After a chaotic weekend across college football, the College Football Playoff picture heads into Week 8 with more uncertainty than ever. The bracket is already shifting before Saturday even gets rolling, and there are bids, rankings, and reputations hanging all over the slate.
In the Group of 6 race, Boise State gets a useful breather from James Madison’s loss on Thursday, which gives the Broncos a little more room as they travel to the Palouse to face Washington State. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, are in a different kind of spot in Columbus as they try to settle things after Julian Sayin at quarterback before a long trip to USC next Saturday.
The Big 12 remains one of the week’s biggest storylines, with Texas Tech beginning a critical stretch in conference play at Cincinnati. That road game is the first of three away contests down the stretch that will go a long way toward determining whether the Red Raiders can help the Big 12 land a second CFP bid.
Indiana is also trying to turn the page after its long winning streak was snapped last week. The Hoosiers head to Michigan with a chance to get redemption and, at the same time, chase the program’s first win at the Big House in nearly six decades.
In the SEC, it’s a tricky road for several CFP hopefuls. Tennessee goes into Columbia, S.C., as an underdog, trying to avoid a letdown on the fourth Saturday in October. Ole Miss has the brighter stage, with prime time in Austin waiting for the Rebels.
Georgia, even after its loss to Auburn, is still positioned comfortably in the CFP field. The Bulldogs now sit among a crowded group of one-loss SEC teams, but their first blemish has not knocked them out of the picture.
The weeks ahead matter just as much for Notre Dame, which is still dealing with the fallout from that controversial loss to BYU. The Irish need to stay locked in on Navy next Saturday, because the game against Miami won’t mean much if they stumble before then.
At the top of the polls, Miami is back in a familiar place for the first time in nearly two decades, and that makes this a dangerous moment to be facing an unranked opponent with a backup quarterback. The Hurricanes are healthier heading into Pitt, but they also have a demanding stretch looming with North Carolina and Notre Dame.
Elsewhere, the Cougars are coming off one of the biggest wins in school history and now have to handle a long trip to Orlando. They’ll also spend the week hearing plenty about their rivals hosting ESPN’s GameDay, which makes UCF the kind of letdown spot that can trip up a lesser team - even if this group has shown it can handle business when it executes.
Will Stein Mania has taken hold in the Commonwealth, but Kentucky still has to deliver on Saturday against Vanderbilt, which is trying to inch closer to bowl eligibility. UCLA, for its part, would love to set up a Big Blue vs. Power Blue CFP game in the Rose Bowl, but first it has to get through an improved Michigan State team on Saturday afternoon.
In Other News...
Indiana Escaped Michigan But A Bigger Hoosiers Concern Just Grew
Indiana got out of Ann Arbor with a 13-6 overtime win over Michigan and a 7-1 record, but the way it got there hardly looked like the kind of performance that settles anyone down. The defense carried the day by keeping Michigan from turning chances into points and finishing the job with a crucial stop in overtime, which mattered because the offense spent long stretches searching for rhythm.
Josh Hoovers night only sharpened the concern. He finished 8 of 18 for 81 yards with one touchdown and one interception, a line that underscored how limited Indiana was through the air and how much the Hoosiers leaned on their defense to survive. A win is a win this deep into the season, but this one left a bigger question hanging over a team that now has to wonder how sustainable the offense really is. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Coach Just Made Indianas Statement Win Look Even Bigger
Indianas win over Michigan already looked like a program-defining result, and Kyle Whittinghams reaction only added to the sense that the Hoosiers had exposed real flaws. After the 13-6 overtime loss, the Michigan coach pointed to a running game that never got going, trouble finishing drives in the red zone and turnovers that kept the offense from finding any rhythm.
Whittingham still had praise for Michigans defense and confidence in the group overall, but the bigger picture is hard to ignore for Indiana fans. The offense has been lagging near the bottom nationally in success rate, EPA per play and yards per game, and a night like this made the Hoosiers statement win look less like an upset and more like a sign they belonged on that stage. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana-Michigan Sparked Another Officiating Debate Fans Will Recognize
Indianas road trip to Michigan brought more than the usual Big Ten tension, with a second-quarter roughing-the-passer call on Michigan freshman Tariq Boney quickly becoming one of the games talking points. The penalty handed Indiana 15 free yards, kept a drive alive and helped set up a field goal that pushed the Hoosiers into a 6-0 lead at that stage.
Fox analyst Joel Klatt did not hide his frustration with the decision, calling attention to what he sees as a growing issue with similar flags in recent games. For Indiana fans, it was the kind of sequence that can swing a possession and shape the tone of a tight road game, especially when officiating becomes part of the story instead of the play on the field. [Read more 🡒]