in the CBS Sports analyst’s rankings.

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Oregon, which was No. 2 last week, claimed the top spot with Texas moving down. The Ducks improved to 7-0 on Friday with a shutout win against Purdue after notching a resume-building win against Ohio State in Week 7.

You can view Danny Kanell’s full list of the top 12 teams in college football below.

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1. Oregon Ducks (7-0)

There were questions about Oregon after it struggled to put away Idaho and Boise State in its first two games this season. The Ducks have since put those concerns to rest with their performance since Big Ten play has started.

Coming off of its biggest win of the season against Ohio State in Week 7, Oregon showed no signs of a hangover in a 35-0 rout of Purdue on Saturday. Dillon Gabriel threw for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns with one interception while the defense forced a pair of turnovers and held the Boilermakers under 100 yards passing.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0)

Penn State comes in right behind Oregon in Kanell’s rankings and will look to challenge the Ducks for a Big Ten title. The Nittany Lions had a bye this week after taking care of business in overtime against USC in Week 7 to remain undefeated.

They have gotten to that point on the back of one of the top defenses in the country, ranking No. 9 in points allowed per game. Offensively, Penn State has perhaps one of the best backfield duos in the country with running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They’ve combined for 857 yards rushing and six touchdowns this season.

3. Miami Hurricanes (7-0)

Miami has asserted itself as the favorite to win the ACC so far this season and has a favorable schedule the rest of the way. The Hurricanes are coming off of a 52-45 victory against Louisville on Saturday in which quarterback Cam Ward put up another big stat line with 319 yards passing and four touchdowns.

Behind Ward, who leads the country with 2,538 yards passing and 25 touchdowns on the season, Miami ranks as the No. 2 scoring offense with 48.3 points per game. Few teams are as exciting to watch as the Hurricanes, and they should be a contender for the national title if they keep it up.

4. Indiana Hoosiers (7-0)

The Hoosiers are forcing the country to take notice in the inaugural season for coach Curt Cignetti. The 7-0 start is only the second in program history and the first since 1967.

Indiana is the only team in the nation averaging more points per game (48.7) than the Hurricanes as quarterback Kurtis Rourke leads the Big Ten with 15 passing touchdowns. The Hoosiers are coming off of a 56-7 statement win against Nebraska this past week and, the way the schedule sets up, could challenge Penn State and Oregon for a spot in the conference title game.

5. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)

Georgia earned its biggest win of the season this past week, taking down No. 1 Texas by a score of 30-15 to move up four spots in Danny Kanell’s top 12. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 23-0 advantage by halftime and never trailed in the game as its defense forced four turnovers on the day.

That win against the Longhorns combined with a Week 1 victory against Clemson really serve to boost Georgia’s College Football Playoff resume. The Bulldogs have a tough schedule the rest of the way with matchups still against Ole Miss and Tennessee, but right now look in great shape to make the playoff out of the SEC.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1)

The Buckeyes’ only blemish this season is a one-point loss to Oregon. That game could have gone either way as Ohio State even had a chance to win on a field goal late but failed to get within kicking range.

Even so, it remains one of the most balanced teams in college football to rank top 10 in the country in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Buckeyes had a bye this past week to correct their mistakes from the loss to the Ducks and still have games against Penn State and Indiana remaining to prove themselves.

7. Clemson Tigers (6-1)

Clemson has won six straight games since suffering a 34-3 loss to Georgia in the season opener. The Tigers have put themselves squarely in the conversation for an ACC Championship, something they’ve accomplished in seven of the past nine years.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik has been on an absolute tear since the first week and now has 1,836 yards passing and 20 touchdowns to three interceptions on the season. Clemson likely needs to win the ACC to secure its spot in the CFP for certain, but even if it doesn’t it could have a case as an at-large team.

8. Iowa State Cyclones (7-0)

Iowa State trailed for most of the day Saturday against UCF before quarterback Rocco Becht led them back to a 38-35 victory at the last second. Becht directed the Cyclones 80 yards downfield in just 1:18, capping off the drive with by punching in the go-ahead touchdown from one yard out with 55 seconds left.

The defense then came away with the game-sealing interception on the ensuing drive. ISU has never won a Big 12 Championship, but that could change this season. Becht came through with a season-high 97 yards rushing and three total touchdowns Saturday and has two elite receivers in Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins.

9. BYU Cougars (7-0)

The reality is that only one team is likely to make it to the playoff out of the Big 12 and if it’s not Iowa State, then it’s probably BYU. The Cougars also had a scare this past week as they went down to the wire with Oklahoma State on Friday in a narrow 38-35 win.

BYU got a big game out of running back LJ Martin, who rushed for a season-high 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20 carries. It was only his second game back after missing the previous three contests due to injury, and he’ll look to continue ramping up over the final month-plus.

10. Pittsburgh Panthers (6-0)

Pittsburgh is one of four remaining teams that is undefeated in ACC play but has played only two conference games so far. It has a lot of work to do to prove itself on par with Miami and Clemson after narrowly escaping California by a score of 17-15 this past week.

The Panthers have a balanced offensive attack led by dual-threat quarterback Eli Holstein and rank No. 8 in the country with 481.3 yards per game. They have a matchup with Clemson later next month that could be pivotal in determining which two teams compete for the conference title.

11. Texas Longhorns (6-1)

Things looked disastrous for Texas in the first half of an eventual 30-15 loss to Georgia on Saturday. The Longhorns benched quarterback Quinn Ewers after he committed two turnovers and found themselves down 23-0 at halftime.

Ewers returned to start the second half and would nearly lead Texas back to make it a one-possession game late in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs answered to put the game away. The Longhorns are still in good shape and should have a compelling case for an at-large College Football Playoff berth if they don’t win the SEC, but fall in Danny Kanell’s top 12.

12. SMU Mustangs (6-1)

SMU rounds out Danny Kanell’s top 12 as another team in the ACC title discussion. The Mustangs are off to a 3-0 start in conference play and coming off of a dominant 40-10 win against fellow league newcomer Stanford on Saturday.

Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for a season-high 322 yards and three touchdowns to one interception in the victory. Pittsburgh is the only ranked team that SMU faces the rest of the way, so it will be interesting to see how it finishes things out.

The post Danny Kanell releases updated top 12 rankings after Week 8, drops Texas several spots appeared first on On3.