The 10 best college football games of Week 8: Georgia-Texas, Alabama-Tennessee and more Trendy Blogger

On the heels of two of the most exciting weeks in college football in recent memory comes a jam-packed Saturday that features a trio of SEC headliners, including a top-five clash between the blue bloods. There are also several rivalry games featuring boots (of sorts) and a potential College Football Playoff showcase in Bloomington, Indiana, among others.

Bless this sport.

Let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 8, starting with the honorable mentions and counting down.

Honorable mention: Oklahoma State at No. 13 BYU, Ohio at Miami (Ohio), Virginia at No. 10 Clemson, Auburn vs No. 19 Missouri, Louisiana at Coastal Carolina, Toledo at NIU, Colorado at Arizona, James Madison at Georgia Southern, UCF at No. 9 Iowa State.

(All point spreads are from BetMGM; click here for live odds. Stream college football is Fubo. All kickoff times are Eastern and Saturday unless otherwise noted.)

Let’s give flowers to two teams that exceeded expectations in the Big 12. Both teams were expected to finish at the bottom of the conference, but Saturday’s winner will have worked their way into the conference title conversation. Arizona State and wrecking ball running back Cam Skattebo have 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 start in his place. The Bearcats and Gunslinging transfer QB Brendan Sorsby will try to take advantage of a depleted ASU crossing two time zones for an early kickoff.

Double: Cincinnati-4.5

9. UNLV (5-1) at Oregon State (4-2), 10 p.m., FuboThe CW

The Rebels bounced back from an overtime loss to Syracuse by hanging a 50-man hamburger on Utah State last week, keeping pace with Boise State in the Mountain West standings. That sets up a massive game in Las Vegas next week against the Broncos that will have huge implications on the conference race and the battle for the Group of 5 spot in the CFP. But a victory this Saturday in Corvallis would add a nice point to UNLV’s CV in the meantime. Oregon State, looking to bounce back from a surprising loss to Nevada, should ultimately provide an instructive common opponent between the two. The Beavs will play at Boise State next month.

Double: UNLV-7

8. No. 17 Kansas State (5-1) at West Virginia (3-3), 7:30 p.m., FuboFox

There are some intriguing matchups involving all three ranked Big 12 teams this week, including Oklahoma State at No. 13 BYU and UCF at No. 9 Iowa State. But it’s K-State that has the most at stake. They are the only one of these three ranked teams to hit the road and the only one to suffer a defeat. Of the teams in the top five of the Big 12 preseason poll, the Wildcats are also the only one that hasn’t been disappointing thus far. A second loss, however, would quickly put their conference title and CFP hopes on life support, even in the always chaotic Big 12. Kansas State can’t afford to stumble in Morgantown against a scrappy but resilient West Virginia , in a face-to-face meeting. on two competent rushing attacks.

Double: Kansas State -3

7. No. 24 Michigan (4-2) vs. No. 22 Illinois (5-1), 3:30 p.m., FuboCBS

A bit surprising that a ranked game would be this low on the list – except for the fact that Michigan has one of the worst offenses in college football (and maybe shouldn’t be ranked?). Illinois just needed overtime to beat a terrible Purdue team that scored 40 points in the second half. Still, hats off to the Illini, who are 5-1 and playing the first ranked game at Memorial Stadium since 2000. Illinois will also honor legendary halfback Red Grange – the Galloping Ghost – a century after his epic 402 yards and six touchdowns. game against the Wolverines. The Illini will sport retro uniforms and hand-painted helmets that took 18 months to create.

Double: Michigan -3.5

Expect this one to play out differently than the 55-0 shutout Notre Dame threw when these teams last met in 2021. Unfortunately, injuries will be a storyline. The Irish lost All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison to a season-ending hip injury, and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King will be a game-time decision after suffering a shot in last week’s win over North Carolina. If King can’t go, the job will fall to second-year backup Zach Pyron, who completed 5 of 7 passes and rushed for four touchdowns in limited action. Either way, the Irish can’t take this lightly, with a remaining schedule looking much tougher than expected, including ranked games against Navy and Army before the regular season finale at USC.

Double: Notre Dame -12.5

5. Nebraska (5-1) at No. 16 Indiana (6-0), noon, FuboFox

I really enjoyed the media blitz from Indiana and Curt Cignetti this week, including this stellar profile of Cignetti by Joe Rexrode. The Hoosiers are enjoying their first 6-0 start since 1967, and deservedly so. They have been one of the biggest surprises this season in the first year under Cignetti, and have yet to win six games. Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff heads to Bloomington as IU faces Nebraska and freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who acts wise beyond his years. High-profile game featuring two top-10 defenses (and a top-five offense for Indiana). The Huskers, who have lost 25 straight games against ranked opponents, will get two straight chances at Indiana and then Ohio State. On the other side, another Hoosiers win will shift the chatter from a fast start to a legitimate playoff contender.

Double: Indiana -6.5

4. No. 8 LSU (5-1) at Arkansas (4-2), 7 p.m., FuboESPN

It’s the battle for the Golden Boot, one of college football’s most underrated rivalry names and trophies. LSU has won seven of the last eight matchups, but both teams are coming off gigantic victories.

The Tigers won a classic in overtime against Ole Miss despite never leading until the final play of the game, and Arkansas blew Tennessee’s first leak a few weeks ago. The Razorbacks are better than expected — and Sam Pittman may have saved his job — while LSU regained the top 10 and the CFP after the season-opening loss to USC. The Tigers will need more consistency from Garrett Nussmeier to make any noise in the SEC, but his performance late in Ole Miss’ win showed just how high his ceiling can be.

Double: LSU-2.5

3. No. 6 Miami (6-0) at Louisville (4-2), noon, FuboABC

More rivalry gear and top-notch shoes: the Schnellenberger Trophy, which was introduced last season and currently resides with the Cardinals. Battle for the Golden Boots???

The Louisville Athletic Commission announces that Louisville and Miami will play annually for the Schnellenberger Trophy: “Which features the genuine western dress boots, now tan, worn by Coach Howard Schnellenberger when he led both programs to national prominence . » pic.twitter.com/khBoFZOpHQ

–Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) July 24, 2023

This game flies under the radar thanks to a loaded SEC slate, but it should be a fun and capable barn burner. Miami desperately needed a time off after two close games against Virginia Tech and Cal, but Heisman hopeful Cam Ward and the Hurricanes remain one of 11 undefeated teams in college football. Louisville ended a two-game streak last Saturday with a win over Virginia, featuring a top-15 offense (7.2 yards per play) led by quarterback Tyler Shough. Miami has THE best offense in FBS with 8.2 yards per play, and Ward leads all FBS quarterbacks in passing yards per game (369.8).

Double: Miami-5

2. No. 7 Alabama (5-1) against No. 11 Tennessee (5-1), 3:30 p.m., FuboABC

A almost top-10 clash between two teams that are either national title contenders or complete frauds, depending on which thread you read. Either way, the third Saturday in October should provide a preview, and it’s a crucial time as both teams try to avoid a second loss and a fan spiral. This is a tough game to handicap: Alabama has a top-10 offense, Tennessee has a top-two defense, but both teams have been dynamic on the field. David Ubben did a good job digging into that variability for a confidential anonymous workout on the game, and Kennington Smith III looked at how Alabama’s first-year head coaches fared in the Tennessee rivalry.

Double: Alabama-3

1. Georgia No. 5 (5-1) against Texas No. 1 (6-0), 7:30 p.m., FuboABC

Praise be: this is our third top-five matchup of the season. The first two – Georgia vs. Alabama and Ohio State vs. Oregon – resulted in two of the best games of the year to this point. This is the sixth meeting all-time between Georgia and Texas and the first since the 2019 Sugar Bowl.

The Dawgs are underdogs for the first time in the last 50 games (!), and might need a road win against the top-ranked team in the country to keep their CFP hopes alive. Texas, meanwhile, has been excellent on both sides of the ball and is arguably in a class of its own right now, even though it has yet to face an opponent as good as Georgia. Quinn Ewers looked a little rusty in his return from injury against Oklahoma last week, so we’ll see if that persists. But the coaches we spoke with for our confidential coaching on the game see Texas having the upper hand.

Another victory for the Longhorns would cement them as national title favorites. But if the timeline of this college football season’s chaos continues, we’ll see a slightly diminished Georgia defeat the Horns in Austin, and the top of the sport will officially look as vulnerable as it has in years.

Double: Texas -4.5

Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images