Following two of the most captivating weeks of college football in recent memory, comes a jam-packed Saturday featuring three SEC headliners, including a top-five showdown between bluebloods. There's also the possibility of multiple rivalry games featuring Boots (something like that) and a College Football Playoff showcase in Bloomington, Indiana.
God bless this sport.
Let's rank the top 10 games of Week 8, starting with honorable mentions.
Honorable mention: Oklahoma State (No. 13), Miami (Ohio), Virginia (No. 10) Clemson, Auburn vs. No. 19 (Missouri), Coastal Carolina (Louisiana), Toledo/NIU, Arizona (Colorado), Georgia Southern (James Madison); UCF 9th place Iowa State University.
(All point spreads are from BetMGM. Click here) here For live odds. stream college football in fubo. All kickoff times are Eastern Time and Saturday unless otherwise noted. )
Let's give flowers to the two teams that outperformed expectations in the Big 12. Both teams were expected to finish near the bottom of the conference, but Saturday's winner will be in contention for the conference title. For weeks, Arizona State University's wrecking ball running back Cam Skatebo has been proving his doubters wrong. However, the Sun Devils will be without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt due to a rib injury. Fifth-year journeyman Jeff Sims will start in his place. Bearcats and gunslinging transfer QB Brendan Thorsby will try to take advantage of ASU's attrition across two time zones for an early kickoff.
line: Cincinnati -4.5
9. UNLV (5-1) at Oregon State (4-2), 10 p.m. Prefectural securityC.W.
The Rebels bounced back from last week's 50-burger loss to Utah State and an overtime loss to Syracuse to keep pace with Boise State in the Mountain West standings. A huge game against the Broncos is set for next week in Las Vegas, which will have a huge impact on the conference race and the battle for a Group 5 spot in the CFP. But a win in Corvallis this Saturday would add a nice bullet point to UNLV's resume up to that point. Oregon State, looking to bounce back from a surprising loss to Nevada, should end up being a common opponent that will be beneficial for both schools. The Beaves will play at Boise State next month.
line: UNLV-7
8. No. 17 Kansas State (5-1) vs. West Virginia (3-3), 7:30 p.m. Prefectural securityfox
This week features some interesting matchups involving three ranked teams in the Big 12, including Oklahoma State at No. 13 BYU and UCF at No. 9 Iowa State. But K-State is most at risk. They are the only team of the three ranked teams to go on the road, and the only team with a loss. Among the top five teams in the Big 12 preseason poll, the Wildcats are also the only team that hasn't disappointed so far. But a second loss would quickly end any conference title and CFP hopes, even in the perennially chaotic Big 12. Kansas State can't afford to stumble in Morgantown against a striped but resilient West Virginia. Performs two skilled lunge attacks.
line: Kansas -3
7. No. 24 Michigan (4-2) vs. No. 22 Illinois (5-1), 3:30 p.m. Prefectural securityCBS
It's a little surprising that a ranked matchup is this low on the list, except for the fact that Michigan's offense is one of the worst in college football (and maybe it shouldn't be ranked?). Illinois needed overtime to defeat a terrible Purdue team that scored 40 points in the second half. Still, hats off to Illinois, which is 5-1 and playing its first ranked game since 2000 at Memorial Stadium. Illinois will also honor legendary halfback Red Grange, a.k.a. the Galloping Ghost, a century removed from his epic 402-yard, six-touchdown run. game against the Wolverines. Illini players will wear classic uniforms and hand-painted helmets that took 18 months to create.
line: Michigan -3.5
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This game is expected to be different from Notre Dame's 55-0 shutout victory the last time these teams met in 2021. Unfortunately, injuries will be a storyline. The Irish lost All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison late in the season to a hip injury, and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King was bruised in last week's win over North Carolina, forcing him to make in-game decisions. It will be decided. If King is unavailable, that job will fall to sophomore reserve Zach Pyron, who completed 5 of 7 passes and scored 4 touchdowns in limited action. hurried. Either way, the Irish can't take this game lightly, and the rest of the schedule is much bigger than we expected, including ranked games against Navy and Army before the regular season finale at USC. It looks like it's going to be tough.
line: Notre Dame -12.5
5. Nebraska (5-1) vs. No. 16 Indiana (6-0), noon; Prefectural securityfox
I enjoyed the media blitz on Indiana and Curt Cignetti this week, including a great profile of Cignetti by Joe Rexrode. The Hoosiers are basking in the glow of their first 6-0 start since 1967, and it's no surprise. They were one of the biggest surprises of the season in Cininetti's first year as coach, but they have yet to win through six games. The Fox's Big Noon kickoff will be in Bloomington, where IU will face Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. Raiola is acting wisely beyond his years. Big matchup featuring a top 10 defense (and Indiana's top 5 offense). The Huskers, who have lost 25 straight games to top-ranked opponents, will get cracked in two straight games against Indiana and then at Ohio State. On the other hand, if the Hoosiers win again, the conversation will shift from a fast start to a legitimate playoff contender.
line: Indiana -6.5
4. No. 8 LSU (5-1) at Arkansas (4-2), 7 p.m. Prefectural security,ESPN
It's one of the most underrated rivalry names and trophies in college football: the race for the Golden Boot. LSU has won seven of its past eight games, but both teams have come away with big wins.
The Tigers won a classic overtime win against Ole Miss despite never taking the lead until the final play of the game, and Arkansas broke Tennessee's first balloon leak a few weeks ago. Ta. The Razorbacks were better than expected and Sam Pittman may have saved his job, while LSU regained top-10 and CFP status after losing to USC in the season opener. The Tigers will need more consistency from Garrett Nussmeier to make some noise in the SEC, but his performance at the end of the Ole Miss win showed how high his ceiling is.
line: LSU -2.5
3. No. 6 Miami (6-0) vs. Louisville (4-2), noon; Prefectural securityABC
More prestigious rivalry hardware and footwear: The Schnellenberger Trophy. He was introduced last season and is currently with the Cardinals. Battle for the Golden Boot? ?
The Louisville Sports Commission announced that Louisville and Miami will play each year in the Schnellenberger Trophy. “This trophy features the actual Western dress boots, now bronze in color, that coach Howard Schnellenberger wore when he led both programs to national prominence.” pic.twitter.com/khBoFZOpHQ
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) July 24, 2023
This game may seem under the radar due to the SEC slate, but it should be a fun and high-scoring game. Miami desperately needed a bye after two close calls against Virginia Tech and California, but Heisman hopeful Cam Ward and the Hurricanes remain one of 11 undefeated teams in college football. Louisville ended a two-game drought with a win over Virginia last Saturday with a top-15 offense (7.2 yards per play) led by quarterback Tyler Shaw. In Miami of Ward leads the FBS offense with 8.2 yards per play and leads all FBS quarterbacks in passing yards per game (369.8).
line: miami -5
2. No. 7 Alabama (5-1) vs. No. 11 Tennessee (5-1), 3:30 p.m. Prefectural securityABC
Ann largely Top 10 matchups between two teams that are either national title contenders or complete fraud teams, depending on which message board thread you read. Either way, the third Saturday in October should provide some insight, and it's an important Saturday as both teams try to avoid a second loss and a surge in their fan bases. This is a tough match with a handicap. Alabama has a top 10 offense and Tennessee has a top 2 defense, but both teams are volatile on the field. David Ubben did a good job digging into that variation in his anonymous Coaching Confidential article about the game, and Kennington Smith III examined how Alabama's first-year head coach fared in the Tennessee rivalry.
line: Alabama -3
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1. No. 5 Georgia (5-1) vs. No. 1 Texas (6-0), 7:30 p.m. Prefectural securityABC
This is the third top-five showdown this season. The first two games, Georgia vs. Alabama and Ohio State vs. Oregon, have been two of the best games of the year so far. This will be the sixth time Georgia and Texas have played against each other, and the first since the 2019 Sugar Bowl.
The Dawgs have fallen behind for the first time in their last 50 games (!) and may need a road win against the nation's top-ranked team to keep their CFP hopes alive. Texas, on the other hand, has excelled on both sides of the ball and is definitely in a class of its own right now, but they have yet to play an opponent as good as Georgia. Quinn Ewers looked a little rusty when he returned from injury last week against Oklahoma, so we'll see if that lasts. But coaches we spoke to for confidential coaching information about the game see Texas as having the upper hand.
Another win for the Longhorns would solidify their status as the favorites to win the national championship. But if this college football season continues to be a mess, we'll see a slightly weakened Georgia beat the Horns in Austin, leaving the sport's top team officially as vulnerable as it has been in years. You will see it.
line: Texas -4.5
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Coaching secret: Texas has an advantage over Georgia in SEC showdown
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
