For the second time this season, there's a new No. 1 team in the nation.
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD), which rolled to a 46-0 victory this week, rose from No. 3 to No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 national rankings. Across the season, the Panthers have outscored opponents 216-48 and have scored 40 or more points in four of their five games. They haven't been seriously challenged since August.
Helping their cause was the too-close-for-comfort victories for the previous top two teams, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL). St. Thomas Aquinas needed a 14-point comeback in its win against Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, FL), with a blocked 33-yard field goal by Ohio State commit Wyatt Smith saving the day
for the Raiders. IMG Academy was on the other side of special teams in its comeback win over The St. James Performance Academy (Springfield, VA), as Zach Brien hit the game-winning field goal as time expired.
While both comebacks were impressive, the margin of error is minuscule as each of the top five teams have largely immaculate resumes. In addition to St. Frances Academy, Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) rose after taking down Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) 14-7, winning a Super 25 matchup and continuing to display very strong defense.
Then-No. 25 Grimsley (Greensboro, NC) dropped out of the rankings after an overtime win over Varina (VA). Entering in its spot is East St. Louis (IL), which has outscored its last four opponents 230-6.
See the full Super 25 Week 8 football rankings below.
1. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD)
Record: 5-0
Previous Rank: 3
Last Result: St. Frances Academy 46, Legacy School of Sport Sciences (TX) 0
2. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 5
Last Result: Santa Margarita 14, Mater Dei (CA) 7
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 1
Last Result: St. Thomas Aquinas 21, Chaminade-Madonna (FL) 20
4. IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 2
Last Result: IMG Academy 44, St. James Performance Academy (VA) 42
5. Buford (GA)
Record: 5-0
Previous Rank: 4
Last Result: Idle
6. Allen (TX)
Record: 5-0
Previous Rank: 6
Last Result: Idle
7. Columbus (Miami, FL)
Record: 6-1
Previous Rank: 7
Last Result: Columbus 53, Southwest (FL) 0
8. Thompson (Alabaster, AL)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 8
Last Result: Thompson 31, Hoover (AL) 14
9. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
Record: 5-1
Previous Rank: 9
Last Result: Idle
10. Carrollton (GA)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 10
Last Result: Idle
11. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA)
Record: 5-1
Previous Rank: 11
Last Result: St. John Bosco 40, JSerra Catholic (CA) 14
12. Baylor (Chattanooga, TN)
Record: 7-0
Previous Rank: 12
Last Result: Baylor 49, McCallie (TN) 7
13. Waxahachie (TX)
Record: 5-0
Previous Rank: 13
Last Result: Idle
14. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, CA)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 14
Last Result: Sierra Canyon 41, Loyola (CA) 0
15. Hamilton (Chandler, AZ)
Record: 5-0
Previous Rank: 15
Last Result: Idle
16. North Crowley (Fort Worth, TX)
Record: 5-0
Previous Rank: 16
Last Result: Idle
17. North Shore (Houston, TX)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 17
Last Result: North Shore 41, Humble (TX) 0
18. Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 18
Last Result: Thomas County Central 55, Veterans (GA) 12
19. Brownsburg (IN)
Record: 7-0
Previous Rank: 19
Last Result: Brownsburg 38, Zionsville (IN) 3
20. De La Salle (Concord, CA)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 23
Last Result: De La Salle 42, Cathedral Catholic (CA) 0
21. Hough (Cornelius, NC)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 21
Last Result: Idle
22. Massillon (OH)
Record: 6-0
Previous Rank: 22
Last Result: Idle
23. Trinity (Louisville, KY)
Record: 6-1
Previous Rank: 24
Last Result: Trinity 41, St. Xavier (OH) 0
24. East St. Louis (IL)
Record: 6-1
Previous Rank: NR
Last Result: East St. Louis 70, Belleville West (IL) 0
25. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA)
Record: 4-2
Previous Rank: 20
Last Result: Santa Margarita 14, Mater Dei 7
Watch list
- Bixby (OK)
- North Gwinnett (Suwanee, GA)
- Edna Karr (New Orleans, LA)
- The St. James Academy (Springfield, VA)
- Tupelo (MS)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA TODAY Sports Super 25 high school football rankings, Week 8
