Chaos from last week has turned Week 8 into a proving ground. Five of the top seven AP-ranked teams lost for the first time ever a week ago, and now the pressure is on for the contenders who are still standing.
Indiana is one of the teams suddenly feeling that squeeze. The Hoosiers’ offense has not looked nearly as dangerous this season, especially against top-25 scoring defenses, where they are averaging under 23 points per game.
Michigan has been particularly strong against the pass, ranking No. 14 in FBS by allowing just 5.8 yards per pass and giving up only 7 touchdown passes all year. After last week’s narrow loss to Ohio State, Indiana is staring at the possibility of a second straight Big Ten defeat, which would not help its playoff case.
Another team trying to steady itself is Texas, and the questions around Arch Manning are getting louder. The Longhorns are coming off back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida, both unranked, and they badly need a result to keep their season from slipping away.
Texas may also be without star edge rusher and college football sack leader Colin Simmons, which makes the matchup with Ole Miss even tougher. The Rebels bring a vertical passing game and a defense that just held Missouri to 3 points.
For Texas, a third loss in October would all but end its College Football Playoff hopes. Ole Miss, meanwhile, has a chance to land a fourth Top 25 win.
Auburn’s offense finally showed what Alex Golesh has been trying to build. Few expected the Tigers to stay with No.
1 Georgia last week, but after falling behind 14-0, they answered with 24 straight points to steal the win on the road. Now they return home for LSU, a team with a solid defense but one that has struggled away from home.
Lane Kiffin is 0-2 on the road this season after losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky, and LSU has to show it can win away from home if it wants to keep its playoff hopes alive.
If College GameDay heads outside SEC country, it will be for Utah’s matchup with Houston in Salt Lake City. The Utes are 6-0 for the first time since 2015 and trying to strengthen their grip on the Big 12 race.
Houston comes in with plenty to play for as well; it is a 2-point loss to Texas Tech away from being undefeated, and a win would keep its playoff chase alive. A loss could knock the Cougars out.
Houston has been one of the country’s most efficient offenses, leading the FBS with a 61.4 percent third down rate and a 54.9 percent offensive success mark. Utah’s defense has been just as sharp, ranking sixth in defensive success rate and No. 1 in stopping plays for zero or negative yards.
There are also two road spots worth a closer look. BYU travels to UCF to see if the Cougars are walking into a trap game after beating Notre Dame, and Tennessee visits South Carolina for the same reason after taking down Alabama. The Gamecocks are getting attention from the books in that one, too.
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In Other News...
Devon Dampiers GameDay Spotlight Comes With An Awkward Backstory
Devon Dampier is about to find himself in one of the biggest spotlights on Utahs schedule, with the Utes set to host Houston for College GameDay in Week 8 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. It is the kind of stage that can turn a regular Saturday into a national conversation, and for Dampier, the attention is likely to extend beyond the huddle as the Utes welcome a game with extra buzz and plenty of cameras.
Lola Sexton is expected to be part of that scene in Salt Lake City, adding another layer to a weekend already heavy on attention around Utahs quarterback. Her relationship with Dampier has been public since the aftermath of her split with Jaxson Dart, and the personal history attached to that storyline is hard to ignore when the biggest pregame show in college football comes to town. [Read more 🡒]
Pat McAfees Utah Blowup Gave Houston Fans An Unexpected Moment
The buildup to College GameDay in Salt Lake City already had a little edge to it, and Pat McAfee did not do much to soften the mood. The former NFL player and current broadcaster made clear where he stood, backing Houston over Utah and drawing a quick reaction from the Utes fan base. A video posted by the University of Utahs Instagram account, which poked fun at McAfee, only added another layer to the back-and-forth before the show even got rolling.
McAfees public feud with Utah supporters has now taken on a life of its own, with the kicking contest segment adding to the tension on set. The exchange, including a contestants gripe about the prize and McAfees sarcastic response, gave the whole episode a sharper edge than a typical game-day squabble. For Utah fans, it was another reminder that this one may linger a while, even if the broadcast itself has moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Added To The Pressure On BYU In The Big 12
A scoreless first half did not stop Utah from leaving Houston with a 21-13 win and a little more weight in the Big 12 conversation. The Utes stretched their winning streak to 13 straight, the longest active run at the FBS level, and it came with Devon Dampier steering the offense after the break, helping turn a sluggish start into a road victory that keeps Utah firmly in the conference race.
Utah still is expected to sit behind BYU in the Big 12 rankings, but the gap in the standings feels more like a detail than a wall at this point. With a defense that held up long enough for the offense to wake up and a quarterback who found his rhythm when it mattered most, the Utes have put themselves in position to keep pressuring the league frontrunner while still carrying the look of a team built to contend for the title. [Read more 🡒]