Another week, another huge upset that changes the landscape of the playoff race. Let’s get into who is trending up and who is trending down after Week 8.

Trending Up:

Oregon

Many people forgot about Oregon after a close Week 1 loss to Auburn in which Oregon failed to finish off a 21-6 lead in the 3rd quarter. Since that game Oregon has dominated in the trenches only allowing 6 sacks in 6 games. This has led to efficient play by QB Justin Herbert, who has 21 TD’s and 1 interception on the season. Making a 10 point comeback in the 2nd half on the road against a solid Washington team is a great resume booster. If they can steamroll through the Pac-12, it may be tough to keep out a conference champion whose only blemish is a 6 point loss against a probable top 15 SEC team.

Penn State

Once again back on the bubble is the Nittany Lions who survived a late comeback by a scrappy Michigan team. Penn State looked unstoppable in the first half jumping out to an early 21-0 lead. On the flip side they looked stagnant in the second half, allowing Michigan to outscore them 21-7 to finish the game. KJ Hamler really stood out to me in this game as it looks like he will be the next great Penn State playmaker, and if they can find more ways to get him the ball he will bring a different feel to that offense.

Clemson

If you read my article last week you noticed that I kept Clemson outside of the top 4 and thought they were the 5th best team in the nation. After another dominant performance is it okay if I say they are 4.5? Back to back 45 point performances show that the offense is back and rolling. They have also put up at least 550 yards back to back weeks and while Louisville and Florida State are not elite teams, Clemson has played dominant football and that is all you can ask from them. The gap between them and the top 4 teams is razor thin.

Trending down:

Wisconsin

Can’t get inside their heads, but gotta wonder Wisconsin was getting ready mentally for Ohio State late in the 4th quarter. 23-14 lead with 6 minutes to play was vanished after a Jonathan Taylor fumble and a Jack Coan interception let Illinois get back in the game. Seemed like they were in control and just lost control of what should have been a conference road victory. Now going into Ohio State has become a must win if they want any part in the College Football Playoff. It looks as if they will need this game plus a conference championship if they want to be considered, but as we have learned in the past even that may not be enough to get past a tough upset.

Top 4

4. Oklahoma

Crazy to think after watching last year’s team, but Oklahoma may legitimately have the best defense in the Big 12. To some that may not mean much as the Big 12 is a predominantly offensive based conference and most defenses suffer as a result. They allow 19.4 points per game after leading the conference by allowing 32.4 ppg in 2018. Kenneth Murray has been the leader of this charge ripping off another 9 tackle performance. Teams know Oklahoma’s offense will punch them in the mouth, but their physical defense will also create many problems in trying to keep up with this explosive offense.

3. LSU

2. Alabama

The injury to Tua definitely throws a wrench in Alabama’s hopes for a national championship. Even if Tua gets back, we saw him play with an injured ankle last year and it impacted his play. Alabama has talked up their backup Mac Jones and seem to be confident in playing well without their star QB. Henry Ruggs, who is in the midst of a solid season said of Jones, “He just has confidence…..We practice with every receiver so he has relationships (with everyone), he knows what we like and what we don’t like, so he’ll be ready.” He will need to be ready if they need him against LSU in a few weeks as that could shape whether Alabama is playing playoff football in January or not.

1. Ohio State

 This past Friday’s performance against Northwestern was routine for the Buckeyes. Balanced attack that led to a 52-3 win as they shift their focus to Wisconsin this Saturday. This will without a doubt be their toughest matchup especially for their offense, as Wisconsin leads the nation in PPG allowed (7.6) and yards per game allowed (193.9). Not to be outmatched, Ohio State’s defense is just as stout with 8 PPG and 229 YPG allowed. Ohio State needs to show that they can play elite football on both sides of the ball against elite competition. A win on Saturday will erase any doubts and cement them as one of College Football’s elite.

Matchups if the season were to end today:

(1) Ohio State vs (4) Oklahoma

(2) Alabama vs (3) LSU