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...
RSLs Late Push Just Got Real After Huge Comeback Win
Real Salt Lake kept its late-season surge alive with a 2-1 road win over Austin FC at Q2 Stadium, a result that extended the clubs unbeaten run to four matches and gave it a third straight victory. Saba Lobjanidze and Morgan Guilavogui delivered the goals, with Sergi Solans setting up Guilavogui, and the performance fit the kind of urgency RSL has needed as the regular season narrows.
The timing matters because the Western Conference race has tightened into a knife-edge finish, and this result has RSL right in the mix as the schedule dwindles. With two matches left, every point feels heavier than the last, and the way Real Salt Lake handled a difficult away assignment only adds to the sense that this push is no fluke. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Still Has One Injury Question That Could Matter Saturday
Utahs availability report for the Cincinnati game is starting to take shape, and the Utes already know theyll be without wide receiver Daidren Zipperer and linebacker Tayson Reid. Tight end Hunter Andrews is the next name to watch, with his questionable tag leaving one more spot in the rotation unsettled as Utah gets closer to kickoff.
There is also a separate offensive line wrinkle worth keeping an eye on. Freshman lineman Kelvin Obot is still dealing with an injury even though he does not show up on the report, which adds another layer of uncertainty for a unit that would prefer to settle in before facing Cincinnatis defensive front. The Bearcats, meanwhile, have their own questions up front with starting center Taran Tyo and nose tackle Josh Hough listed as questionable. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Offense Has One Road-Test Problem To Fix Fast
Utahs offense left the Houston game with plenty to build on, but also a clear reminder that road games can expose the smallest flaws. The Utes showed resilience after halftime, and the voices around the program have been consistent about what has to tighten up before Cincinnati: cleaner communication, sharper execution and a better early rhythm from a unit that knows it can function at a higher level.
Tight ends coach Luke Wells and offensive lineman Zereoue Williams both pointed to those details as the difference between surviving a rough stretch and controlling a game. Noah Bennee has been one of the steadier pieces in the passing attack, giving Utah a dependable target in the middle of the field, and his role figures to matter again as the Utes try to carry the lessons from Houston into another difficult conference test. [Read more 🡒]