College football rankings: Penn State and LSU move up

By Brian Wilmer -

College football rankings for week 8 of the 2024 season have been released, and the Penn State Nittany Lions and LSU Tigers have both made jumps.

LSU ascended five notches in the AP Poll after defeating the Ole Miss Rebels, 29-26, in overtime at home. The Tigers, now 5-1 overall, surged past fellow SEC member Tennessee and Notre Dame, among others, to enter the Top 10. LSU climbed a pair of spots in the Coaches Poll.

Penn State (6-0) also claimed an overtime decision in a conference matchup, winning, 33-30, at USC. The Nittany Lions climbed two in both sets of rankings.

The game of the week came in a Big Ten matchup in Eugene, Ore., last night, with Oregon knocking off Ohio State, 32-31. The 6-0 Ducks climbed a spot in both polls, while the 5-1 Buckeyes fell two in the AP Poll and three in the Coaches Poll to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

The Texas Longhorns (6-0) keep the top spot in both polls, while Oregon is second, and Penn State is third. In the AP Poll, Ohio State is fourth and Georgia is fifth, while in the Coaches Poll, Georgia is fourth and Ohio State is fifth.

The biggest move up in the AP Poll this week belongs to LSU, following its five-spot rise after the Saturday night win in Death Valley. The loss sent Ole Miss tumbling nine spots in the AP Poll and seven in the Coaches Poll.

Oklahoma and Utah each dropped out of both polls following losses this weekend.

Below are the FBS and FCS college football rankings for Week 8 of the 2024 season (first-place votes in parentheses):

AP Poll – Week 8

1. Texas (56)
2. Oregon (6)
3. Penn State
4. Ohio State
5. Georgia
6. Miami
7. Alabama
8. LSU
9. Iowa State
10. Clemson
11. Tennessee
12. Notre Dame
13. BYU
14. Texas A&M
15. Boise State
16. Indiana
17. Kansas State
18. Ole Miss
19. Missouri
20. Pitt
21. SMU
22. Illinois
23. Army
24. Michigan
25. Navy

Others receiving votes: Vanderbilt 68, Nebraska 62, Arizona St. 39, Oklahoma 36, Washington St. 32, Iowa 29, Texas Tech 18, Syracuse 13, Arkansas 13, Utah 7, Louisville 6, Southern Cal 5, Liberty 2, UNLV 1

Dropped from rankings: Utah 16, Oklahoma 18(t)

FBS Coaches Poll – Week 8

1. Texas (53)
2. Oregon (2)
3. Penn State
4. Georgia
5. Ohio State
6. Miami
7. Alabama
8. LSU
9. Clemson
10. Tennessee
11. Notre Dame
12. Iowa State
13. BYU
14. Texas A&M
15. Ole Miss
16. Missouri
17. Kansas State
18. Indiana
19. Boise State
20. Pitt
21. Illinois
22. Michigan
23. SMU
24. Army
25. Nebraska

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma 81, Arizona State 49, Navy 37, Utah 31, Vanderbilt 26, Syracuse 13, UNLV 12, Iowa 12, Texas Tech 9, Liberty 9, Washington State 8, Memphis 4, Louisville 4, James Madison 3, Tulane 2,

Dropped from rankings: Oklahoma 16, Utah 17

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 – Week 8

1. South Dakota State (38)
2. North Dakota State (8)
3. Montana State (10)
4. South Dakota
5. Villanova
6. UC Davis
7. Mercer
8. Southeast Missouri
9. North Dakota
10. Tarleton State
11. Montana
12. Central Arkansas
13. Idaho
14. UIW
15. William & Mary
16. Rhode Island
17. Abilene Christian
18. Richmond
19. Chattanooga
20. NC Central
21. Illinois State
22. Dartmouth
23. ETSU
24. New Hampshire
25(t). Florida A&M
25(t). UT Martin

Others receiving votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Florida A&M 81, Western Carolina 75, Tennessee State 71, Sacramento State 57, Duquesne 57, Stephen F. Austin 43, Stony Brook 41, Northern Arizona 36, McNeese 33, Weber State 26, Harvard 25, Towson 24, Drake 14, Monmouth 13, Lamar 11, Southeastern Louisiana 7, Southern Utah 7, Dayton 2

Dropped from rankings: Sacramento State 18, Weber State 20, Lamar 22, Northern Arizona 24

FCS Coaches Poll – Week 8

1. South Dakota State (21)
2. North Dakota State (2)
3. Montana State (3)
4. South Dakota
5. Villanova
6. UC Davis
7. Mercer
8. Southeast Missouri
9. Tarleton State
10. North Dakota
11. Montana
12. Central Arkansas
13. UIW
14. Idaho
15. Richmond
16. William & Mary
17. Rhode Island
18. Florida A&M
19. New Hampshire
20. Missouri State
21(t). ACU
21(t). NC Central
23. Illinois State
24. Dartmouth
25. Jackson State

Others receiving votes: Stony Brook 36, Duquesne 35, Chattanooga 30, ETSU 28, UT Martin 22, McNeese 17, Monmouth 11, Sacramento State 11, Western Carolina 11, Drake 8, Columbia 6, Stephen F. Austin 5, Tennessee State 5, Weber State 4, Butler 2, Northern Arizona 2, Georgetown 1, Indiana State 1, Lafayette 1, Lamar 1

Dropped from rankings: Sacramento State 20, Weber State 23

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