College Football Rankings: Joel Klatt names Top-10 teams after Week 8

The Week 8 slate of the 2026 college football season was a wild one, highlighted by UCF‘s upset win over No. 2 BYU and No. 19 Texas‘ bounce back victory over No. 7 Ole Miss. Five of the top-15 ranked opponents suffered a loss, leading to a massive shakeup in Joel Klatt‘s top-10 rankings this week. Miami, which is just one of three remaining unbeatens in the FBS, sits at both No. 1 in the AP Poll and No. 1 in Klatt’s rankings. That comes after the Hurricanes completely demolished Pitt 52-23 on Saturday. In the win, Miami put up 506 total yards of offense. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage Klatt’s entire top-10 rankings are below. The top-10 includes three Big Ten programs, three SEC programs, two Big 12 programs, one ACC program, and Notre Dame. 1. Miami Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0) Miami is up to No. 1 in both this week’s AP Poll and Joel Klatt top-10 rankings. Although it took two overtimes for Miami to hold off Florida State 43-35 last Saturday night in Hard Rock Stadium, the ‘Canes bounced back with a dominant 52-23 win over Pitt on Saturday. They now sit at 7-0 on the season and seem to be on track to return to the College Football Playoff, barring a complete meltdown. In the win, Miami‘s offense continued to show that it is one of the best in the country. It totaled 506 total yards, and QB/WR duo Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney connected for 194 yards and three scores. It marked the second consecutive game that Toney has hauled in multiple touchdown receptions from Mensah. The ‘Canes are seeking their first-ever ACC Title this season, along with a return to the CFP National Championship Game. 2. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0) Ohio State enjoyed a bye in Week 8 after avenging last season’s Big Ten Championship loss with a 19-15 victory on the road at then-No. 5 ranked Indiana last Saturday. It appeared as if the Buckeyes were on track to suffering another heartbreaking defeat in that game, but Hoosier wide receiver Nick Marsh was *just* out of bounds when he caught what appeared to be a late, go-ahead touchdown. The Buckeyes are now 6-1, ranked No. 2 in both Klatt’s rankings and the AP Poll. However, Ohio State will be without star quarterback Julian Sayin for the foreseeable future. That does not bode well for Ryan Day‘s team, as it still has matchups against USC, Oregon, No. 20 Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan remaining in the regular season. It is unclear which quarterback, whether it is Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair, will start this weekend against the Trojans. 3. Indiana Hoosiers (7-1, 4-1) Just one week after Indiana‘s 22-game winning streak was snapped at home against then-No. 4 ranked Ohio State, the Hoosiers bounced back with a grueling 13-6 win over Michigan in overtime Saturday. Quarterback Josh Hoover was held to just 81 passing yards and one score, but the score (a rushing touchdown) came when the Hoosiers needed it most in OT. Across Curt Cignetti‘s three-season tenure in Bloomington, Indiana has lost just two regular season games. Both losses came at the hands of the Buckeyes. With four regular-season games remaining, Indiana still seems like a great bet to reach the College Football Playoff for the third consecutive season. It is currently not slated to face any ranked opponents over that span. 4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) Along with Indiana‘s 22-game winning streak being snapped, Notre Dame‘s 16-game winning streak was also snapped in Provo by then-No. 8 ranked BYU last Saturday. The Irish failed to convert on the final play of regulation, ending the game. It appeared as if there should have been one second remaining, giving Notre Dame one more play, but it was not put back on the clock. Dating back to 2024, the Irish have now lost three consecutive games to top-10 ranked opponents. Following that loss, Notre Dame enjoyed a bye in Week 8 and will look to bounce back against Navy this Saturday. The Irish have won eight consecutive games over the Midshipmen, dating back to 2017. 5. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) The most surprising result of the wild Week 7 slate two weeks ago was No. 1 Georgia‘s home loss to Auburn as a near-three touchdown favorite. The loss in Athens to the Tigers marked their first since 2005. The Bulldogs were seen as the consensus No. 1 team in the country prior to the loss, but they now sit at No. 5 in Klatt’s rankings. After facing just one ranked opponent in its first seven games, Georgia is now slated to face three ranked opponents (No. 17 Florida, No. 12 Ole Miss, and No. 23 Missouri) over its next three games. The Bulldogs will return to the field this Saturday for their yearly matchup against No. 17 Florida in Atlanta. 6. UCLA Bruins (7-0, 5-0) One of the best stories of the 2026 college football season kept on chugging Saturday, as UCLA improved to 7-0 following its 28-10 win over Michigan State, even though quarterback Nico Iamaleava was unable to suit up after suffering a season-ending injury against then-No. 13 ranked Oregon on Oct. 10. UCLA will avoid both No. 2 Ohio State and No. 4 Indiana over its final five games, and is currently not slated to face any ranked opponents in that span. If the Bruins can go 5-0 (or even 4-1) over their final four conference games, they’d surely clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship for the first time (and surely clinch a CFP appearance in the process). UCLA can improve to 8-0 for the first time since 2005 with a win over Nevada this Saturday. 7. Utah Utes (7-0, 4-0) Although Utah fell behind No. 14 Houston 10-0 midway through the third quarter on Saturday, the Utes didn’t back down. Morgan Scalley‘s team outscored the Cougars 21-3 over the final quarter-and-a-half, escaping with the 21-13 home win. Utah now sits at 7-0 on the season heading into a road matchup against Cincinnati. The Bearcats are coming off a dominant 37-24 win over No. 8 Texas Tech, meaning this will be no cakewalk for the Utes. Utah‘s CFP dreams will hinge on deciding games against Cincinnati, No. 8 BYU, and No. 22 Arizona. Following that stretch, the Utes will close against TCU and West Virginia. An 11-1 record and a win in the Big 12 Championship Game would surely propel the Utes to the CFP for the first time in program history. 8. Texas Longhorns (5-2, 2-2) Texas snapped its two-game skid with a much-needed 34-27 win over No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday. The Longhorns went up 24-3 in that game, but just like their loss against Florida two weeks ago, they fumbled a big lead. The Rebels tied the game at 24 all early in the fourth quarter, but an Arch Manning rushing score and a game-ending interception was enough to seal the win for Steve Sarkisian‘s program. The Longhorns climbed from No. 19 to No. 11 in the AP Poll following the win, and jumped into the top-10 of Klatt’s rankings. They are currently scheduled to face two ranked opponents over their final five regular season games (No. 15 LSU and No. 23 Missouri) as they seek a return to the College Football Playoff. 9. Kentucky Wildcats (7-1, 5-1) Thought eight weeks, the Kentucky Wildcats miraculously sit atop the SEC Rankings. Will Stein‘s team kept their momentum rolling on Saturday with a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt, snapping the Wildcats’ two-game losing streak to the Commodores. Although Vandy took an early 10-0 lead, Kentucky outscored the ‘Dores 34-7 over the final two-and-a-half quarters of play in Lexington. Kentucky heads into its much-needed bye-week with a 7-1 record, and a 5-1 record against conference opponents. It will return to the field on Oct. 7 at No. 16 Tennessee, whom the ‘Cats have beaten just three times dating back to 1985. A win for Kentucky in Knoxville would make a CFP berth that much more likely for the ‘Cats in Stein’s first season at the helm. 10. BYU Cougars (6-1, 3-1) Kalani Sitake‘s BYU Cougars fell from No. 1 to No. 10 this week in Joel Klatt‘s top-10 rankings. BYU was on top of the world after holding off No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 in Provo two weeks ago, which propelled it to No. 2 in the AP Poll. That ranking didn’t last long beside BYU‘s name, however, as it was upset by UCF 39-31 in 2OT on Saturday. It marked the third consecutive week that a top-two ranked team was upset this season. BYU is now on thin ice with five regular season games remaining. It is currently slated to face just one ranked opponent in that span; No. 6 Utah. The two historic programs have never met in the ‘Holy War’ while both ranked in the top-10. That game is slated to take place on Nov. 7 in Salt Lake City, and is sure to hold massive College Football Playoff implications.