Week 8 doesn’t exactly look like a get-right weekend for the ranked teams.
After a Week 7 slate packed with upsets at the top, the pressure is already building again, and three big names are walking into matchups that could turn ugly fast. BYU, Tennessee and Texas all enter the week with reasons to be nervous, even if the odds and the rankings don’t always tell the full story.
BYU is the headline act here after knocking off Notre Dame and jumping to No. 2.
Now comes the hard part: a long trip to face a UCF team that has been tough at home and far less comfortable away from it. The Knights are 3-0 on their own field and 0-3 on the road, and they have enough firepower to make this one uncomfortable.
Keyone Jenkins has been playing well lately, and Duke Watson has established himself as one of the Big 12’s better running backs.
The challenge for BYU is more than just the opponent. There’s the emotional hangover that can come after pouring everything into a statement win like the one over Notre Dame, plus the grind of cross-country travel. That combination can drain a team, and if BYU isn’t locked in, Week 8 has upset written all over it.
Tennessee is dealing with a different version of the same problem. The Vols just delivered a huge Week 7 upset of Alabama, capped by a field storming, and now they’re headed to South Carolina as a mild Vegas underdog. With Tennessee closing in on the top 10, this is the kind of spot that tests whether a team can reset quickly after a season-defining win.
South Carolina is hardly a soft landing. The Gamecocks are coming off a 38-19 win over Florida, a team that had just flexed its own muscles by beating Texas.
LaNorris Sellers remains dangerous as both a passer and a runner, and receiver Nyck Harbor brings a matchup problem that never really goes away. South Carolina being favored may feel a little off, but it says plenty about how tricky this game is for Tennessee.
Texas is in a different place entirely, but the assignment is no easier. The Longhorns have fallen from No. 1 to No. 19 after losses to Oklahoma and Florida, and now they host No.
7 Ole Miss as a slight favorite based on home field. That’s a lot to ask from a team that has struggled to find its footing.
Ole Miss has had defensive issues this season, but most of that damage came in its lone loss to Florida and in a tough Week 1 battle with Louisville. Since then, the Rebels have looked much sharper on that side of the ball, holding Vanderbilt and Missouri to a combined 20 points.
Texas, meanwhile, hasn’t topped 400 yards or 30 points since Week 1. Arch Manning has disappointed all season, and the running game hasn’t helped much either, with the Longhorns sitting 13th in the SEC in rushing at just 3.6 yards per carry. Add in the injury to Colin Simmons, and the task only gets steeper.
If this turns into a shootout, Ole Miss looks like the better team. And lately, Texas hasn’t shown much appetite for that kind of game.
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Entered A Bigger Week 8 Conversation
A Tennessee team that has spent the fall trying to prove its place in the SEC spotlight has now been pulled into a broader Week 8 conversation, at least in the prediction game. Among a slate of upset calls circling college football, the Volunteers are the ones getting singled out for a potential edge over South Carolina, a matchup that would carry plenty of weight for a program still trying to stack consistency behind its stronger performances.
South Carolina has the kind of profile that can make these forecasts interesting, especially when recent results and individual play begin to tilt opinion one way or the other. For Tennessee, the appeal is obvious: a road to momentum, a chance to firm up its standing, and another test of whether the Volunteers can turn promising stretches into something more durable when the conference schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Defensive Turnaround Is Suddenly Paying Off With Elite Recruits
Tennessees defensive resurgence has started to show up in ways that reach beyond the scoreboard. After holding Alabama to 10 points and forcing four turnovers in a recent game, the Volunteers gave 2028 four-star cornerback Tyler Boyd plenty to notice during his visit, and the performance lined up with the kind of progress the new defensive staff under Jim Knowles has been working to build.
Boyd came away talking about those improvements, and his interest in Tennessee appears to have grown after seeing the unit in person. The Vols are keeping the pressure on the recruiting trail, too, with Derek Jones and Josh Heupel staying in regular contact as they try to keep Boyds attention moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Passing Game Has A Real Opening If The Vols Hold Up Front
South Carolina has given up plenty through the air in SEC play, and that creates a clear opening for Tennessee as it looks to get its passing game moving in the right direction. For the Vols, this is less about chasing a big number and more about taking what the defense has already shown on film, especially if the matchup lets Tennessee stay on schedule and avoid obvious passing downs.
The key, as always, starts up front. If Tennessee can hold up in pass protection, George MacIntyres reads should come easier, and the rest of the offense will have a chance to do its part as receivers and backs work into the right spots. The opportunity is there, but it only matters if the Vols can keep the pocket clean long enough to make South Carolina pay for what it has been giving up. [Read more 🡒]