After one of the most intriguing two weeks of college football in recent memory, Saturday was packed with three of the SEC’s headliners, including a clash between the top five Nobles. There are also multiple rivalry games that feature the Boots (sort of), as well as a College Football Playoff showcase in places like Bloomington, Indiana.
Bless this sport.
Let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 8, starting with the honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable mentions: No. 13 Oklahoma State BYU, Ohio State Miami (Ohio), No. 10 Virginia Clemson, Auburn vs. Missouri No. 19 Louisiana Coastal Carolina, Toledo at NIU, Colorado Arizona State, James Madison at Georgia Southern, UCF at No. 9 Iowa.
(All spreads sourced from BetMGM; click here Live odds. Live College Football It’s Fubo. All kickoff times are Eastern Time and Saturday unless otherwise noted.
Let’s give flowers to two teams that exceeded expectations in the Big 12. Arizona State and wrecking ball running back Cam Scatebo has been proving the doubters wrong for weeks. But the Sun Devils will be without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt due to a rib injury; fifth-year journeyman Jeff Sims will take his place. The Bearcats and Gunners transfer quarterback Brendan Sosby will try to take advantage of a depleted Arizona State team that spans two time zones to get an early kickoff.
Wire: Cincinnati-4.5
9. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (5-1) at Oregon State (4-2), 10 p.m. fuboCW
The Rebels hung a 50-burger at Utah State last week, rebounding from an overtime loss to Syracuse to stay neck-and-neck with Boise State in the Mountain West standings. There’s a big game next week in Las Vegas against the Broncos that will have a huge impact on the division race and the race for a spot in the CFP Group of 5. But a win in Corvallis this Saturday would add a nice highlight to UNLV’s resume. OSU looks to bounce back from an unexpected loss to Nevada and should end up being an enlightening co-opponent between the two. The Biffs will play at Boise State next month.
Wire: Nevada LV-7
8. No. 17 Kansas (5-1) at West Virginia (3-3), 7:30 p.m. fubofox
The Big 12’s three ranked teams have interesting matchups this week, including Oklahoma State at No. 13 BYU and UCF at No. 9 Iowa State. But Kansas State University faces the greatest risk. This is the only team among these three ranked teams to play on the road, and the only team to lose. Among the top five teams in the Big 12 preseason poll, the Wildcats are also the only team that has not disappointed so far. However, a second loss would quickly put their conference title and CFP hopes on life, even in the ever-chaotic Big 12. Virginia’s predicament, faced with – two skillful charge attacks.
Wire: Kansas-3
7. No. 24 Michigan (4-2) No. 22 Illinois (5-1), 3:30 p.m. fubocbs
It’s a bit surprising that the ranked matchup is ranked so low — except Michigan State has one of the worst offenses in college football (maybe it shouldn’t be ranked?). Illinois only needed overtime to defeat a fearsome Purdue team that scored 40 points in the second half. Still, hats off to the Illini, who went 5-1 and played their first ranked game at Memorial Stadium since 2000. Odd (“The Galloping Ghost”), who a century ago had an epic 402-yard, six-TD game against the Wolverines. The Illini will wear retro uniforms and hand-painted helmets that took 18 months to create.
Wire: Michigan -3.5
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The outcome of this game is expected to be different than Notre Dame’s 55-0 score when the two teams last met in 2021. The Irish lost All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison to a hip injury, and Georgia Tech quarterback Hines King will be a game-time decision after he was injured in last week’s win over North Carolina. If King can’t leave, the job will fall to second-year backup Zach Parron, who has completed 5 of 7 passes and rushed for four touchdowns in limited action. Either way, the Irish can’t take it lightly, and the remaining schedule looks to be a lot tougher than we all expected, including ranking games against Navy and Army before USC’s regular-season finale.
Wire: Notre Dame-12.5
5. Nebraska (5-1), No. 16 Indiana (6-0), noon, fubofox
I really enjoyed the media blitz between Indiana and Curt Cignetti this week, including Joe Rexrode’s great profile of Cignetti. The Indians are basking in the glory of their first 6-0 start since 1967, and rightfully so. They have been one of the biggest surprises in Year One of the season under Signetti and are yet to fall six games behind. Fox’s Big Noon opens with a trip to Bloomington, where Indiana will face off against Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who is playing beyond his years. A great game with top-10 defenses on both sides (Indiana has a top-five offense). The Huskers have lost 25 straight games to ranked opponents and are coming off two straight games at Indiana and Ohio State. On the other hand, another win for the Indians would shift the conversation from a fast start to a legitimate playoff contender.
Wire: Indiana -6.5
4. 7 p.m., No. 8 LSU (5-1), Arkansas (4-2) fuboESPN
It’s the battle for the Golden Boot, one of the most underappreciated rivalry titles and trophies in college football. LSU has won seven of its last eight games, but both teams are coming off huge wins.
The Tigers beat Mississippi State in overtime despite not leading until the final play of the game, and Arkansas blew the first leak out of Tennessee’s balloon a few weeks ago. The Razorbacks are better than expected — Sam Pittman may have kept his job — and LSU has climbed back into the top 10 and CFP rankings after a season-opening loss to USC. The Tigers need more consistency from Garrett Nussmeier to make some noise in the SEC, but his performance at the end of Mississippi State’s win showed how high his ceiling is high.
Wire: Louisiana State University-2.5
3. Noon 6 Miami (6-0) at Louisville (4-2) fuboABC
More premier athletics hardware and footwear: The Schnellenberger Trophy, which was introduced last season and is currently owned by the Cardinals. Battle for the Golden Boot?
The Louisville Sports Commission announced that Louisville and Miami will compete in the Schnellenberger Trophy each year: “Featuring the True Western dress boots, now bronzed, Coach Howard Schnellenberger leads both Worn as the project rose to national prominence. pic.twitter.com/khBoFZOpHQ
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) July 24, 2023
This game flies under the radar due to the loaded SEC slate, but it should be a fun high-scoring Barnburner. The Miami Heat are in desperate need of a bye after two close calls against Virginia Tech and Cal, but Heisman hopes Cam Ward and the Hurricanes remain one of 11 undefeated teams in college football. Louisville snapped a two-game skid with a victory over Virginia on Saturday, with quarterback Tyler Shough leading a top-15 offense (7.2 yards per game). Miami has this Ward leads all FBS offenses in passing yards per game with 8.2, and Ward leads all FBS quarterbacks in passing yards per game (369.8).
Wire: Miami-5
2. No. 7 Alabama (5-1), No. 11 Tennessee (5-1), 3:30 p.m. fuboABC
one almost Depending on which message board thread you read, this top-10 game between two teams is either a national title contender or a complete sham. Regardless, the third Saturday in October should provide some insight, and it will be crucial as both teams try to avoid a second loss and a spiraling fan base. This is a tough game to handicap: Alabama has a top-10 offense and Tennessee has a top-2 defense, but both teams are inconsistent on the field. David Ubben does a good job digging into this change in anonymous coaching secrets in the game, and Kennington Smith III looks at Alabama’s first-year head coach in the Tennessee rivalry Performance.
Wire: Alabama-3
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1. No. 5 Georgia (5-1), No. 1 Texas (6-0), 7:30 p.m., fuboABC
Where credit is due: This is our third top-five matchup of the season. The first two games — Georgia vs. Alabama and Ohio State vs. Oregon State — provide two of the best games of the year so far. This is the sixth meeting in Georgia and Texas history and the first since the 2019 Sugar Bowl.
The Dawgs are underdogs for the first time in their last 50 games (!) and will likely need a road win against the No. 1 team in the country to keep their CFP hopes alive. Texas, meanwhile, has excelled on both ends of the floor and is arguably in a league of its own now, although it has yet to face an opponent as formidable as Georgia. Quinn Ewers did look a little rusty when he returned from injury last week against Oklahoma State, so we’ll see if that continues. But coaches we spoke to for Coaches Confidential about the game all think Texas has the upper hand.
Another win for the Longhorns would solidify their status as the clear national championship favorite. But if this college football season’s chaotic schedule continues, we’ll see a weaker Georgia team beat the Horns in Austin, and the pinnacle of the sport will officially look as fragile as it has in years.
Wire: Texas-4.5
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Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
