♦♦ BAMA NATION ♦♦

2022 Alabama Football 2022

Tuscaloosa, AL ♦ Our Top 10 Teams From Week #8 ♦ The AP Top 25, But Our Top 10, college football poll is out after another wild weekend of games. So what happens from here? What's next for each ranked team. 1. Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) - Previous ranking: 1 Week 8 result: bye What's next: vs. Florida (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET) The first seven games of the season were a prelude. Coming out of an off week, the real action for Georgia begins as it plays Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Georgia Tech down the stretch. The one-two punch of Florida and Tennessee could be particularly interesting for the defense as the Gators and Vols have dangerous quarterbacks in Anthony Richardson and Hendon Hooker, respectively. The fact that star defensive lineman Jalen Carter is still recovering from an MCL injury is concerning. Carter, a potential top pick, hasn't started since Week 2 and didn't play the past two games. 2. Tennessee Volunteers (7-0) - Previous ranking: 3 Week 8 result: 65-24 win vs. UT Martin What's next: vs. Kentucky (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET) It's incredible what Josh Heupel has done with Tennessee's program in less than two years. We're going to find out if the Vols are truly a College Football Playoff team over these next two weeks when they face Kentucky at home on Saturday and then go on the road to face No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 5. To be talking playoff and Tennessee in the same sentence would have seemed like pure fantasy back in August, but the Vols are so explosive offensively that they're going to put pressure on anybody they play. They had 52 points by halftime in Saturday's 65-24 win over UT-Martin. They've also played well in spots on defense, but that's the side of the ball that will be tested the most over the next two weeks. 3. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) - Previous ranking: 2 Week 8 result: 54-10 win vs. Iowa What's next: at Penn State (Saturday, noon ET) When the Buckeyes play defense like they did all game against Iowa, and when they play offense like they did in the second half, they're almost impossible to beat. Even with preseason All-American wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba essentially a nonfactor this season, Ohio State has so many weapons for quarterback C.J. Stroud to target in the passing game. Ohio State now faces likely its toughest road test of the season against Penn State, although the Buckeyes have lost only once in State College since 2005. 4. Michigan Wolverines (7-0) - Previous ranking: 4 Week 8 result: bye What's next: vs. Michigan State (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET) The 7-0 Wolverines had a bye this week to prepare for in-state rival Michigan State. The Spartans are 3-4 on the season and have struggled, but sometimes records can be tossed out the window in rivalry games. Michigan has Michigan State, Rutgers, Nebraska and Illinois next on the schedule before the team clashes with rival Ohio State. Illinois has had an impressive season thus far at 6-1 and could present as a problem for the Wolverines the week before they take on the Buckeyes. 5. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1) - Previous ranking: 6 Week 8 result: 30-6 win vs. No. 24 Mississippi State What's next: at LSU (Saturday, Nov. 5) 6. Clemson Tigers (8-0) - Previous ranking: 5 Week 8 result: 27-21 win vs. No. 14 Syracuse What's next: at Notre Dame (Saturday, Nov. 5) The Tigers get a much-needed open date after playing eight straight games and dealing with several injuries, the latest to linebacker Barrett Carter. Coach Dabo Swinney reiterated that DJ Uiagalelei is the starting quarterback despite getting benched for Cade Klubnik in the comeback win over Syracuse. Up next on Nov. 5 is a trip to Notre Dame. The last time Clemson played in South Bend, Uiagalelei started as a true freshman in place of Trevor Lawrence and threw for 439 yards in a wild 47-40 double-overtime loss. It took eight games for Eli Ricks to finally play meaningful snaps on defense for Alabama. The former All-American from LSU signed as a transfer during the offseason but didn't crack the starting lineup until Saturday against Mississippi State. He more than held his own: He batted down four passes and allowed only one completion. If he continues to play well, it would be a big help to a secondary that has been shaky at points this season, whether it was a close call at Texas or a loss at Tennessee. 7. Oregon Ducks (6-1) - Previous ranking: 10 Week 8 result: 45-30 win vs. No. 9 UCLA What's next: at Cal (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET) The Ducks will take their show on the road the next two weeks against lesser opponents. First up is Cal, which should be nothing but a small road bump in Oregon's season. There is danger in looking ahead, however. After matchups with the Bears and Colorado in Boulder, Oregon will have to face Washington and Utah at home, as well as Oregon State on the road, on the way to what the Ducks hope is the Pac-12 title game. 8. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-1) - Previous ranking: 11 Week 8 result: 41-34 win vs. No. 20 Texas What's next: at Kansas State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET) The Big 12 is a gantlet. Oklahoma State has played in four conference games, and all were tossups in the fourth quarter. The Pokes moved to 3-1 in conference and 6-1 overall with Saturday's 41-34 win over Texas -- they scored the game's final 17 points to secure the victory -- but the race for a spot in the Big 12 championship is only getting started. Next up are trips to Kansas State and Kansas, and Bedlam in Norman is less than a month away. Mike Gundy's Cowboys have proved resilient and ridiculously tough, and they'll have plenty more chances to prove that moving forward. 9. USC Trojans (6-1) - Previous ranking: 12 Week 8 result: bye What's next: at Arizona (Saturday, 6 p.m. ET) The Trojans travel to the desert next week to face a feisty Arizona team that's 3-4, coming off its own bye week but also two losses. On paper, it's the ideal matchup for USC to bounce back from its first loss of the season against Utah and get back on track. It will be interesting to see if Jordan Addison suits up after he appeared to suffer a lower body injury that sidelined him in the second half against Utah. While Caleb Williams has driven the USC offense so far, it's been Addison who has taken the unit to another level. Coach Lincoln Riley said last week that he did not expect the injury to Addison to be a long-term issue. 10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-1) - Previous ranking: 13 Week 8 result: 45-13 win vs. Boston College What's next: at Louisville (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET) Fifth-year quarterback Sam Hartman led the way yet again for Wake Forest, throwing for 313 yards and five touchdowns (with another rushing score) during Saturday's 43-15 win over Boston College. Now refreshed after an open week and riding a three-game winning streak since their loss to Clemson on Sept. 24, the Demon Deacons begin a stretch of three straight games against ranked opponents starting Nov. 5 against NC State. Those three games will go a long way in determining whether a trip to the New Year's Six will be in the cards -- somewhere the program has never been. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman threw five touchdowns and ran for another score as the Demon Deacons improved to 6-1. Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports