College football is now in full swing. There are always things to watch every week of the season. Here are 5 things to watch in college football week 8.
One of the best matchups of the college football season will happen this weekend when Penn State heads to Columbus to take on Ohio State. The Nittany Lions are undefeated, although they haven’t been tested by a quality team yet. They score 44.3 points and allow just 8.0 points per game, ranking them near the top of the country in each. Drew Allar has come along for Penn State at quarterback as he has thrown 12 touchdowns and no interceptions on the season.
Ohio State is undefeated and does already have a tough road win over Notre Dame under their belts. The Buckeyes score 36.7 points per game and allow just 9.7. Kyle McCord has had a rougher transition to the quarterback spot for Ohio State, but has still played decently with 1,651 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception on 64.1 percent completion. The Buckeyes will be favored at home, but it should be a close one that has College Football Playoff implications.
Duke has had a solid start to the season. They are 5-1, with a win over Clemson and their only loss being to Notre Dame. Riley Leonard, their star quarterback, was out this past week with an ankle injury. The Blue Devils were able to get the win, but they only completed four passes in the process. They’ll need Leonard to play to beat some of the better teams on their schedule.
This week features the toughest game on their schedule as the Blue Devils travel to Tallahassee to take on Florida State. The Seminoles are undefeated this season and look like they could be headed toward the College Football Playoff. It would be a tough matchup if Leonard does play, but if he doesn’t it would be nearly impossible to pull off the win.
USC suffered their first loss of the season to Notre Dame on the road. Their offense turned the ball over and their defense wasn’t equipped to stop the Fighting Irish. They should be able to get the offense back on track, but the defense has struggled all season. Now they have to try to rebound quickly, as they host Utah in week 8.
Utah has only one loss on the season as well, which came to Oregon State. The Utes have been winning games without their starting quarterback, Cam Rising, who had a knee injury late last season. Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson have been starting in his place and are doing enough to win most games. Their defense deserves a lot of credit for their success, as they allow just 12.2 points per game. They can slow down USC, but can they score enough to win the game?
Alabama has had an up-and-down season so far. They lost to Texas and it looked like it could be a long season. The Crimson Tide then notched some wins over Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M that made it appear that things were getting back on track. Then they struggled with a two-win Arkansas team in week 7, winning 24-21.
This Alabama team doesn’t have the talent to blow through the SEC schedule like they have in other years. They need to get things back on track, which includes the offense being more consistent. It will be tough, as this week, they have a ranked Tennessee team coming to Tuscaloosa for a rivalry game. The Crimson Tide should be able to get the win, but they need to get things going in the right direction if they are going to win out and make the College Football Playoff.
Clemson hasn’t had the season they are used to having. They have two losses already. One was at the hands of Florida State, while the other was to Duke. Those are both good teams, when healthy this season, but Clemson built themselves up by winning those types of games. Now, they face a few tough games down the stretch, which could be the difference in a solid season or a bad one for the Tigers.
In week 8, the Tigers travel to take on Miami. The Hurricanes started off the season hot, but then lost two straight. Miami has plenty of future NFL talent on their roster, but have not been able to put things together consistently. Clemson needs to get this win, because they still have Notre Dame and North Carolina on their schedule. Miami will want to go back on another winning streak.
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