College Football Week 8 in Review
Hey, everyone.
Not too many BIG match-ups in week 8 but there was a massive upset! You just never know where the drama is going to pop-up from week to week.
Notable games
Penn St 28 Michigan 21
Michigan outgained the Nittany Lions 417-283 (!) but got off to ANOTHER slow start that made the task of coming back almost impossible. Falling down 21-0 on the road was just too much to overcome but they did play really well in the second half and were a dropped pass away from tying the game. Per Steve Deace who does a great job following Michigan football, the Wolverines have been outscored 63-3 (!) on the road vs ranked teams in the first quarter under Jim Harbaugh. 70-3 if you count the first play of the 2nd Q in which Penn St hit a big pass play for a TD. Penn St survives and remains undefeated. Michigan has to be thinking about what could have been.
Oregon 35 Washington 31
This might have been the most entertaining game of the weekend. Both quarterbacks played great and the defenses surrendered a lot more points than we thought. Pretty much up and down the field in less than ideal conditions. Oregon fell behind 28-14 early in the third quarter but battled back to win in a very tough environment. Washington is now finished in terms of PAC 12 dreams. Oregon has an almost insurmountable lead in the PAC 12 North and kept their playoff hopes alive with this victory.
Florida 38 South Carolina 27
Another fun game to watch. A lot of points. Intensity. Less than ideal weather. Tomfoolery and suspect calls by the refs. The game had pretty much everything. South Carolina gets a solid grade for going toe to toe with a really good team after their big win over Georgia. Florida keeps rolling along and will be a lot healthier when they take the field vs Georgia in early November.
Baylor 45 Oklahoma St 27
Whoa, Nellie. The Bears are undefeated and rolled the Cowboys on the road. They are physical on defense and have elite speed on offense. Don’t forget that Baylor gets Texas and Oklahoma at home in back-to-back weeks late in the season. They are a definite threat to win either of those games. <grabs popcorn>
Illinois 24 Wisconsin 23 (not a typo)
Wisconsin. Oh, boy. They were 30+ point favorites and led by 9 points in the 4th quarter. They held the ball for 41 minutes but couldn’t extend the margin for a variety of reasons. They let Illinois hang around and threw a late INT that set up the winning FG. We are disappointed for Badgers’ fans but happy to see Illinois get their biggest win in a long time. Fans in the appropriately-named Champaign, Illinois got to party!
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 – Hopefully star QB Tua Tagovailoa will be healthy for the LSU game in two weeks.
- Ohio St – Have looked flawless on offense and defense. A point or so behind Alabama.
- LSU – Could flip them with Ohio St. Devastating passing offense.
- Clemson – Series of exhibition games continued with pasting of Louisville. D looks great.
- Oklahoma – Balanced enough to beat anyone this year. Next test Nov 9 vs Iowa St.
Next in line (in alphabetical order)
Auburn – Big game with LSU this weekend. Schedule is comically challenging.
Georgia – Handled Kentucky 21-0 in horrible weather. Big game with Gators looms on the horizon.
Notre Dame – Round out the top 10. Could put Florida here. Battle with Michigan on Saturday.
Oregon – A virtual cinch for the PAC 12 North title. Must run the table for a shot at the playoff.
Penn St – Date with Ohio St could be for all the Big Ten East marbles.
BIG GAMES THIS WEEK!
Wisconsin at Ohio St
The game has lost a bit of its luster after the Illinois DEBACLE. The Badgers have posted four (!) shutout wins this year but will have their hands full with the dynamic Ohio St offense. Wisconsin will have to get the ground game going and Ohio St has not exactly faced a docket full of good rushing attacks. Wisconsin has to stay within a TD in the first half to have a shot.
Auburn at LSU
Auburn is definitely good enough to make this game interesting. Their rushing attack should be able to get things done vs an LSU D that has been a notch down this year. The problem? LSU’s passing attack is lethal and not sure Auburn will be able to keep up without stealing a couple of possessions via turnovers. This bad boy is appointment television.
Notre Dame at Michigan
Michigan played their best football of the entire season in the 2nd half vs Penn St. Can they carry the momentum forward into this game? Notre Dame is a proven commodity. Michigan is just a wee bit flaky. Classic match-up and can’t wait!
Penn St at Michigan St
Sparty is backed into a corner and wounded. And playing at home. Let’s see if Penn St can keep their undefeated record intact vs a scrappy and well-coached squad.
Connecticut at UMass
Just kidding.
Enjoy Week 9!