The dust has settled on the most impactful week of college football to date this season.
Several teams in the top 10 of the most recent AP and Coaches polls suffered — or were the reason behind — first losses in Week 7. That starts with No. 3 Alabama, whose back-and-forth battle with No. 6 Tennessee ended in a 52-49 defeat for the Crimson Tide. It was their first loss in the rivalry since 2006.
No. 5 Michigan overcame a comeback attempt by No. 10 Penn State and ended up demolishing the Nittany Lions 41-17. No. 8 Oklahoma State also fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, falling to undefeated, No. 13 TCU.
Finally, No. 7 USC fell from the unbeaten ranks after losing 43-42 to No. 20 Utah — a game in which the Utes scored a last-minute touchdown and 2-point conversion to take the lead.
MORE: Tennessee shakes up College Football Playoff picture
In other top-25 action, No. 4 Clemson held off Florida State 34-28; No. 9 Ole Miss handled Auburn 48-34; No. 18 Syracuse beat No. 15 N.C. State 24-9 to go to 6-0; No. 22 Kentucky beat No. 16 Mississippi State 27-17; Oklahoma beat No. 19 Kansas 52-42; and Georgia Southern beat No. 25 James Madison 45-38.
The Sporting News looks at the latest Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 rankings for Week 8 following Saturday's action:
College football rankings for Week 8
Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Georgia | 7-0 | 1,550 (43) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 6-0 | 1,511 (17) |
| 3 | Michigan | 7-0 | 1,411 (1) |
| 4 | Tennessee | 6-0 | 1,408 (2) |
| 5 | Clemson | 7-0 | 1,351 |
| 6 | Alabama | 6-1 | 1,236 |
| 7 | Ole Miss | 7-0 | 1,210 |
| 8 | TCU | 6-0 | 1,089 |
| 9 | Oregon | 5-1 | 1,000 |
| 10 | UCLA | 6-0 | 995 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 5-1 | 868 |
| 12 | USC | 6-1 | 852 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 5-1 | 823 |
| 14 | Syracuse | 6-0 | 738 |
| 15 | Utah | 5-2 | 663 |
| 16 | Penn State | 5-1 | 653 |
| 17 | Kansas State | 5-1 | 637 |
| 18 | Kentucky | 5-2 | 450 |
| 19 | Cincinnati | 5-1 | 370 |
| 20 | Illinois | 6-1 | 341 |
| 21 | Texas | 5-2 | 336 |
| 22 | North Carolina | 6-1 | 236 |
| 23 | N.C. State | 5-2 | 233 |
| 24 | Mississippi Stat3 | 5-2 | 212 |
| 25 | Tulane | 6-1 | 83 |
Others receiving votes: LSU 51; UCF 33; Kansas 29; South Carolina 24; Purdue 23; Maryland 15; Liberty 12; Washington 9; Baylor 7; Coastal Carolina 5; Pitt 4; South Alabama 3; Arkansas 3; UTSA 1.
MORE: What Alabama's loss to Tennessee means for Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and more
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Georgia | 7-0 | 1,530 (31) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 6-0 | 1,509 (17) |
| 3 | Tennessee | 6-0 | 1,474 (15) |
| 4 | Michigan | 7-0 | 1,384 |
| 5 | Clemson | 7-0 | 1,336 |
| 6 | Alabama | 6-1 | 1,232 |
| 7 | Ole Miss | 7-0 | 1,173 |
| 8 | TCU | 6-0 | 1,166 |
| 9 | UCLA | 6-0 | 1,048 |
| 10 | Oregon | 5-1 | 953 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 5-1 | 913 |
| 12 | USC | 6-1 | 861 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 5-1 | 790 |
| 14 | Syracuse | 6-0 | 751 |
| 15 | Utah | 5-2 | 715 |
| 16 | Penn State | 5-1 | 629 |
| 17 | Kansas State | 5-1 | 599 |
| 18 | Illinois | 6-1 | 433 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 5-2 | 414 |
| 20 | Texas | 5-2 | 368 |
| 21 | Cincinnati | 5-1 | 321 |
| 22 | North Carolina | 6-1 | 210 |
| 23 | N.C. State | 5-2 | 155 |
| 24 | Mississippi State | 5-2 | 150 |
| 25 | Tulane | 6-1 | 115 |
Others receiving votes: Purdue 95, LSU 87, UCF 13, South Carolina 13, Kansas 12, James Madison 6, Oregon State 6, Maryland 5, South Alabama 4, Liberty 2, Arkansas 1, Minnesota 1, Florida State 1.