NCAA NEWS

NCAA College Football Power Rankings Week 8

Published by AP News on October 26, 2009

By the skin of its teeth and the tips of Terrence Cody’s fingers, Alabama saved its perfect season as well as its No. 1 ranking with a 12-10 win over Tennessee. But both Florida and Texas cut into the Crimson Tide’s point total with wins over Mississippi State and Missouri, respectively.

There wasn’t much movement in the top 10 aside from Miami, which tumbled to No. 17 after falling to Clemson in overtime.

Ole Miss and Notre Dame return to the rankings this week at No. 24 and No. 25, respectively.

Here are this week’s rankings:

College Football Power Rankings – Week 8
	RK (LW)	TEAM	REC	PTS	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Alabama (9)	8-0	365	Terrence Cody blocked not one but two field goals in the fourth quarter against Tennessee, including one in the closing seconds that preserved a 12-10 win for Alabama. The Crimson Tide head into a bye week and host LSU on Nov. 7.
	2 (2)	Florida (3)	7-0	360	The final scoreline is actually a bit unfair to Florida’s D. Both Mississippi State TDs came as a result of Tim Tebow INTs in the Gators’ 29-19 win over the Bulldogs, as UF’s offense struggled against its former offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen.
	3 (3)	Texas (3)	7-0	355	Colt McCoy passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns as Texas blitzed past Missouri early and never looked back in a 41-7 win. The biggest obstacle standing in the way an undefeated season for the Longhorns comes Saturday with a visit to Oklahoma State.
	4 (4)	USC	6-1	317	For the second week in a row, USC allowed a comfortable fourth-quarter lead to dwindle to one possession. But the Trojans avenged last season’s heartbreak at the hands of Oregon State with a 42-36 win over the Beavers.
	5 (5)	Cincinnati	7-0	303	Zach Collaros, filling in for Tony Pike, threw only two incomplete passes and connected for 253 yards and three TDs in Cincinnati’s 41-10 win over Louisville. The Bearcats have beaten their Big East opponents by almost 27 points a game.
	6 (9)	TCU	7-0	295	The fans in Provo, Utah, were up for BYU’s matchup with TCU starting in the early morning hours Saturday. The Cougars, however, weren’t up for facing the Horned Frogs, as TCU slammed BYU on the road, 38-7.
	7 (6)	Iowa	8-0	292	Iowa is proving it doesn’t always have to be pretty, as long as there’s a W on the board when time expires. The Hawkeyes needed a 7-yard TD pass from Ricky Stanzi to Marvin McNutt as time expired to beat Michigan State 15-13.
	8 (7)	Boise State	7-0	280	Kellen Moore and the Boise State offense attacked Hawaii early and often. Moore threw five TDs as the Broncos raced to a 34-0 halftime lead en route to a 54-9 win.
	9 (10)	LSU	6-1	249	LSU’s anemic offensive performance against Florida two weeks ago seems much farther away after the Tigers’ 31-10 win over Auburn. Jordan Jefferson threw for a career-high 242 yards and two TDs.
	10 (11)	Oregon	6-1	244	Ahead of Saturday’s matchup with USC, Oregon dismantled the one team to to beat the Trojans this season. Jeremiah Masoli returned from injury and rushed for two TDs and passed for another in the Ducks’ 43-19 win over Washington.
	11 (12)	Georgia Tech	7-1	234	The rain kept pouring down, but Georgia Tech’s offense didn’t want to get off the field. The Yellow Jackets held the ball for more than 42 minutes and rushed for 362 yards in a 34-9 win over Virginia that sent them into first place in the ACC Coastal.
	12 (14)	Penn State	7-1	196	Daryll Clark (230 yards passing, 4 TDs) powered Penn State’s offense in a 35-10 win over Michigan — the Nittany Lions’ first win at the Big House since 1996. Only a trip to Northwestern separates Penn State from a visit with Ohio State on Nov. 7.
	13 (13)	Virginia Tech	5-2	188	Virginia Tech meets North Carolina in this week’s Thursday night matchup. The Hokies will try and keep the Tar Heels winless in ACC play.
	14 (15)	Oklahoma State	6-1	184	Zac Robinson was 23-for-27 passing for 250 yards and three TDs in Oklahoma State’s 34-7 win at Baylor. The Cowboys have won five in a row and host Texas on Saturday.
	15 (18)	Pittsburgh	7-1	155	Bill Stull completed his first 11 passes and Dion Lewis rushed for two TDs in the first half as Pitt raced out to an early lead over South Florida and never looked back in a 41-14 win. The Panthers are 4-0 in the Big East as they head into a bye week.
	16 (17)	Houston	6-1	140	Case Keenum had, by his standards, a pedestrian game with only 233 yards passing in a 38-15 win over SMU. It was the first time he failed to eclipse 350 yards, but Houston got it done on the ground with 161 rushing yards.
	17 (8)	Miami (FL)	5-2	130	A 26-yard TD pass from Kyle Parker to Jacoby Ford in OT spelled doom for Miami against Clemson in a 40-37 loss. It may have also spelled the end of the Hurricanes’ hopes of reaching the ACC title game, as the loss was their second in league play.
	18 (20)	Ohio State	6-2	116	Ohio State, and especially Terrelle Pryor, bounced back from last week’s humiliating loss to Purdue with a 38-7 win over Minnesota. Pryor threw for 239 yards and two TDs and rushed for 104 yards and another score.
	19 (19)	Utah	6-1	103	Utah needed a fourth-down stop in overtime to come away with a 23-16 win over Air Force. It was the fourth straight win for the Utes, who have two home games against Wymoing and New Mexico before a visit to TCU on Nov. 14.
	20 (21)	West Virginia	6-1	86	Noel Devine’s 56-yard TD run with over two minutes remaining gave WVU the lead it would carry to the end in a 28-24 win over UConn. WVU, one of three unbeaten teams in Big East play, heads to Tampa to take on South Florida on Friday night.
	21 (24)	Oklahoma	4-3	66	Oklahoma pressured Todd Reesing into three first-half interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, as the Sooners bounced Kansas from its perch as a Big 12 contender with a 35-13 win.
	22 (29)	Arizona	5-2	65	Arizona’s defense held UCLA to just over 200 yards and 10 first downs, helping the Wildcats overcome five turnovers in a 27-13 win. The Wildcats head into their bye week in second place in the Pac-10, tied with USC at 3-1.
	23 (23)	South Carolina	6-2	64	Stephen Garcia connected with Alshon Jeffery for a 43-yard TD early in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference in a 14-10 win over Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks face an upcoming two-game road trip against Tennessee and Arkansas.
	24 (31)	Mississippi	5-2	32	Jevan Snead (332 yards passing, two TDs) and Dexter McCluster (123 yards rushing, 137 yards receiving) formed the kind of one-two punch in a 30-17 win over Arkansas that had people so high on the Rebels in the preseason.
	25 (27)	Notre Dame	5-2	29	Notre Dame shook its recent skid against BC with another fourth-quarter comeback from Jimmy Clausen. This time, Clausen found Golden Tate for the go-ahead TD and Brian Smith picked off Dave Shinskie to end the Eagles’ final drive in a 20-16 win.
Others receiving votes: Clemson (4), Brigham Young (2), California (2), Wisconsin (2)