UNC Football

AP Poll: Week Eight

Was Carolina’s win over Duke enough to catapult them into the rankings?

By Douglas Valentine@ValentineDoug Oct 18, 2022, 9:00am EDT

This past weekend brought perhaps the most excitement of the college football season thus far, with six ranked matchups taking place and four top ten teams going down. The Tennessee Volunteers snapped a 15-game losing streak against Alabama in what became a shootout in Knoxville. Meanwhile, Michigan is once again making its case as a legitimate playoff contender after a dominant win over Penn State.

North Carolina escaped Durham with a three-point victory over Duke to retain the Victory Bell yet again. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Tar Heels improved to 6-1 and maintain their position atop the ACC Coastal standings. Was it enough to finally crack the AP Top 25? Let’s take a look at this week’s rankings.

AP Top 25

1. Georgia (31 first place votes)

2. Ohio State (17)

3. Tennessee(15)

4. Michigan

5. Clemson

6. Alabama

7. Ole Miss

8. TCU

9. UCLA

10. Oregon

11. Oklahoma State

12. USC

13. Wake Forest

14. Syracuse

15. Utah

16. Penn State

17. Kansas State

18. Illinois

19. Kentucky

20. Texas

21. Cincinnati

22. North Carolina

23. NC State

24. Mississippi State

25. Tulane

Where is UNC?

After teetering on the edge for a couple weeks, the Tar Heels have officially entered the AP Poll rankings, slotting in at #22. Although Carolina’s win over Duke wasn’t necessarily a major statement, a win is a win and must be rewarded as such. With some other ranked teams losing over the weekend (NC State), it paved the way for the Heels to comfortably crack the rankings. They have another bye this week before hosting Pittsburgh on October 29th.

Biggest Winners

As previously mentioned, Tennessee managed to defeat Alabama with a last second field goal attempt. Their 52 points marked the most such recorded against the Crimson Tide since 1907, and the Vols’ #3 ranking is the highest they have been in 20 years. Syracuse continued its undefeated season with a convincing win over NC State, moving the Orange into the top 15. TCU jumped five spots after a thrilling double overtime dub over Oklahoma State and Tulane makes its first appearance of the season.

Biggest Losers

James Madison’s stay in the top 25 was short-lived after dropping one on the road to Georgia Southern. Kansas was the only other team to fall out of the rankings after their second straight defeat, this time against Oklahoma. NC State and Mississippi State each fell eight spots despite losing to ranked teams.

Conference Breakdown

SEC: 6
ACC: 5
Big 12: 4
Big Ten: 4
Pac-12: 4
AAC: 2

Marquee Matchups This Week

#14 Syracuse (6-0, 3-0 ACC) at #5 Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC) - Saturday at 12:00 PM ET on ABC
#9 UCLA (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) at #10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) - Saturday at 3:30 PM ET on FOX
#24 Mississippi State (5-2, 2-2 SEC) at #6 Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC) - Saturday at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN