JD PicKell: Nothing But Ball Top 10 after Week 8 of College Football

The 2023 college football season is living up to every expectation you could have for a crazy campaign. Week 8 featured a close battle between two top-ten teams, a top-10 team getting upset by a 1-5 program and many more memorable games.

After every week of the college football season, On3’s J.D. PicKell selects his Nothing But Ball Top 10, which ranks teams based on what has happened on the field. Analytics and advance statistics don’t matter in this poll. It’s all about the eye test.

Here is the Nothing But Ball Top 10 after Week 8 of the college football season.

1. Georgia

Georgia had its bye week in Week 8. The Bulldogs will return to action Saturday against Florida for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

“I just have a hard time dropping them after a bye week,” PicKell said. “If we’re the last one to get off the Georgia branch, I’m fine with that. Still trust Kirby Smart. Still trust that roster.”

2. Michigan

Michigan continued its dominance once again with a 49-0 thrashing of rival Michigan State. J.J. McCarthy threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns in the win, which was the first shutout of the year for the Wolverines.

“If you have them No. 1, I have no arguments to be made there,” PicKell said. “Extremely dominant. J.J. McCarthy in the pass game got a little workout against Michigan State. That really is the noticeable difference for me, just his development and how in control he is.”

3. Ohio State

Ohio State welcomed Penn State to Columbus, Ohio, for the most anticipated game of Week 8 and sent them back across the border with a 20-12 loss. The Buckeyes never trailed in the win as Marvin Harrison Jr. stole the show with 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.

“Probably the best resume in college football, if we’re going to be honest,” PicKell said. “Kyle McCord, I think, is going to continue to find his own. I think we saw them yesterday just play a more physical brand of football and just like re-emphasize to everyone like that’s who they are now, they can play that way and they can win that way.”

4. Florida State

Florida State was down 20-17 at the half and at the end of the third quarter to Duke on Saturday. But the Seminoles scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to emerge with a 38-20 victory.

“I like the way they’re built,” PicKell said. “They keep getting off the ropes and it’s hard to figure out. Like is that a good thing that they get off the ropes or is it a bad thing they’re on the ropes to begin with? I don’t know but Jordan Travis, he deserves more love than he’s getting nationally in my opinion. I think he’s one of the best players in the country.”

5. Oklahoma

Oklahoma was down to UCF heading into the fourth quarter before scoring two touchdowns to flip the script. After the Knights scored with 1:16 left to make it a 31-29 game, the Sooners stifled the two-point conversion and won.

“I have them ahead of Washington, I’ve said this before, because of what they have up front,” PicKell said. “I think they are just a better outfit physically than Washington.”

6. Washington

Washington had a major letdown in Week 8 against now 1-6 Arizona State but still managed to win 15-7 despite not having an offensive touchdown during the game. While the Huskies are a mainly aerial attack led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the team only rushed for a worrisome 13 yards.

“Didn’t look great against Arizona State,” PicKell said. “But still Michael Penix Jr. it’s hard to make a case against him. There’s something to be said for winning gritty, winning a low scoring game yesterday, winning with defense. You got to give credit to Washington.”

7. Texas

Texas returned from bye with a weird game versus Houston. The Longhorns were up 21-0 before the Cougars came back to tie it. They wound up winning 31-24 but lost Quinn Ewers to a shoulder injury in the third quarter. His status is unknown going forward.

“Texas, I think, is still Texas and found a way to win in a tough spot after Red River, after a bye,” PicKell said. “They were a dinged up roster. You hope Ewers is healthy. But from a roster standpoint and from what we’ve seen so far, Texas, definitely one of the top teams in the country.”

8. Oregon

Oregon rebounded from its heartbreaking loss to Washington with a 38-24 victory over a tough Washington State program. The Ducks offense was well-balanced once again with Bo Nix throwing for two scores and 293 yards while Bucky Irving and Jordan James each rushed for over 100 yards.

“A tough spot for Oregon coming off that loss to Washington, was curious to see how they respond,” PicKell said. “I just think they’re gonna be on a tear here. I mean they’re going to be right there in that game in the Pac-12 title game and they’re gonna be a tough out with how physical they are run and with the experience Bo Nix has.”

9. Alabama

Alabama keeps getting better and better as the season goes on, and displaying lots of resilience along the way. Tennessee was up 20-7 at the half on the Crimson Tide before Alabama outscored the Volunteers by 27 points to win its sixth straight.

“I think they just continue to get better week in and week out,” PicKell said. “I think they’re evolving, which is dangerous for college football. I think that team that lost the Texas in Week 2 is no longer in Tuscaloosa. Saw a lot of pride from them yesterday with how they responded being down in Tennessee at home. I’m excited about Alabama.”

10. Penn State

The pain from Penn State’s loss to Ohio State will likely sting for at least a few weeks as it let a golden chance to put itself firmly at the top of College Football Playoff contention slip away. Now, the Nittany Lions will hope to right the ship and not look too far ahead to a looming matchup with Michigan.

“I know they lost to Ohio State but I still think that they’re one of the top teams in the country, still one of the top defensive teams in the country,” PicKell said. “The difference in yesterday’s game against Ohio State was one team had Marvin Harrison Jr. and one team did not. Overall, I don’t have a ton of questions about Penn State.”

The College Football Playoff race is coming into greater focus each week and next weekend should be no different.