Top five unchanged; Wisconsin falls to No. 12
Alabama remained No. 1 with the next four teams holding the same order as last week. But Wisconsin’s upset loss at Illinois dropped the Badgers six spots from No. 6 to No. 12. Oklahoma and Penn State kept winning, completing the six unbeaten teams at the top of the poll.
The Nittany Lions’ win came against Michigan, kicking the Wolverines out of the poll, and Boise State fell from the rankings after losing to BYU. They were replaced by unbeatens Baylor and Minnesota who joined the poll for the first time this season.
Alabama (24), LSU (11), Ohio State (7), Clemson (3) and Oklahoma (1) received the first-place votes from the 46 selectors.
The SEC led all leagues with five teams, the Big Ten had four, Big 12 three, and the Pac-12 two. The ACC and Independents each had one.
GAMES THIS WEEK:
Arkansas at No. 1 Alabama;
No. 10 Auburn at No. 2 LSU;
No. 12 Wisconsin at No.3 Ohio State;
Boston College at No. 4 Clemson;
No. 5 Oklahoma at Kansas State;
No. 6 Penn State at Michigan State;
No.7 Florida is idle;
No. 8 Notre Dame at Michigan;
No. 9 Georgia is idle;
Washington State at No. 11 Oregon;
California at No. 13 Utah;
No. 14 Baylor is idle;
No. 15 Texas at TCU;
Maryland at No. 16 Minnesota.
Week 8: games played through October 19, 2019
| TEAM | POINTS | FIRST-PLACE VOTES | LAST WEEK’S RANK | |
| 1. | Alabama (7-0) | 687 | 24 | 1 |
| 2. | LSU (7-0) | 673 | 11 | 2 |
| 3. | Ohio State (7-0) | 649 | 7 | 3 |
| 4. | Clemson (7-0) | 613 | 3 | 4 |
| 5. | Oklahoma (7-0) | 592 | 1 | 5 |
| 6. | Penn State (7-0) | 487 | 7 | |
| 7. | Florida (7-1) | 406 | 8 | |
| 8. | Notre Dame (5-1) | 375 | 9 | |
| 9. | Georgia (6-1) | 364 | 10 | |
| 10. | Auburn (6-1) | 359 | 11 | |
| 11. | Oregon (6-1) | 311 | 12 | |
| 12. | Wisconsin (6-1) | 185 | 6 | |
| 13. | Utah (6-1) | 181 | 15 | |
| 14. | Baylor (7-0) | 127 | N/A | |
| 15. | Texas (5-2) | 84 | 14 | |
| 16. | Minnesota (7-0) | 62 | N/A |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: SMU (47), Michigan (18), Boise State (8), Cincinnati (8), Appalachian State (8), Arizona State (6), Texas A&M (5), Iowa State (1).
ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL: The FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Monday of the 2019 season; the individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 3 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, Dec. 8. The pollsters consist of FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective. The poll utilizes a program designed by Sports Systems to compile the rankings.
ABOUT THE FWAA: The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information visit www.footballwriters.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork.
The Fifth Down 