By Charles Davis
A former defensive back at Tennessee, Charles Davis is the lead college football analyst for FOX Sports.
After chaos in Week 7 that saw two top-10 teams fall, there's a lot of turnover and change in this week's power rankings, including the introduction of three previously unranked teams. Check out the Week 8 rankings and hit Charles on Twitter with your thoughts.
1 Alabama Crimson Tide 6-0
The Crimson Tide barely broke a sweat in swamping Kentucky. Arkansas tries it's luck against Alabama this Saturday.
2 Oregon Ducks 6-0 +1
The Ducks got a VERY impressive win at then-No. 17 Washington last week. They go for the State Championship of Washington when they face Wazzu on Saturday.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 6-0 +1
The Buckeyes had an open weekend after beating Northwestern in Week 6, and now Iowa visits this Saturday. The Bucks are seventh in the nation in rushing at 281 yards per game.
4 Clemson Tigers 6-0 +1
Lots of worry about last week's matchup with Boston College, but the Tigers got it done. Finally – No. 9 Florida State (No. 5 in AP poll) goes to Clemson this week for the ACC’s Game of the Year.
5 Louisville Cardinals 6-0 +3
A good win last Thursday over a Rutgers team that’s better than it’s given credit for. The Cardinals have a big conference game on Friday against UCF.
6 UCLA Bruins 5-0 +4
The Bruins sprinted past "sister school" Cal last week, but things jump up this week as they visit very cranky No. 13 Stanford.
7 Texas A&M Aggies 5-1 +2
The Aggies had another close win in Oxford over Ole Miss for the second straight year. Johnny Manziel can beat you in every way.
8 LSU Tigers 6-1 +3
The Tigers are a three-point loss at Georgia away from being a top-five team. How many players did this program lose to the NFL draft last year?!
9 Florida State Seminoles 5-0 +3
I know, I may very well have this team underrated. But if the Seminoles win at No. 4 Clemson (No. 3 in AP poll) this week, this ranking "corrects" itself at the final horn.
10 Baylor Bears 5-0 +5
More people are beginning to believe in the super explosive Bears and their QB, Bryce Petty. Head coach Art Briles’ team is now the team to beat in the Big 12. They get Iowa State at home this week.
11 South Carolina Gamecocks 5-1 +2
The Gamecocks dominated Arkansas last week, holding the ball for 43:25 and ringing up 537 total yards. They were also five-for-five on fourth downs. They visit Tennessee this week.
12 Miami Hurricanes 5-0 +2
The Canes took last weekend off and now head to Chapel Hill for a Thursday night date with reeling North Carolina. Will QB Stephen Morris' ankle be OK?
13 Stanford Cardinal 5-1 -11
A tough loss at Utah (should I have the Utes ranked?), but no time to sulk for the Cardinal. UCLA comes calling on Saturday, the third meeting between these teams in the last two seasons.
14 Missouri Tigers 6-0 (unranked last week)
From unranked to No. 14? Quite the jump, but that was a HUGE win at Georgia. The bad news is QB James Franklin lost for remainder of the regular season after separating his throwing shoulder last week. Florida at home this week.
15 Texas Tech Red Raiders 6-0 +6
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense runs smoothly no matter who the QB is. Davis Webb stepped back in and torched Iowa State. This week: at West Virginia.
16 Oklahoma Sooners 5-1 -9
The Sooners were shocked by Texas. You gotta feel for Kansas this week as it will get the wrath of an angry Sooners squad.
17 Virginia Tech Hokies 6-1 (unranked last week)
The Hokies have not won "pretty" very often this year, but their only loss was to No. 1 Alabama. They will be heard from in the ACC. VT is off this week.
18 Fresno State Bulldogs 5-0 +2
The Bulldogs had an open week and should handle UNLV this Saturday. QB Derek Carr could be the second Carr drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.
19 Nebraska Cornhuskers 5-1
Now 5-1 and undefeated in the Big 10 after blitzing Purdue, the Cornhuskers get this week off. Will Taylor Martinez start at QB against Minnesota in two weeks?
20 Northern Illinois Huskies 6-0 +2
The Huskies beat Akron for their 23rd straight home win last week. QB Jordan Lynch is really that good. They’re at Central Michigan this week.
21 Georgia Bulldogs 4-2 -16
It all caught up with the Bulldogs last week -- injuries, a brutal early schedule and a good Missouri team. They have a scary date at Vandy this week.
22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-2 +1
No game last week for the Fighting Irish, and now a revamped USC will be welcomed to South Bend. Win that one and Notre Dame could get on a nice run.
23 Michigan Wolverines 5-1 -7
Almost dropped the Wolverines out of the rankings entirely due to not just the loss at Penn State, but recent shaky performances. Confident Indiana, which beat Penn State earlier this season, is next.
24 Oklahoma State Cowboys 4-1 +1
No game last week for the Cowboys. This week, they have a tough assignment against TCU's excellent defense and an offense that's seeking a breakout game.
25 Florida Gators 4-2 -7
The Gators’ losses? At No. 12 Miami (No. 10 in AP poll) and at No. 8 LSU (No. 6 AP). This is a good team that needs to generate more offense. A trip to Mizzou is next.
