Kirk Herbstreit spent part of ESPN’s Week 8 college football discussion zeroing in on a short list of top teams that could be in danger, and the biggest warning light went up for No. 2 BYU.
Week 7 already showed how quickly the top of the sport can get shaken. Five top-10 teams lost, and with only seven of the top 10 in action in Week 8, Herbstreit dug into the matchups that could create another round of chaos.
One of the first games he highlighted was No. 7 Ole Miss at No.
19 Texas. Herbstreit called that possibility “a pretty logical one,” though the label gets a little tricky.
Texas was No. 1 before dropping consecutive games, and with the Longhorns at home, the betting line has kept them favored by about a field goal. So while a Rebels win would count as a rankings upset, it wouldn’t be one in the betting market.
Herbstreit also pointed to No. 6 Indiana’s trip to Michigan, a game that has started to attract attention.
Reports this week said QB Josh Hoover is banged up, and Indiana is coming off last week’s loss to Ohio State. That combination, Herbstreit said, makes the Wolverines look like a live home underdog.
“I think this one [IU/Michigan] is becoming very trendy,” he admitted.
Michigan has its own issues, too, most notably on offense. The Wolverines have struggled there, and high-priced QB Bryce Underwood was benched in mid-game last week. Herbstreit’s point was simple enough: if Michigan can pull off a win over a top-10 team, it could change the feel around the season in a hurry.
But the matchup that drew the strongest reaction was BYU’s cross-country trip to UCF. Coming off a huge win over Notre Dame, the No. 2 Cougars now have to deal with a tricky road setup against a team Herbstreit clearly respects.
“I think this is tough,” said Herbstreit. “It doesn't sound sexy enough.
But I'm telling you, Scott Frost has a team that can play well.... That's a tough game to require.”
UCF has dropped its last two games, but the Knights are 3-0 at home and have been productive on offense, averaging 31.7 points per game. QB Keyone Jenkins has thrown eight touchdown passes against three interceptions and added three rushing scores, while running back Duke Watson has run for 483 yards and averaged 6.9 yards per carry.
Herbstreit stopped short of actually picking UCF to spring the upset, but his comments made the message clear: BYU has a real test on its hands in Week 8.
In Other News...
BYU Just Made Its Support For Kalani Sitake Very Clear
BYU is backing up its public praise for Kalani Sitake with real money, as athletic director Brian Santiago confirmed the school is investing more than $25 million into football capital projects. The message coming out of Provo is that the university wants to keep building around its head coach, even as the athletic department works through administrative changes behind the scenes.
Santiago said the football oversight structure will be a collaborative one with Vice President Keith Vorkink, and the focus is on lifting the program even higher. That comes at a time when BYU is sitting No. 2 nationally, its best ranking since 1984, which only adds to the sense that the Cougars see this as a moment to push forward rather than reset. [Read more 🡒]
GameDay Backed BYU But One Warning Still Looms At UCF
ESPNs College GameDay had plenty of confidence in No. 2 BYU heading into its matchup at UCF, with Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit all backing the Cougars to come away with a win. The pregame chatter centered on BYUs ability to handle the stage, with analysts pointing to the teams key players and the composure it has shown during this run.
Dalton Kincaid was the one voice on the set who went the other way, picking UCF and highlighting the kind of emotional letdown that can follow a big week. He also leaned into the Knights homecoming setting, a reminder that even when the national spotlight is tilted heavily in one direction, a road game can still carry plenty of traps for a highly ranked team. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Put BYU And Kalani Sitake In The Spotlight
Nick Sabans recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show gave BYU another national moment, and it came with a pretty flattering nod from one of the sports most respected voices. Saban praised the excitement and passion of Cougars fans, and he also singled out Kalani Sitake for the leadership he has brought to the program, adding to the sense that BYU has become one of college footballs more compelling stories this season.
The praise landed with even more weight because Saban pointed to the confidence BYU carried into its game against Notre Dame, a performance that helped fuel the buzz around the program. The Cougars College GameDay appearance drew more than 3 million viewers, and 9.2 million watched the upset of Notre Dame, so the spotlight on Sitakes team is no longer just local or regional. The bigger question now is how much more attention this run can keep generating. [Read more 🡒]