Top Week 8 College Football Games with Conference Overviews

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

College football fans were treated to several key matchups in Week 7 with conference and national title implications. Week 8 does not have the flair of last weekend’s games from top to bottom, especially from how the preseason rankings dropped, but several conference races will tighten up once Week 8 games have completed.

AAC

The AAC now has a presence among the Power Five schools with three teams ranked in Week 8. The first American Athletic Conference game of the week puts No. 22 Temple on the road against East Carolina. On Friday No. 18 Memphis goes on the road for a gut check game against Tulsa after downing Ole Miss at home in Week 7. No. 21 Houston also travels facing a lowly Central Florida squad. If any of the teams lose that will be an upset not only for the conference but for all the schools combined.

ACC

The top games in the ACC pit No. 6 Clemson against Miami, No. 25 Pitt vs. Syracuse, No. 23 Duke vs. Virginia Tech, and No. 9 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech. Syracuse came to life last week in a triple overtime defeat. Can the Orange keep the offensive momentum churning? Virginia Tech is still a scary team at home. Duke is undefeated in ACC play tied in the loss column with Pitt and North Carolina in the Coastal Division each without a loss. Al Golden is looking for any big win to hang his hat on to stave off the hot seat and win back Hurricane fans. A win over No. 6 Clemson at home would go a long way towards helping him keep his job at the end of the season.

Big Ten

Indiana travels to No. 7 Michigan State and No. 1 Ohio State heads to New Jersey to face Rutgers. Nebraska can gain some momentum by stopping a visiting Northwestern team and Wisconsin can try to keep pace with an Iowa team on a bye with a road win over Illinois.

Big 12

The Big 12 has little to offer the casual football fan this weekend. No. 2 Baylor hosts Iowa State, Kansas travels to No. 14 Oklahoma State, and Kansas State heads to Austin to face Texas. Perhaps the most entertaining game of the week will be Texas Tech vs. No. 17 Oklahoma.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 has three solid games to offer fans in Week 8; No. 20 Cal vs. UCLA, No. 3 Utah vs. USC, and Washington at No. 10 Stanford. Cal has a chance to earn some more voting respect and recruiting rights if they can take care of business against a beat up Bruins team on Thursday night. USC is not the team many had hoped but still has plenty of talent on the squad capable of beating any team in the nation if everything falls the Trojans way. Had Washington held Oregon down at home, the Huskies road game against Stanford might mean more on the grand scale, but as is the Cardinal is rolling looking like a legitimate college football playoff contender out of the Pac-12 along with Utah.

Don’t look now but Washington State is having a sneaky kind of season. The Cougars are 4-2, 2-1, with back-to-back wins over Oregon and Oregon State. The win against the Ducks was on the road. This week they travel to face another fun-and-gun team in Arizona. The Cougars play Stanford on Halloween but might in line for an 8- or 9-win season if they can keep their offense pumping.

SEC

The “biggest” game of the week and only game featuring ranked teams is No. 15 Texas A&M at No. 24 Ole Miss. The loser risks falling off the college football map, especially Ole Miss. Both teams are coming off a big loss. Which team has enough gas in the tank for a quick turnaround win?

Tennessee could pose a little bit of a fight against No. 8 Alabama but the Crimson Tide appear to be hitting their stride and look tough to beat. A game that could be the most entertaining is Western Kentucky at No. 5 LSU. The Tigers will control the clock and the game with their running attack but the Hilltoppers can put points on the board with quarterback Brandon Doughty under center.

The rest of the conference games are a fight for bowl slots with Auburn traveling to Arkansas, Missouri off to Vanderbilt, and Kentucky facing Mississippi State.

Must See Games

No. 20 Cal vs. UCLA

No. 6 Clemson vs. Miami

No. 15 Texas A&M vs. No. 24 Ole Miss

No. 3 Utah vs. USC

 

If You Have the Time

No. 23 Duke vs. Virginia Tech

Texas Tech vs. No. 17 Oklahoma

Indiana vs. No. 7 Michigan State

Tennessee vs. No. 8 Alabama

Western Kentucky vs. No. 5 LSU

Washington vs. No. 10 Stanford

Photo credit: saturdaydownsouth.com; Alabama vs. Texas A&M 2015.