College football is back 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.
1. Georgia at Texas
Georgia will travel to Texas this week to take on the Longhorns. The Bulldogs only have one loss on the season, which came at Alabama. They have looked shaky in some of their wins, as their defense just allowed 31 points to Mississippi State. Offensively, they have struggled to consistently create big plays and to run the football well. Georgia has a tough schedule and losing this game puts them on the bubble for the College Football Playoff.
Texas is undefeated and coming off a big win over Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. The Longhorns got starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back for the game against Oklahoma. He shook off some early cobwebs to play well. Their offense has expectedly been great, but their defense has been lights out allowing just 6.3 points per game. It will be a battle in Austin this week.
2. Alabama at Tennessee
Alabama has seemingly lost their way after a good first half against Georgia. They held on to beat the Bulldogs, then lost to Vanderbilt and nearly were upset by South Carolina. Now, they travel to Tennessee, where they lost the last time they played. The offense has been good with Jalen Milroe leading the way to the team scoring 42.7 points per game. Defensively, improvements are needed, as they have allowed 94 points over the last three weeks.
Tennessee was rolling earlier this year, but lost to Arkansas in week 6 and didn’t look especially good in week 7 against Florida in a win. While they score 42.2 points per game and allow just 10.7 points per game, they have made some mistakes. Starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava has missed open receivers, while the defensive line hasn’t played up to their potential. With both teams having one loss, they’ll want to avoid another to really limit their chances to make the CFP.
3. Michigan at Illinois
Michigan hasn’t had the best season with two losses already. They are coming off a bye to play Illinois this week, which will be a tough matchup of ranked teams. The Wolverines have struggled to find good quarterback play, which has severely limited their offense. Their defense hasn’t played as well as last season either. A loss to Illinois can really take things down a notch for the Michigan program, so they’ll want to avoid that.
Illinois has just one loss on the season, which came to Penn State. They nearly lost to Nebraska and Purdue this past week. They have talented wide receivers and can move the ball decently offensively, but have struggled to move the ball on the ground. The defense allows 20 points per game and could continue to keep Michigan low-scoring in this game to get the win.
4. UNLV at Oregon State
UNLV is one of the frontrunners to make the CFP as the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. They have just one loss on the season, which was to Syracuse. Outside of that, they have two wins over power four teams. Their offense ranks first in the country at 49.3 points per game. Defensively they have alos played solidly, as they give up 22.2 points per game.
Oregon State has a 4-2 record this season with losses to Oregon and Nevada. They have run the ball well this season, but are struggling to move the ball through the air and with turnovers. They defense is middle of the pack in the FBS. The Beavers can still give a challenge to UNLV and a win could really disrupt their bid to make the CFP at the end of the season.
5. Other Heisman Trophy Contenders to Step Up
Two of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy are Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter. Jeanty is on bye this week, while Hunter left the week 7 game against Kansas State with a shoulder injury. Pending Hunter’s injury, both seem like they can be Heisman finalists, but other spots are still up in the air.
Some other players have a chance to step up this week and enter or enhance their case to also be Heisman finalists. Miami quarterback Cam Ward has a tough game at Louisville. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers missed a couple of games with injury, but could have a Heisman moment against Georgia. With some of the frontrunners out this week (if Hunter misses time), other players could enter the conversation.
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