College football’s Week 8 rankings delivered another jolt to the national picture, with both of the nation’s top two teams falling and a new No. 1 emerging.
Miami surged to the top of both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll after its 43–35 win over rival Florida State, capitalizing on chaos elsewhere. Former No. 1 Georgia was stunned at home by Auburn, 27–24, while No. 2 Notre Dame fell 28–24 on the road at BYU — clearing the runway for the Hurricanes to take over the top spot for the first time this season.
BYU’s upset of Notre Dame propelled the Cougars to No. 2 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking of the year. Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Georgia round out the AP Top 5.
Florida delivered the week’s biggest climb, vaulting 12 spots from unranked to No. 20 after a statement win that reinserted the Gators into the national conversation.
Texas suffered the steepest drop, sliding 12 places to No. 19 following its second loss of the season — a setback that halted the Longhorns’ early momentum.
Mississippi State (No. 16) and Oklahoma State (No. 18) both fell out of the AP Poll entirely after weekend losses.
Below are the full AP, FBS Coaches, STATS FCS, and FCS Coaches polls for Week 8 of the 2026 season (first-place votes in parentheses):
AP Poll – Week 8
1. Miami FL (40)
2. BYU (20)
3. Ohio State (9)
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Texas Tech (1)
9. UCLA
10. Utah
11. Tennessee
12. Kentucky
13. Alabama
14. Houston
15. Iowa
16. USC
17. Wake Forest
18. LSU
19. Texas
20. Florida
21. Boise State
22. Missouri
23. SMU
24. Northwestern
25. Arizona
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 128, Oregon 79, Auburn 61, James Madison 52, Mississippi State 30, New Mexico 6, Oregon State 3
Dropped from rankings: Mississippi State 15, Oklahoma State 18
FBS Coaches Poll – Week 8
1. Miami FL (50)
2. Ohio State (13)
3. BYU (10)
4. Georgia
5. Texas Tech
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Notre Dame
9. Utah
10. UCLA
11. Tennessee
12. Kentucky
13. Alabama
14. Iowa
15. USC
16. Houston
17. LSU
18. Texas
19. Wake Forest
20. SMU
21. Missouri
22. Boise State
23. Northwestern
24. Florida
25. Oregon
Others receiving votes: Arizona 141, Oklahoma State 87, James Madison 80, Auburn 55, Mississippi State 32, Nebraska 19, Oregon State 17, New Mexico 16, UTSA 13, Michigan 10, North Dakota State 8, Wisconsin 7, Duke 7, North Carolina 5, Pittsburgh 4, Air Force 3, North Texas 1
Dropped from rankings: Mississippi State 19, Oklahoma State 20
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 – Week 8
To be released Monday, Oct. 19.
FCS Coaches Poll – Week 6
To be released Monday, Oct. 19.
View Comments (1)
The BYU-Utah meeting later this season would have a lot more meaning if it was on Thanksgiving weekend and both teams came into it undefeated at that point.