Top 10 National Title Contenders After Week 8

After a heart-breaking loss to the Baylor Bears last weekend, the Horned Frogs are poised to move back into the top 10 rankings, and reign atop the Big-12. After easily defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys this weekend, the Horned Frogs, who have the nation’s fifth-best scoring offense, are now past their hardest stretch of the season, and have a very good chance to continue moving up in the rankings.

After losing a tough matchup to the Florida State Seminoles, the Fighting Irish can be proud knowing they are still one of the best teams in the nation. The Irish still have a tough slate of games remaining, including visits to play Arizona State and USC. Brian Kelly's group will have the chance to move up in the rankings, as long as they continue to play with the same effort they had last night in Tallahassee.

The Bulldogs find themselves in the best position of any team in the SEC at the moment. They are the clear top dog in the SEC East Division, and have a much easier schedule remaining than any of the teams in the vaunted SEC West. Despite losing early in the season to South Carolina, the Bulldogs are right where they want to be heading into their matchup with the Florida Gators in two weeks.

Coming off an impressive 56-17 victory on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers, the Spartans have cruised through the Big-10 since losing at Oregon against the Ducks. That loss may haunt the Spartans, as they will need teams ahead of them to continue losing if they are to have any chance at making the playoff. Matchups with Ohio State and in-state rival Michigan loom ahead, as the nation’s third-best offense continues to build steam.

After losing at home to the Arizona Wildcats, the Ducks have rebounded with two dominant wins against upper-echelon teams in the Pac-12. They now sit atop the conference standings, with a visit from the Stanford Cardinals and a trip to play the Utah Utes as their most difficult games remaining. The Ducks’ track record reveals the potential for another upset this season, but if the team can prevent this, they may land one of the playoff spots.

After losing last weekend to the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Tigers found themselves off this weekend. Despite this, the Tigers should move up in the overall rankings, as they are at home next weekend against South Carolina, before traveling back to Mississippi, this time to play the Rebels. Led by quarterback Nick Marshall, the Tigers have a difficult remaining schedule, but will have the chance to run the gauntlet for a spot in the playoff.

Coming off a 59-point victory over Texas A&M -- fourth-largest margin in school history -- the Crimson Tide have found their stride, despite having the most grueling schedule in the nation. There are never any off weeks in the SEC, and Nick Saban knows this better than anyone. Outside of a visit to play LSU, the Tide have all of their big remaining games at home, and have to feel confident knowing the SEC West will run through Tuscaloosa.

With the weekend off, the Bulldogs finally had a chance to rest up after their relentless mid-season schedule. Next week, the Bulldogs are right back at it, as they visit Lexington to play the Kentucky Wildcats. The Bulldogs may have been the most impressive team thus far this year, but with road games against the Crimson Tide and their in-state rival Rebels, Dan Mullen’s group is far from a sure thing to make this year’s playoff.

Off to their best start since 1962, the Rebels throttled another opponent this weekend, as they defeated the Tennessee Volunteers, 34-3. Quarterback Bo Wallace didn’t shine in this one, but the team’s biggest star continues to be its defense, which is allowing just 11.8 points per game this season. The Rebels are on the road against the LSU Tigers next weekend, and will certainly need their defense to be in full effect in order to remain perfect.

After defeating Notre Dame on Saturday night, the Seminoles have the easiest remaining schedule of any team on this list. Jameis Winston continues to be a distraction, however the quarterback continues to show up and deliver time after time, as the team has now won 23 consecutive games dating back to 2012. While other teams on this list could be better overall, no team has as good a chance as the Seminoles do at making it to this year’s playoff.