The 2026 college football season keeps throwing curveballs, and the AP Top 25 after Week 8 looks every bit as shaky as the results behind it. Top-10 teams have been falling for seven straight weeks, and the No. 1 spot has already changed hands four times. With that kind of chaos, the rankings are starting to feel more like a snapshot of the moment than any real measure of who’s truly rolling.
Indiana is one of the clearest examples. The Hoosiers bounced back from their heartbreaking loss to Ohio State, which snapped a 22-game winning streak, but the 13-6 win over Michigan was anything but convincing.
Indiana didn’t score in the second half, and its first touchdown didn’t come until overtime. The offense never found a rhythm, with Josh Hoover throwing for a season-low 81 yards and recording his first interception of the year.
The ground game wasn’t much better either, finishing with 131 rushing yards at 3.7 yards per carry.
Even so, Indiana climbed two spots after getting past a Michigan team that has disappointed. At 7-1, the Hoosiers are still in strong position, but the recent stretch hasn’t exactly inspired confidence.
They also had to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat Nebraska 20-17 not long ago. Curt Cignetti at least gets a manageable closing run, since Indiana doesn’t have another ranked opponent left in the regular season.
Minnesota, fresh off upsetting Iowa, could still make things interesting.
Utah is another team that raised more questions than answers, even in victory. The Utes finally picked up a win over a team with a winning record by beating No.
14 Houston 21-13, and Morgan Scalley deserves credit for that. Still, Utah was shut out in the first half and trailed 10-0 in the third quarter before turning it around.
There’s a sense that this ride may not stay smooth for long. Utah now heads to Cincinnati, which just knocked off undefeated Texas Tech, and after that come back-to-back games against No.
8 BYU and No. 22 Arizona.
Soon enough, we’ll know whether Utah belongs in the College Football Playoff conversation or is headed for a hard fall.
Alabama remains the highest-ranked two-loss team in the country after jumping three spots for its win over Texas A&M. The résumé has some weight to it, since both losses came against ranked teams. But the Crimson Tide were still down 20-17 entering the fourth quarter at home against the Aggies, and that makes the size of the leap hard to fully justify when others are sitting below them.
The schedule isn’t getting any easier. Alabama opens a two-game road stretch next week at No.
15 LSU. The Tigers are the only ranked team left on the Crimson Tide’s regular-season slate, although the finale against Auburn should draw attention after Auburn beat No.
1 Georgia.
Texas snapped its two-game skid by beating No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27, and that should count for something.
But the Longhorns also showed the same uneven tendencies that have been following them around. They led 24-3 at halftime, then let Ole Miss storm back with a 21-0 run to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Texas escaped, but the late wobble was familiar.
That’s why trust remains such a problem with this team. Three of Texas’ remaining five games are on the road, and if the Longhorns don’t win out, their College Football Playoff path likely closes.
Tennessee also spent the weekend proving how fast things can unravel. Coming off an emotional win over Alabama, the Volunteers walked straight into a trap at South Carolina. The Gamecocks held Josh Heupel’s team to three points in the second half and pulled out the win with a field goal as time expired.
Opponents are daring Tennessee to win through the air, and the Volunteers still haven’t shown they can answer the challenge. George MacIntyre finished with 136 passing yards and lost a costly fumble in the final minute, which all but sealed the loss. Tennessee fell five spots and could slide again after next week’s matchup with Kentucky.
In Other News...
Lady Vols Showed Off A Depth Tennessee Fans Will Notice Fast
The only exhibition game on Tennessees schedule offered an early look at how many different ways this Lady Vols roster can beat you, and Florida A&M had no answer for it. Tennessee rolled to a 132-63 win while forcing 37 turnovers and turning those takeaways into 45 points, the kind of pressure-to-points formula that can make a deep team even harder to handle once the games start to count.
Eight players finished in double figures, a sign that the scoring load could be spread around in a way Tennessee fans are likely to appreciate fast. White filled the box score with 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals, Minus added 12 points and seven rebounds, Smikle led the way with 19 points, and Janneh controlled the glass with 13 rebounds, giving the Lady Vols a glimpse of the balance they can lean on this season. [Read more 🡒]
DeSean Bishop Update Matters For Tennessees Stretch Run
DeSean Bishops day at South Carolina ended early, but Tennessee got a reassuring sign afterward. Josh Heupel said the running back is expected to be in good condition for the upcoming week, which matters as the Volunteers head into the stretch run with Bishop playing a bigger and bigger role in the offense.
Bishop has been pushing toward 1,000 rushing yards this season, and his presence gives Tennessee another reliable option as the games get tighter. With one year of eligibility still left after this season, keeping him available now and down the stretch looms as an important piece of the bigger picture for the Volunteers. [Read more 🡒]
Vols Suddenly Have A Real Shot At Key 2027 DB Target
Preston Glascos recruitment is moving into the home stretch, and Tennessee has positioned itself squarely in the mix for one of the more intriguing 2027 defensive backs in the region. The Grayson High School cornerback from Georgia is expected to make his college choice soon, and his list has been trimmed to Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee after a process that has already brought multiple scholarship offers and steady attention from major programs.
For the Vols, the encouraging part is that Glasco has remained in regular contact with the coaching staff and came away from a recent visit with Tennessee firmly in the conversation. That kind of late momentum matters in a battle like this, especially when the competition includes two heavyweight SEC neighbors, and it leaves Tennessee with a real opening as his decision approaches. [Read more 🡒]