2018 Week 8 Preview

Last week was a ton of fun. Four top 10 teams went down, two to unranked teams. This year is starting to get really good and I still don’t feel like I know much more than that Alabama is the best team in the country. New head coaches are still struggling but seem to be getting closer. Moving on to this week, ESPN’s College Gameday is finally going to Pullman, WA for a game. The Ducks will take on Washington State in a game where the fans should be crazy. It would be so much fun to be there for that, but I will settle for watching it on TV, away from all the crazy football fans. There are 3 other ranked vs ranked games this weekend and it should be another interesting week of college football.

How I Fared: 3-3 last week, 23-19 overall

Notable Games
16NC State at 3Clemson
Both of these teams are coming off a bye week. That means Clemson’s QBs should be rested and healed up and ready to go. The Tigers beat down Wake Forest in their last game after nearly losing to Syracuse. NC State has been a bit sneaky this year. Neither of these teams has lost a game this season. This will be a major game in the Atlantic Division. I think Clemson has the better team and will win this game. I expect NC State to make it a close one.
I am picking Clemson

22Mississippi State at 5LSU
LSU pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season last week by beating Georgia. And not only did they beat Georgia, they stomped them by 20 points. Mississippi State is coming off a bye week and before that, a win over Kentucky. LSU had a bit of a down week at Florida two weeks ago, but I think they are a great team. Mississippi State has been up and down depending on their QB play. Fitzgerald has not been consistent enough for me to believe they can pull this upset off. Should be another fun one in Death Valley.
I am picking LSU

6Michigan at 24Michigan State
Michigan is over-ranked. I have no idea how they got all the way up to 6th, but here we are. They did have a great win over Wisconsin last week, beating them in a way no one beats the Badgers. Michigan State is coming off a huge upset win over Penn State last week. They were able to edge out the Nittany Lions in the final minute of the game. I don’t think they are a great team, but they are scrappy and if they can keep the game close they will always have the chance to win. This is a rivalry game which means it should be hard to predict. I just don’t see the Wolverines having much of an issue with the Spartans, even though they are the road team.
I am picking Michigan

12Oregon at 25Washington State
The Ducks are coming off a big win over Washington last week in overtime. Washington State is coming off a bye week. The Cougars are having a good season with their only loss so far coming at USC. The atmosphere should be great for this game. With College Gameday making its way to Pullman, the fans should be loud and rowdy. The game will be a 4:30 pm local kick, meaning we should get into some Pac12 After Dark. The way Oregon has been playing, this game could be very, very exciting. There is a potential for a lot of points in this one.
I am picking Oregon

North Texas at UAB
This should be a very good game. These teams are very similar and both only have one loss coming into this matchup. I’ve seen more of North Texas since I saw them live, but UAB has been great too. I think this game will come down to defense and I think the Mean Green are just a little bit better. I expect this one to be close and come down to the end. I recommend watching this game.
I am picking North Texas

USC at Utah
Since losing two games in a row, USC has been under the radar. The Trojans have won their last three games, including last week’s win over 19th ranked Colorado. Utah stunned Stanford a couple weeks ago and has had back-to-back 40 point games. This is a very important game in the South division. This game could go a lot of ways just based on how these teams have played this season. I think it will be relatively high scoring and will come down to a special teams play.
I am picking USC

Tulsa at Arkansas
The Hogs lost a heartbreaker in Little Rock last week. The top three offensive players got knocked out of the game, seemingly one right after the other. But they played well and fought hard. This week will be their best chance for another win. Tulsa is scrappy, but also can’t seem to figure out how to win. I don’t expect a very clean game, but it should be pretty close and interesting. Turnovers will probably be the key to this one. I was impressed by the crowd in Little Rock. They stuck it out in the bad weather. I continue to be extremely unimpressed with War Memorial Stadium. In my opinion, there needs to be some major upgrades if the Hogs are going to continue playing there (which they are).

Top 25
1Alabama at Tennessee
2Ohio State at Purdue
16NC State at 3Clemson
4Notre Dame BYE
22Mississippi State at 5LSU
6Michigan at 24Michigan State
7Texas BYE
8Georgia BYE
9Oklahoma at TCU
10UCF at East Carolina
11Florida BYE
12Oregon at 25Washington State
13West Virginia BYE
Vanderbilt at 14Kentucky
Colorado at 15Washington
17Texas A&M BYE
18Penn State at Indiana
Maryland at 19Iowa
20Cincinnati at Temple
Connecticut at 21South Florida
Illinois at 23Wisconsin

Other Games
Stanford at Arizona State (Thursday)
Buffalo at Toledo
Auburn at Ole Miss
Virginia at Duke
FAU at Marshall
Houston at Navy
Wake Forest at Florida State
Memphis at Missouri