College football Power Rankings: How did the Top 25 look in Week 8? - ESPN

Trailing Ole Miss after halftime, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton delivered in a big moment once again in the Bulldogs' come-from-behind win over the fifth-ranked Rebels Saturday.

«He's wired for these tight moments because he's tough,» Georgia coach Kirby Smart said afterward of the Bulldogs' quarterback. «His team believes in him.»

Nearly 60% of the way through the 2025 college football regular season, we're learning more about the nation's top programs with each passing week. Rising stars, like Stockton, are emerging. Surprise powers are gaining steam in the College Football Playoff race. And once-vaunted title contenders are showing their true colors, falling off one by one.

Week 8 featured statement wins in the SEC from Alabama, Georgia and Vanderbilt and gut-check defeats for CFP favorites Miami, Ole Miss and Texas Tech. Quarterbacks Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) and Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) padded their Heisman Trophy résumés, while Carson Beck's candidacy suffered a blow in Miami's defeat to Louisville. At Notre Dame, we saw just how dangerous the Fighting Irish can be when, you know, they simply hand the ball off to Jeremiyah Love.

With Week 8 in the books, this week's power rankings explore the biggest lessons we've learned about the top teams across the country so far this fall. — Eli Lederman

Previous ranking: 1

The Buckeyes brought back a pair of star defenders from last year's national championship team in safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles. Yet there might not be a defender playing better in college football than Styles' cohort at linebacker, Arvell Reese. The junior from Cleveland has been an absolute game-wrecker, compiling a team-high 42 tackles and 5.5 sacks for a defense that has given up