College Football Week 8 in Review!
Hey, everyone.
Another great week of action is in the books. College football never fails to deliver!
The BIG games
Michigan 21 Michigan St 7
Yes, guy. What a performance. The Michigan defense held Sparty to 94 (!) yards of offense and showcased a very balanced attack en route to their dominating win. Michigan St QB Brian Lewerke was 5/25 for 66 yards at 2.2 yards per attempt. The Wolverines get Penn St after their bye week and then it’s almost certainly clear sailing until the big game with Ohio St on November 24th.
Purdue 49 Ohio St 20
Speaking of Ohio St, the loss to Purdue was not a complete surprise BUT the score certainly was a shocker. We have spoken before about how having a great passing game is “fun” and “exciting” but it often makes you more susceptible to the upset, especially when your defense is down a notch (or three) from recent stop units. This will be a tough one to bounce back from but don’t forget that the Buckeyes responded to their blowout loss to Iowa last season by beating Michigan St 48-3. We aren’t that enthusiastic about their prospects but they have won 11+ games for six straight seasons. There is still a LOT of talent on board.
Washington St 34 Oregon 20
Don’t look now but the Cougars are in REALLY good shape in the PAC-12 North. At least they control their own destiny. They jumped out to a 27-0 lead vs the Ducks and never looked back. Oregon was held to 58 (!) net rushing yards which is a fine accomplishment for the Cougars’ defense. Up next, a road date with Stanford. <grabs popcorn>
Oklahoma 52 TCU 27
The Sooners served notice that they are on a mission to bag a possible rematch with Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. There is still a lot of football to be played in this competitive conference but steamrolling TCU on the road has to get your attention, AMIRITE?
MEGALOCKS TOP 10 after WEEK 8
This is how we rate teams based on who would win a theoretical match-up on a neutral site. It is NOT meant to be a “playoff” ranking.
- ROLL TIDE – They are a sophisticated football ROBOT sent back from the year 2439 to destroy everything in their path. Just kidding. Not really.
- Clemson – Won last two conference games 104-10. Florida St up next.
- LSU – Clear notch below the top-3. Must respect. Huge game with Tide on November 3rd.
- Oklahoma – If the D can just be “average”, look out.
- Michigan – Defense still matters. Could make a case for a few other teams in this spot.
Next in line (in alphabetical order)
Florida – HUGE game with the Bulldogs this week!
Georgia – Loads of talent but still unproven.
Notre Dame – Could make a case for a top-5 placing. Take on Navy in San Diego this Saturday.
Ohio St – This is still a top-10 team on paper.
Texas – Only team in the Big-12 without a conference loss.
How is our predicted FINAL FOUR looking right now?
ROLL TIDE, Georgia, Clemson, Wisconsin.
The carnage is ongoing as Ohio St’s chances took a big hit. ROLL TIDE seems unstoppable but the game at LSU on November 3rd may not be a layup (?). Clemson looks to have a clear path and have the feeling of a team that will peak at the right time. Georgia is more than capable of running the table but will almost certainly need to do just that (would include a win over ROLL TIDE in SEC Championship) to get their way back to the playoff. Wisconsin was not up to the task this season but can still get back to the Big Ten Championship.
JUGGERNAUTS and JABBAWOCKEEZ
Here are some SPICY LONGSHOTS and/or underappreciated teams that still have a shot to make noise in their respective conferences.
AAC
Temple – The Owls are 4-0 in conference play and have a massive game with UCF after their bye week on November 1st. UCF star QB Milton is battling through an injury.
ACC
Virginia – Game with the Hokies on November 23rd might decide who gets to the ACC Championship Game. Yes, the winner would get Clemson, but you can still find good odds on the Cavaliers to win the Coastal Division (should you be into that sort of thing).
Big 12
Texas Tech – Their starting QB is back and they get Texas and Oklahoma both at home in November.
Big Ten
Purdue – They are one of four teams (!) in the West with one conference loss. Their week one loss to Northwestern may come back to bite them but we could see these guys winning out and getting some help…….
Conference USA
FIU – They are the only team without a conference loss in the East Division and are still flying under-the-radar for HC Butch Davis.
MAC
Miami Ohio – The Redhawks are playing good football lately and are 3-1 in MAC play. Games with Buffalo and Ohio loom large. #MACtion
Mountain West
Utah St – As good as anyone in the conference and will be a handful for Boise on the SMURF TURF on November 24th.
PAC-12
Washington St – They control their own destiny but have tough games remaining (Stanford, Washington). The Cougars have the killer combo of a great QB and solid defense.
SEC
Kentucky – Hard to see them beating the Bulldogs BUT they did win in the Swamp earlier this year. Depending how the tiebreaker shakes out they are very much alive in the SEC East.
Sun Belt
Georgia Southern – They are in the GROUP OF DEATH in the Sun Belt (East Division) but get Appalachian St AND Troy at home. Not saying, just saying.
ULM – Arkansas St looks vulnerable in the West and we would love to see these guys get to the inaugural Sun Belt Championship game.
SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEEK!
Enjoy week 9.