College Football Week 8: Upsets, Overtime Thrillers, and a Chaotic Ranking Shuffle

College football's Week 8 delivered a slate of upsets and overtime finishes that reshuffled the national rankings. The chaos is statistically rare. ESPN Research reports that 11 top-10 teams have lost over the past three weeks. That total ties the record for the most losses by elite teams in any three-week span of a regular season in the AP Poll era. The previous time this occurred was in 2007.

The instability began in earnest earlier in the month. Tennessee's playoff hopes took a hit after South Carolina rallied for a win led by LaNorris Sellers. Texas Tech suffered a similar fate in a loss to Cincinnati, while USC managed only seven points in a defeat at Wisconsin. BYU also saw its momentum stall. The Cougars dropped a double-overtime road game to UCF just one week after defeating Notre Dame and rising to No. 2.

Other games featured narrow escapes. Indiana survived at Michigan for a 13-6 overtime victory, limiting the Wolverines to 54 rushing yards. Alabama secured a win over Texas A&M with fourth-quarter touchdowns despite a sluggish rushing attack that gained just 68 yards. Boise State also avoided a stumble by beating Washington State.

Several high-profile matchups produced dramatic results. Texas held off a late Ole Miss comeback to keep its season alive, though Arch Manning threw three interceptions. Kentucky extended its winning streak to six games with a 34-17 victory over Vanderbilt, securing only its third winning record in the SEC since 1977. Utah remained unbeaten but required a comeback to beat Houston 21-13 after trailing 10-0 at halftime.

The top of the rankings shows little stability. Miami remains No. 1 after a 52-23 win over Pitt, where Malachi Toney caught 16 passes for 194 yards. Ohio State sits at No. 2 and will test its new offensive system against USC this Saturday. The Buckeyes lost starting quarterback Julian Sayin to an elbow injury and will rely on true freshman Luke Fahey. Georgia is third and looks to repair its rushing game against Florida. BYU has fallen to fourth, while Notre Dame is fifth and preparing for a rematch against Miami in two weeks.

UCLA is sixth, forcing five games with at least three defensive turnovers this season. Indiana is seventh, while Kentucky is eighth. Utah holds the No. 9 spot, and Alabama is No. 10. Wake Forest has climbed to 11th, and LSU is 12th after a dominant stretch. Texas is 13th, and Ole Miss has dropped to 14th.

Teams prepare for a final stretch filled with conference championship implications. Miami plays North Carolina this week before facing Notre Dame on Nov. 7. Ohio State travels to USC, while Georgia faces Florida in Atlanta. Kentucky receives a bye before closing the regular season with a tough slate against Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, and Louisville.