College Football Rankings 2019: Updated AP Poll vs. Vegas Power Ratings After Week 8

UPDATE: Our power ratings have been updated on Sunday, Oct. 20, to reflect Week 8 results. The AP Poll is out, as well.

A ranked team can be an underdog to an unranked team, like Oklahoma State-Baylor this weekend. Or there could be a massive point spread between two ranked teams, like Arizona State-Utah.

That's because traditional college football rankings like the AP Poll don't tell nearly the whole story when it comes to the ability of each team. There's so much more to it.

Instead, you need to dig deep into the boxscore to determine which teams can actually move the ball, generate big plays and finish drives, then stop their opponents from doing the same, among many other things.

Collin Wilson keeps and updates our oddsmaker-style college football power ratings, which are available to Action Network EDGE members. He ranks all 130 teams and assigns a number to each that can be used to create a point spread between any two opponents on a neutral field.

Below, we're giving you a sneak preview of our power ratings to see how they differ from the AP Poll. There's nothing predictive about these differences — the betting market is aware SMU isn't one of the 20 best teams in the country — but its an interesting exercise nonetheless.

College Football Rankings: AP Poll vs. Power Ratings

AP Poll before and after Week 8. 

AP Poll vs. Our Power Ratings

All data as of Friday night, October 18.

Alabama

• AP Poll: 1
• Our Rankings: 1

Alabama has long been settled into a spot like this — decimate weaker opponents, have everyone somehow ignore them, then close out the season with its toughest SEC West tests.

The Tide have been No. 1 in our ratings for most of the season.

Clemson

• AP Poll: 3
• Our Rankings: 2

Right around this time last year, after surviving a few close calls, Clemson took off. The Tigers began hanging 40 on pretty much all the ACC opponents.

Maybe last week's 45-14 win over Florida State that could have been much worse is a start.

Ohio State

• AP Poll: 4
• Our Rankings: 3

Ohio State has maybe been the most impressive team in the country with a dynamic offense and much-improved defense. They made quick work of Northwestern on Friday night in a 52-3 win.

LSU

• AP Poll: 2
• Our Rankings: 4

After Ohio State, if not ahead of it, LSU has been the most impressive team in college football. Joe Burrow looks terrific under center, and the Tigers haven't been held to fewer than 42 points all season.

Next week, LSU hosts Auburn before a bye and then a date with Alabama.

Oklahoma

• AP Poll: 5
• Our Rankings: 5

All Oklahoma needed was some semblance of a defense, and it could be truly feared in the national landscape. Well, those dreams might be coming true.

The Sooners are averaging a historic 9.6 yards per play on offense and fielding a top 40 defense.

Georgia

• AP Poll: 10
• Our Rankings: 6

AP Poll voters tend to be more reactionary than our power ratings, which need solid evidence that a team is faltering. Georgia lost the turnover battle 4-0 in its defeat to South Carolina last week, so we're not dismissing the Bulldogs just yet.

Wisconsin

• AP Poll: 6
• Our Rankings: 7

Wisconsin pitched its fourth shutout of the season last week, and after a date with Illinois this week, the Badgers will go to Columbus to take on Ohio State. We project that line to be around Ohio State -10.

Penn State

• AP Poll: 7
• Our Rankings: 8

Penn State has a massive tilt with Michigan that can either knock the Nittany Lions out of the Big Ten East race or keep them very much in it.

Notre Dame

• AP Poll: 8
• Our Rankings: 9

Notre Dame still has an outside shot at the College Football Playoff if it goes unbeaten the remainder of the season. Its last real test is at Michigan next week.

Auburn

• AP Poll: 11
• Our Rankings: 10

Auburn has some flaws, but is clearly one of the 15 or so best teams in the country. Trouble is, the Tigers could still finish with four losses.

Oregon

• AP Poll: 12
• Our Rankings: 11

Oregon's defense is legit and the Ducks have to be kicking themselves for blowing a lead against Auburn in the season opener.

This week, Oregon goes to Washington, looking to improve on its recent road woes (3-9 in its last 12 away from Autzen Stadium).

Utah

• AP Poll: 13
• Our Rankings: 12

Utah also has to be kicking itself for losing to USC, since the Utes would still be in the College Football Playoff conversation if they were unbeaten.

Washington

• AP Poll: 25
• Our Rankings: 13

Washington has had some serious ups and downs this year, but there's still a lot to like about the Huskies underneath the hood.

They can prove a lot of people wrong with a win at home against Oregon this week.

Florida

• AP Poll: 9
• Our Rankings: 14

The Gators are for real, and are very much still in play for a New Year's Six bowl bid, but need to survive a tricky test at South Carolina this week. Florida has taken a hit in our power ratings in recent weeks.

Texas

• AP Poll: 15
• Our Rankings: 15

Texas has been plagued by injuries and just can't quite get over the hump against the best teams on its schedule. The Longhorns have risen several spots in our power ratings throughout the year, though.

Michigan

• AP Poll: 16
• Our Rankings: 16

Michigan began in the top 5 of our power ratings and has since fallen thanks to an anemic offense and defense that hasn't lived up to the Wolverines' units of old.

Texas A&M

• AP Poll: NR
• Our Rankings: 17

Texas A&M's schedule has been brutal this far so it's fallen outside the AP Top 25 — that's what playing Alabama and Clemson in the first seven weeks will do to you.

Missouri

• AP Poll: 22
• Our Rankings: 18

Mizzou cracked the AP Poll for the first time this week, though its still not eligible for the postseason.

Iowa

• AP Poll: 23
• Our Rankings: 19

Iowa has some offensive issues, scoring just 15 points in its last two games against Michigan and Penn State, but that could lead to some value on the Buckeyes down the stretch.

Iowa State

• AP Poll: NR
• Our Rankings: 20

Iowa State is a semi-quiet 4-2, with its only losses coming by a combined three points. The Cyclones have plenty of tough tests left, beginning a three-game stretch against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas next week.

Oklahoma State

• AP Poll: NR
• Our Rankings: 21

The Cowboys dropped an inexcusable one as 10-point favorites last week at Texas Tech, but are still very much underrated in the national landscape. That's why they're a short favorite against unbeaten Baylor this week.

UCF

• AP Poll: NR
• Our Rankings: 22

Over the past few seasons, UCF had been way overvalued in the AP Poll and outside the top 25 in our power ratings, but the script has flipped despite two losses.

Michigan State

• AP Poll: NR
• Our Rankings: 23

Sparty doesn't appear to be a threat in the Big Ten East, but can ruin some seasons along the way, as usual.

USC

• AP Poll: NR
• Our Rankings: 24

USC fought hard in a loss at Notre Dame last week as a 10-point underdog. This team is still very much a factor in the Pac-12 South race.

Baylor

• AP Poll: 18
• Our Rankings: 25

Baylor is starting to catch up to its AP Poll ranking, but the Bears are still slightly overvalued.