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...
UCLAs 7-0 Start Now Hinges On One Emerging Question
UCLA kept its perfect start intact with a 28-10 home win over Michigan State, but the Bruins did not exactly cruise through it. Ty Dieffenbach helped drive the offense with a 63-yard touchdown pass, Anthony Woods bounced back from an early fumble to run for 112 yards and a score, and the defense delivered a timely swing play when Donovyn Pellot picked off a Michigan State drive deep in UCLA territory.
The bigger concern, though, is what happens next if Dieffenbach is less than fully settled. He was able to come back after briefly going down in pain late in the first half, and UCLA certainly benefited from having him available again after the break. With the Bruins sitting at 7-0, the question now is how much that scare lingers for a team that has looked increasingly dependent on its quarterback staying upright and steady. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Raised The Stakes For UCLA Fans
Lincoln Rileys fifth season at USC has already felt like a test of patience, with the highs and lows arriving in equal measure. The Trojans have shown what they can be when things click, most notably the 11-1 run in 2022, but last seasons 6-6 finish and the lingering defensive issues have kept the temperature around the program from ever really cooling off.
Still, the recent stretch has given USC a little more momentum heading into a tougher run of games against ranked opponents, which matters plenty on the Westside as well. For UCLA fans, the larger point is simple: if Rileys team is starting to steady itself now, the rivalry stakes only get heavier from here, and the next few weeks could tell a lot about whether this season becomes a reset or another round of familiar questions. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Playoff Push Now Rests On Three Bruins Against Michigan State
UCLA heads into its matchup with Michigan State trying to keep its playoff momentum rolling, and a lot of the focus is on how the offense continues to settle around new starting quarterback Ty Dieffenbach. The Bruins have had enough early success to make this feel like more than just another home game, especially with Michigan State coming in as a struggling opponent that offers UCLA a chance to stay on track in front of its own crowd.
A big part of that next step will come from the supporting cast around Dieffenbach, especially Jalen Saint Paul and Wayne Knight. Saint Paul gave the quarterback a dependable outlet in the last game, while Knight is looking to put a rough outing behind him and remind UCLA what he can add to the attack. With the Bruins trying to keep their College Football Playoff push alive, this feels like one of those games where the offense has to show it can keep building instead of just surviving. [Read more 🡒]