Josh Pate unveils latest JP Poll ahead of Week 8

Ahead of the Week 8 college football slate, Josh Pate has released his weekly JP Poll. The Ohio State Buckeyes top the ratings after downing Indiana in Bloomington over the weekend, improving to 6-1 (4-0) on the season in the process. The ratings consist of 10 SEC teams, six Big Ten teams, four Big 12 teams, three ACC teams, the Pac 12’s Boise State, and Notre Dame. Six of the 10 SEC teams present reside in the top-10 of the ratings. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage The ‘JP Poll’ is not a list of power rankings; it is a list of ‘power ratings’. The ratings are based on the model’s neutral-field favorability rating, meaning the top-25 teams are compiled in order of who would be favored over each other in a neutral-field matchup. 1. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0) In the biggest Big Ten game of the season, No. 4 Ohio State went into Bloomington over the weekend and handed No. 5 Indiana its first regular season loss since Nov. 23, 2024. However, it didn’t come without suffering a massive loss. Quarterback Julian Sayin suffered an injury to his throwing arm, and will be out ‘indefinitely’, head coach Ryan Day revealed. This certainly does not bode well for the Buckeyes, who still have matchups looming against No. 16 USC, Oregon, No. 24 Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan looming. It will, however, have a much-needed bye-week to figure out its quarterback situation. It will either be Luke Fahey (who took over for Ohio State following Sayin’s injury) or Tavien St-Clair going forward for the Buckeyes. 2. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) Although Georgia, then ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, was stunned in Athens by Auburn over the weekend, the Bulldogs remain as high as No. 2 in the JP Poll. There’s no doubt this boils down to just how dominant Kirby Smart‘s team was in its first six games of the season, which saw them defeat their first opponents by an average of 32.1 points. The Bulldogs will now enjoy a much-needed bye-week before returning to the field on Halloween against No. 20 Florida. A bounce-back performance against the Gators could sooth things back over for Georgia, as it seeks yet another College Football Playoff appearance. 3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) Much like teams 2-4 on this list, Notre Dame also suffered its first loss of the season in a wild Week 7. The Irish went to No. 8 BYU and failed to convert from the eight-yard line on the final play of the game, falling 28-24 to the Cougars. Notre Dame has now dropped three consecutive games against top-10 ranked opponents dating back to the 2024-25 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The Irish have some big opportunities to pad their CFP resume remaining, which includes matchups against now-No. 1 ranked Miami and No. 23 SMU. Marcus Freeman‘s team is seeking a return to the CFP after being the ‘First Team Out’ last season. 4. Indiana Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1) Although Indiana suffered its first loss of the season, the Hoosiers have to feel good about their chances of returning to the College Football Playoff for the third straight year. It appeared as if Curt Cignetti‘s team was actually in position to win the game, but star receiver Nick Marsh‘s foot was *just* out of bounds on what appeared to be a go-ahead touchdown with 1:02 remaining in regulation. Looking ahead at Indiana‘s final five regular season games, the Hoosiers are currently slated to face just one ranked opponent (No. 16 USC on Nov. 14). Since Cignetti took over ahead of the 2024 program, Indiana is 18-0 against unranked conference opponents. They sit at No. 4 in this week’s JP Poll. 5. Miami Hurricanes (6-0, 4-0) Although Miami is up to No. 1 in this week’s AP Poll, the Hurricanes reside at No. 5 in the JP Poll. They narrowly avoided also suffering their first loss of the season, as they were able to hold off Florida State 43-35 in 2OT Saturday night. Miami‘s star QB/WR duo of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney shined in the win, as they hooked up for 154 yards and two scores, including the eventual game-winner in 2OT. Now sitting at 6-0 (4-0) on the season, the ‘Canes have their sights set on both an ACC Title and a second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff. Miami has never won an ACC Championship. 6. LSU Tigers (5-2, 2-2) LSU bounced back nicely from its 35-34 loss at Kentucky in Week 7 with a dominant 31-0 shutout win over No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday. Quarterback Sam Leavitt poured in a dominant performance against the Bulldogs, passing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Sitting at two losses with five regular season games remaining, LSU would (at minimum) have to go at least 4-1 in that span to have a chance at clinching a CFP berth in its first season under Lane Kiffin. The Tigers still have games against Auburn, No. 13 Alabama, No. 19 Texas, No. 11 Tennessee, and Arkansas remaining. 7. Ole Miss Rebels (5-1, 3-1) Since its shocking 52-28 blowout loss to No. 21 Florida on Sept. 26, Ole Miss has looked dominant over its past two games. That includes a dominant 52-17 win over Vanderbilt and a 31-3 drumming of former quarterback Austin Simmons and his No. 13 ranked Missouri Tigers last week. The Rebels are absolutely rolling heading into their matchup against Texas this weekend. Star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has once again shown the college football world just how dominant he can be over the past two weeks. In that span, Chambliss has completed 40/66 passes for 454 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. He’s also rushed for another two scores, bringing his two-game total to eight. 8. Texas Longhorns (4-2, 1-2) The Texas Longhorns are absolutely reeling following back-to-back 27-24 losses to Oklahoma and Florida. It appeared as if Texas was on track to dominate the Gators early last week, as it jumped out to a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter. Over the remainder of the game, however, Florida outscored Texas 24-7 to steal the win in Austin. Although they’ve lost back-to-back games, the Longhorns still remain as high as No. 8 in the JP Poll. With a loss to No. 7 Ole Miss this weekend, Texas would suffer its first three-game losing streak since it lost six games in a row in 2021. That would almost certainly take the program out of CFP contention before the calendar flips to November. 9. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2, 3-2) Just like the No. 8 team on this list, Alabama is in the midst of its own two-game skid. The Crimson Tide will look to snap that streak this weekend at home against Texas A&M. Alabama has not lost three consecutive games since they lost four in a row during Nick Saban‘s first season in 2007. After falling just short against No. 2 Georgia the week prior, Alabama was completely manhandled by No. 14 Tennessee last week. The ‘Vols out-gained Alabama 347-201 in the 26-10 to win their third consecutive game over the Tide in Knoxville. 10. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1, 3-1) Speaking of Tennessee, the Volunteers round out the top-10 of the latest JP Poll. In the 26-10 win over the Tide, running back Desean Bishop rushed for 159 yards, nearly out-gaining Alabama by himself. Bishop has more than positioned himself in the running for the Heisman Trophy down the stretch of the regular season. Josh Heupel‘s team will look to improve to 7-1 on the season with a road victory over South Carolina this weekend. That could very well set up a potential top 10-clash against Kentucky in Knoxville on Nov. 7, which could hold serious College Football Playoff implications. Teams 11-25 11. BYU Cougars (6-0, 3-0)12. Oregon Ducks (4-2, 2-1)13. Utah Utes (6-0, 3-0)14. Florida Gators (5-2, 3-2)15. USC Trojans (6-1, 3-1)16. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0)17. Missouri Tigers (5-2, 2-2)18. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2)19. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-1, 4-1)20. Louisville Cardinals (4-3, 3-2)21. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1)22. Boise State Broncos (5-1, 2-0)23. Houston Cougars (6-1, 3-1)24. Kentucky Wildcats (6-1, 4-1)25. Auburn Tigers (4-2, 2-2)