The calendar has flipped to the back half of the college football regular season, and with the first official College Football Playoff rankings just two weeks away, Week 8 matched the competitive intensity that Week 7 brought, reshaping the national picture and reminding everyone how fragile perfection can be. Ohio State remains the steady constant atop the sport, suffocating Wisconsin in a shutout road win to strengthen its claim as the most complete team in the nation. Behind them, however, the chaos finally came for the unbeatens. Miami’s perfect run came to an end at home in stunning fashion, as Jeff Brohm and Louisville once again embraced their spoiler role to hand the Hurricanes their first loss of the year, sending shockwaves through the ACC and CFP race alike. Georgia reasserted its championship pedigree with a statement win over Ole Miss in Athens, while Alabama’s midseason surge continued with yet another ranked victory, this time over Tennessee in the rivalry’s latest chapter. Elsewhere, Vanderbilt became one of the weekend’s biggest stories, knocking off LSU in Nashville to earn back-to-back seasons with a top-ten win and a well-deserved visit from College Gameday ahead of its clash with Missouri. Meanwhile, Texas Tech stumbled without star quarterback Behren Morton, BYU and Georgia Tech quietly stayed perfect, and Indiana kept rolling with another decisive B1G win to remain firmly in the playoff mix. The race to November is officially here with October preparing to hit its final weekend, and with every week now carrying playoff weight, the margin for error has never been thinner. Here’s how the power rankings look heading into Week 9:

1. Ohio State (7-0)

Result: Won 34-0 @ Wisconsin

Up next: Bye Week

2. Indiana (7-0)

Result: Won 38-13 vs. Michigan State

Up next: vs. UCLA

3. Alabama (6-1)

Result: Won 37-20 vs. #11 Tennessee

Up next: @ South Carolina

4. Texas A&M (7-0)

Result: Won 45-42 @ Arkansas

Up next: @ #20 LSU

5. Georgia (6-1)

Result: Won 43-35 vs. #5 Ole Miss

Up next: Bye Week

6. Georgia Tech (7-0)

Result: Won 27-18 @ Duke

Up next: vs. Syracuse

7. BYU (7-0)

Result: Won 24-21 vs. #23 Utah

Up next: @ Iowa State

8. Ole Miss (6-1)

Result: Lost 43-35 @ #9 Georgia

Up next: @ #13 Oklahoma

9. Oregon (6-1)

Result: Won 56-10 @ Rutgers

Up next: vs. Wisconsin

10. Miami (5-1)

Result: Lost 24-21 vs. Louisville

Up next: vs. Stanford

11. Oklahoma (6-1)

Result: Won 26-7 @ South Carolina

Up next: vs. #8 Ole Miss

12. Vanderbilt (6-1)

Result: Won 31-24 vs. #10 LSU

Up next: vs. #15 Missouri

13. Texas Tech (6-1)

Result: Lost 26-22 @ Arizona State

Up next: vs. Oklahoma State

14. Notre Dame (5-2)

Result: Won 34-24 vs. #20 USC

Up next: Bye Week

15. Missouri (6-1)

Result: Won 23-17 (2OT) @ Auburn

Up next: @ #10 Vanderbilt

16. Virginia (6-1)

Result: Won 22-20 vs. Washington State

Up next: @ North Carolina

17. Louisville (5-1)

Result: Won 24-21 @ #2 Miami

Up next: vs. Boston College

18. USF (6-1)

Result: Won 48-13 vs. FAU

Up next: @ Memphis

19. Cincinnati (6-1)

Result: Won 49-17 @ Oklahoma State

Up next: vs. Baylor

20. Tennessee (5-2)

Result: Lost 37-20 @ #6 Alabama

Up next: @ Kentucky

21. Illinois (5-2)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: @ Washington

22. Texas (5-2)

Result: Won 16-13 (OT) @ Kentucky

Up next: @ Mississippi State

23. LSU (5-2)

Result: Lost 31-24 @ #17 Vanderbilt

Up next: vs. #3 Texas A&M

24. Arizona State (5-2)

Result: Won 26-22 vs. #7 Texas Tech

Up next: vs. Houston

25. Navy (6-0)

Result: Bye Week

Up next: vs. FAU