This Weekend in College Football: Week 8

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

  • West Virginia @ Oklahoma (FOX): As long as Jalen Hurts is a little more consistent in this one, it should be a walk-over for the Sooners.
  • Clemson @ Louisville (ABC): Louisville is maybe slightly better than we thought they’d be, but likely not better enough to avoid getting waxed here.
  • Florida @ South Carolina (ESPN): Florida is coming off a disappointing loss to LSU, but what they showed is that they can actually move the ball on offense, an idea that Georgia seemed bitterly opposed to while losing to South Carolina. I like the Gators here.
  • Purdue @ Iowa (ESPN2): The less said about this game, the better: Iowa.
  • Iowa State @ Texas Tech (FS1): It’s a coin-flip Big 12 game, so I’ll take the Red Raiders at home.
  • Houston @ Connecticut (ESPNU): Look, there’s some talk that Houston is doing the college version of “tanking” by having seniors redshirt so they can try again next year, but that doesn’t mean UConn has any shot in hell of winning this.
  • Auburn @ Arkansas (SEC): How many Arkansas fans will be holding signs that say “COME HOME GUS” at this one?
  • Wisconsin @ Illinois (BTN): As long as Wisky isn’t looking ahead to Ohio State next week, they should be fine in this one.
  • Kent State @ Ohio (CBSS): MAC East Maction! It’s kind of bad! But I’ll still take Ohio.
  • Georgia Tech @ Miami (ACCN): I’m so tired y’all. Not of this team, just in general. The main problem is that I really want to sleep in tomorrow, but this game is going to be on at 9am. Such is the life of being an East Coast school fan living on the West Coast.
    As for the game, look, Tech’s offensive line just makes it hard for me to be optimistic about this season. The sudden regression of the defense is also worrying, but I suppose it’s natural they’d get tired since they’re on the field basically all the time.
    Miami is unsettled and unstable as well, as they somehow lost to Virginia Tech last week.
    I still maintain that we’ll win another game this season. I just have no idea which one.
  • North Carolina State @ Boston College (ACC/RSN): Well, NC State’s in the midst of an extremely disappointing season, but I’ll still take them over BC.

2:00: Toledo @ Ball State (ESPN+)

2:30:

  • Texas Christian @ Kansas State (RSN): You basically have to go with TCU here, but that doesn’t mean I want to.
  • Oregon State @ California (Pac12): Cal’s defense is sufficient to see them through this one, though the Beavers are still a tad feistier than I suspected they’d be this year.
  • Northern Illinois @ Miami (ESPN+)

3:30:

  • Oregon @ Washington (ABC): This should be a fantastic game that I have no read of. Oregon is exceeding expectations this year, but it looks mostly legit. Losing to Stanford notwithstanding, it’s always tough to go up to Husky Stadium, but I still like the Ducks here.
  • Louisiana State @ Mississippi State (CBS): LSU got over their first big test and passed with flying colors. While Florida was close the hole time, they were still laboring on offense while LSU moved the ball with ease. The walls also seem to be closing in for Joe Morehead at MSU as well, so this isn’t setting up to be close.
  • Temple @ Southern Methodist (ESPN2): Hey, this game should be fun! SMU’s running like it’s the 80’s (minus the money and coke, presumably), but Temple’s defense can lock down a lot of teams. I’ll still take the Ponies at home, but keep an eye out here.
  • Tulsa @ Cincinnati (ESPNU): Cincy. Next!
  • Southern Mississippi @ Louisiana Tech (NFL): What’s up, C-USA games on NFL Network? That’s about all I got for this one. USM?
  • Minnesota @ Rutgers (BTN): Minnesota gets their 7th win easily. Talk to your children about Undefeated Minnesota®.
  • Indiana @ Maryland (BTN):  Indiana: they’re kind of mostly competent now! That should probably be enough to beat Maryland, I’m guessing.
  • South Florida @ Navy (CBSS): Navy all the way.
  • Duke @ Virginia (ACCN): I still like UVA, but I’m not sure why.
  • North Carolina @ Virginia Tech (ACC/RSN): I’m still not comfortable with “Coastal Favorite UNC”, but here we are. I don’t think VPI can turn the trick two weeks in a row.
  • Louisiana-Monroe @ Appalachian State (ESPN+)

4:00:

  • Baylor @ Oklahoma State (FOX): It’s another Big 12 Coin Flip! Uh, how about Baylor this time?
  • Missouri @ Vanderbilt (SEC): Vandy is dreadful, Mizzou, less so.
  • Middle Tennessee State @ North Texas (Stadium)
  • Old Dominion @ Alabama-Birmingham (ESPN+)
  • Charlotte @ Western Kentucky (ESPN+)

6:00:

  • Kentucky @ Georgia (ESPN): Presumably, Georgia will try to, like, score points in this game. It was hard to take too much joy in the loss last week simply because Georgia is still a title favorite if they’re a 1-loss SEC champ. And I can’t see this game getting them to 2 losses.
  • Arizona State @ Utah (Pac12): Tight, low-scoring, and defense heavy. Just the way Herm Edwards likes it. I still like the Utes.

7:00:

  • Tulane @ Memphis (ESPN2): Count it, here’s the second awesome looking AAC game of the day! Tulane takes their option attack to the Liberty Bowl for control of the AAC West. I like the Green Wave here, but this should be a fun game at any rate.
  • Colorado @ Washington State (ESPNU): Colorado is, uh, moribund? I think I’m using that word correctly. This seems like a game Wazzu could lose, but let’s face it, that’s just about any game Wazzu plays in at this point. I’ll still take the Cougars.
  • East Carolina @ Central Florida (CBSS): Yeah, I’ll UCF over ECU any day.
  • Kansas @ Texas (LHN): Texas gets healthy again with a solid walkover at home against the Jayhawks. And we still won’t know how good the Longhorns actually are.
  • Texas-El Paso @ Florida International (ESPN+)
  • Western Michigan @ Eastern Michigan (ESPN+)
  • Army @ Georgia State (ESPN+)

7:30:

  • Michigan @ Pennsylvania State (ABC): Michigan’s defense is good. Like, really good. The problem is that their offense is bad, like, really bad. This does not bode well going into a game in Happy Valley where points will likely be at a premium, and I’ll give the edge to the team in that scenario.
  • Texas A&M @ Mississippi (SEC): Ole Miss figures to get gigged here.
  • Florida State @ Wake Forest (ACCN): Wake beating FSU used to be funny, these days, it’s just sort of half-expected.

9:00: Tennessee @ Alabama (ESPN): The only question here is whether Bama will keep the starters in long enough for the Tide to win by at least seven touchdowns.

9:30: Arizona @ Southern California (Pac12): “Pac-12 South Favorite Southern Cal” is not a sentenced I expected to type back in August, but here we are in mid-October and that’s the reality of the scenario. Is it because USC is better than everyone thought or that with Utah stumbling early that the South is more wide open than expected? Well, how about both? As for the game, I don’t like either of these teams (I may have compared Khalil Tate to Reggie Ball in the Banner Society Slack last weekend), but I guess I’ll do what I always do in this scenario: take the home team.

10:15:

  • Boise State @ Brigham Young (ESPN2): Boise, all the way.
  • Nevada @ Utah State (ESPNU): I have no idea who will win this, which means it should be fun! I’ll stick with the Aggies.

11:00: Air Force @ Hawaii (CBSS): Late-night service academy option football versus the throw-it-all-over the place Rainbow Warriors. And let me be clear about the “throw-it-all-over the place” part: they don’t discriminate. Teammates, defenders, it doesn’t matter, everyone has a shot! This should be fun. I’ll still with Hawaii.