2024 college football rankings: Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams after Week 8
This college football season continues to deliver.
Saturday gave us another week of exciting action with plenty of great games. We also had another top-five matchup as previously fifth-ranked Georgia took down previously No. 1-ranked Texas in Austin, 30-15.
When we get matchups like Georgia-Texas much more frequently, it’s hard to argue against the superconferences and an expanded College Football Playoff, right? What’s even better is that there are still a ton of meaningful matchups left this season because of the expanded conferences and playoff.
With that, here are my top 10 teams in college football following Week 8 of the season:
1. Oregon(Last week: 2)
Record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Purdue, 35-0
Just 2.5 years into his tenure at Oregon, Dan Lanning has the Ducks at No. 1 in my poll. I’m not surprised, either. I’ve said for a while that if there’s one young coach I could buy stock in, it’s Lanning. Oregon was clicking on all cylinders against Purdue on Friday and whatever early-season woes it had look like a thing of the past.
2. Georgia (Last week: 4)
Record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Texas, 30-15
When watching Georgia’s win over Texas live, it felt like the Bulldogs mauled the Longhorns. It didn’t seem like Texas had much of a chance in that game, even after its comeback attempt. When you turn on the film, though, it’s never as bad as you think, and it’s never as good as you think it might be from when you watched the game live.
That was the case with Saturday’s game. The film showed that Georgia was better, but not drastically better. The film showed two elite defenses playing incredibly while both offenses mostly struggled. Texas struggled a little more, but that was mainly at the line of scrimmage. Georgia was really good at the line of scrimmage, and it seemed very comfortable in the uncomfortable setting. It reminded me why Georgia has won 51 straight games against non-Alabama teams. Georgia was a machine, and it plays that way defensively. The Bulldogs’ defensive line had a great night against Texas, making no mistakes. That was the difference in that game. Georgia is really good on defense, folks.
I wasn’t all that impressed with Georgia’s offense, though. It’s a bit of a problem at the top end because it doesn’t have many threats on the outside that are consistent and create a lot of separation. Georgia’s offensive line played pretty well and it’ll get more healthy soon, allowing them to run the ball better than they did on Saturday. But Georgia only had 283 yards to go with three turnovers, while only one of its scoring drives was longer than 35 yards. Carson Beck has also thrown eight picks in his last four games. So, it’s not all gravy for Georgia.
Georgia DB Daylen Everette (6) had an interception and a forced fumble in its win over Texas, creating two of the four turnovers the Bulldogs’ win. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
3. Ohio State(Last week: 3)
Record: 5-1
Week 8 result: Idle
Ohio State got leapfrogged by Georgia because the Bulldogs went into the No. 1 team in the nation’s house and beat them. Still, Ohio State’s only blemish this season is a one-point loss at Oregon. That team is still arguably the most talented in the nation.
4. Penn State(Last week: 4)
Record: 5-1
Week 8 result: Idle
The Nittany Lions remain at No. 4 following their bye week. I was really impressed with Penn State in its last game, an overtime win over USC. James Franklin and Drew Allar seemed to prove a lot in that game.
5. Texas (Last week: 1)
Record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Loss to Georgia, 30-15
Texas’ mistakes in Saturday’s game were magnified because they took place where the opponent could take advantage. Texas’ offense put its defense in bad situations on a few occasions in that game. There was a three-possession stretch where the game unraveled for Texas in the first half where Quinn Ewers lost a fumble on one drive and threw an interception on another. It looked like the stage was too bright for Texas’ offense. They were making little mistakes that you can’t make.
As for the quarterback situation, what happened on Saturday between Steve Sarkisian, Arch Manning and Ewers was a case study in a coach who understood that his team and quarterback (to some degree) were shell-shocked over four series of football, and he had to change what was going on. To me, it wasn’t necessarily that he replaced Ewers with Manning more than it was him needing his starting quarterback to settle down for a moment. He needed a spark. But if Manning played well after entering the game, Ewers knew that Manning would’ve remained in the game. Sarkisian was OK with that outcome taking place as he tried to dance along a fine line.
Sarkisian knew that Ewers wasn’t playing right in the first half of Saturday’s game, and his decision to give him a break worked because he played much better in the second half. Going forward, Ewers is the starter as long as Sarkisian is saying it as adamantly as he’s been saying it. Ewers should be better from this game and Texas will be better moving forward as a result.
Texas and Georgia are the two best teams in the SEC. I hope we get to see them play again.
6. LSU(Last week: 8)
Record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Arkansas, 34-10
After that Week 1 loss to USC, LSU has only gotten better and better. LSU decisively won at Arkansas, who beat Tennessee just two weeks prior. I previously said I’ve liked what quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has done this season for the Tigers. LSU has an important tilt against Texas A&M on Saturday that could determine one of the spots in the SEC Championship Game.
LSU RB Caden Durham rushed for three touchdowns in its win over Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
7. Clemson(Last week: 6)
Record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Virginia, 49-31
Clemson’s offense continued its dominant streak following its Week 1 loss to Georgia. It’s averaging nearly 50 points per game since that loss as quarterback Cade Klubnik and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley have really figured things out. Clemson only dropped a spot because of how impressed I was with LSU.
8. Tennessee (Last week: Unranked)
Record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Alabama, 24-17
Even though Tennessee picked up a big win against Alabama, my thoughts on the Volunteers haven’t really changed much. Tennessee is elite on defense, can run the ball well, and really struggles in the passing game. Nico Iamaleava made a few plays in Saturday’s game that I liked. I thought the plays with his legs were some of his best moments. If Josh Heupel and his staff can get Iamaleava on the run more, that could help the quarterback, because I think he’s at his best when he runs out of the pocket to create explosive plays. I’m still worried, though, because of the lack of a consistent passing game.
When you see what Georgia did to Texas, it’s hard to imagine Tennessee beating Georgia on Nov. 16 unless things change. But if that’s Tennessee’s only other loss this season, it should be looking at a playoff spot.
9. Indiana(Last week: Unranked)
Record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Nebraska, 56-7
If you had any questions about whether Indiana is for real, this team answered them on Saturday.
Indiana picked up its largest Big Ten win since 1945 against a 5-1 Nebraska team that I thought highly of. The Hoosiers have the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, and we’re near the end of October.
I love what Curt Cignetti has done in Bloomington. Indiana is an incredibly well-coached team, and he might have set a blueprint for other teams in the country to follow when he prioritized production over potential in the transfer portal. A lot of the players he brought in had played dozens of games already, including many coming from Cignetti’s last stop at James Madison.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has played some incredible football this season. At this point of the season, he’d be my Offensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten. He won’t play next week against Washington after suffering a finger injury against Nebraska, so hopefully that ailment won’t sideline him for long.
Indiana’s offense is so fun to watch, and its offensive line is doing a great job. It dominated Nebraska’s front in Saturday’s game, scoring five rushing touchdowns against a defense that had yet to allow one this season.
Looking at Indiana’s schedule, the Hoosiers could realistically could go 11-1 and make the first 12-team playoff. I’m really impressed with Cignetti, especially after meeting with him and calling one of his games.
10. Miami (Fla.) (Last week: 10)
Record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Louisville, 52-45
Miami’s offense is great. Cam Ward is clearly going to be a Heisman finalist and could possibly win the award. But the defense scares me. I continue to drop Miami because you can’t keep playing with fire like this. At some point, Ward’s going to have a game where he can’t be Superman.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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