| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | Alabama | Tennessee could not handle Alabama's defense…or their offense for that matter. MSU is the next victim. | 1 |
| 2 |  | Oregon | The Ducks went to Arizona State on Thursday night and crushed the Sun Devils. Poor Colorado. | 2 |
| 3 |  | Florida | Florida took care of business at home against South Carolina. This week they head to Jacksonville to take on UGA. | 4 |
| 4 |  | Notre Dame | It was not pretty, but Notre Dame stayed unbeaten. They will be seriously tested at Oklahoma this week. | 3 |
| 5 |  | Kansas State | Kansas State blew out West Virginia on Saturday night. This Saturday they host fellow hot Big 12 squad Texas Tech. | 6 |
| 6 |  | Ohio State | OSU is now 7-0. This week they have a defacto bowl game in sunny Happy Valley against Penn State. | 5 |
| 7 |  | LSU | LSU got off to a slow start at Texas A&M, but rallied to hold off the Aggies. After a bye, it's Bama time. | 7 |
| 8 |  | Oklahoma | As expected, Oklahoma blew out Kansas. The table is set for the huge showdown against Notre Dame. | 9 |
| 9 |  | Georgia | The road is always difficult and Georgia got all they wanted from Kentucky. A tough game awaits against Flordia. | 11 |
| 10 |  | Florida State | A big fourth quarter gave FSU what looked like an easy win at Miami. However, it was not easy at all. | 12 |
| 11 |  | USC | The USC schedule gets much tougher from here on out. It starts with a trip to Arizona, which may be the easiest. | 13 |
| 12 |  | Oregon State | Oregon State's offense had some trouble with Utah. A trip to Washington could prove to be a very tough contest. | 14 |
| 13 |  | Clemson | Clemson did not have too much trouble with the struggling Hokies. It's a short week with WF on Thurday night. | 15 |
| 14 |  | South Carolina | South Carolina never got much going in The Swamp. Heading back home should help them get back on track. | 8 |
| 15 |  | Stanford | The Big Game was not that exciting as Stanford rolled over Cal. Washington State will not be too difficult either. | 16 |
| 16 |  | Louisville | Louisville barely beat USF. The game of the year in the Big East may be Friday night when the Cardinals host Cincy. | 17 |
| 17 |  | Michigan | Michigan got a thrilling win over Michigan State in a defensive game. The D needs to stay strong in Lincoln. | 18 |
| 18 |  | Texas Tech | Texas Tech is on a roll. After crushing WVU, the Red Raiders beat TCU in triple overtime. Watch out K-State. | NR |
| 19 |  | Mississippi State | Mississippi State beat up on MTSU last week. With a trip to Alabama, MSU might be receiving the beating now. | 19 |
| 20 |  | West Virginia | WVU really needs a week off and they will get it now. After two blowout losses, the team needs to regroup. | 10 |
| 21 |  | Boise State | Boise State cruised past UNLV. This week they hit the road to take on a struggling Wyoming squad. | 21 |
| 22 |  | Rutgers | Rutgers was down early at Temple, but scored 35 unanswered points in the second half. Kent State is next. | 20 |
| 23 |  | Texas | The Longhorns defense still looked bad, but they got the win over Baylor. It will look better this week at Kansas. | 24 |
| 24 |  | Ohio | Ohio sneaks into the rankings following a bye week. They head to Miami, a team looking to stay in the East race. | NR |
| 25 |  | Texas A&M | Losing to LSU and Florida is nothing to be ashamed about. The Aggies will soon compete with the SEC's best. | 23 |
Week 8 Football Top 25 Rankings
Sat, 10/20/2012
