You thought the chaos from last week was over? Think again! There’s clearly more where that came from. As much as the sport of college football has been scrutinized and twisted around over the last several months, at least the games themselves are still fun, right?
Week Eight Recap
Miami, Utah, and UCLA are the only remaining undefeated teams in the FBS, just like we all thought would happen in August (and people wonder why my accurate prediction rate is so low). Elsewhere, Clemson and USC are likely out of the playoff picture altogether, Kentucky is somehow alone at the top of the SEC (bye weeks non-withstanding), and the top two teams in the Big 12 fell to unranked opponents.
Top 25 Matchups
Rankings are from AP Poll, All game times EST
Saturday 10/31:
12:00-3:00PM
- #5 Notre Dame @ Navy, ABC
- #22 Arizona @ #13 Texas Tech, ESPN
- #19 SMU @ Syracuse, ESPN2
- #25 Wisconsin @ Iowa, FOX
- Auburn @ #12 Ole Miss, SECN
3:30PM-6:30PM
- #17 Florida @ #3 Georgia, ABC
- Minnesota @ #4 Indiana, CBS
- Arizona State @ #8 BYU, FOX
- #20 Northwestern @ Oregon, Peacock
- #6 Utah @ Cincinnati, ESPN
- Virginia @ #14 Wake Forest, ESPN2
- Nevada @ #7 UCLA
7:00-10:30PM
- #24 Oklahoma State @ Iowa State, FS1
- #1 Miami @ North Carolina, ABC
- #2 Ohio State @ USC, NBC
- Mississippi State @ #11 Texas, ESPN
- #23 Missouri @ Arkansas, SECN
- Texas State @ #20 Boise State, The CW
Most Interesting Matchups
Arizona @ Texas Tech: It turns out $40 million and a complete roster overhaul can’t buy a win over an unranked Cincinnati team. Don’t look now, but the Wildcats are now tied with the Red Raiders, and just a bit more chaos can push them into the lead of the Big 12.
Wisconsin @ Iowa: After a thorough domination of USC last week, the Badgers are sitting pretty near the top of the Big Ten standings. Iowa’s conference and playoff chances are (at best) on life support, but that won’t diminish their desire to win a rivalry game like this.
Florida @ Georgia: The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is actually indoors this year, as the Bulldogs and Gator clash in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. Florida can’t seem to decide if they’re actually good, and Georgia wants to prove that the Auburn loss was a fluke and not a sign of trouble.
Ohio State @ USC: Lincoln Riley continues to disappoint in Pasadena, though he does have a chance to knock off the second-ranked Buckeyes, who must travel cross-country and will be starting a freshman at quarterback. With 2 more top 10 teams looming, the best thing USC can do at this point is play spoiler and hope the surrounding shoes benefits them.
Army @ Memphis: The race for the American title and the 12th spot in the playoff continues to lose contenders each week, and this matchup is likely to be another one of those elimination games. Boise State is currently the front-runner for that spot, but the winner of this one will be lurking just behind if the Broncos slip up.
FCS Game of the Week
Hampton @ Towson 10/31, PM, MNMT Sports
Gonna take this time to highlight a few bad teams for a change here. The 1-7 Hampton Pirates meet the 0-8 Towson Tigers to decide who deserves to be last place in the CAA.
Selected Pick ATS
My Picks:
Last Week: 2-3 Season: 20-23
- Arizona @ Texas Tech (-3.5)
- Wisconsin @ Iowa (-3.5)
- Florida @ Georgia (-11.5)
- Ohio State @ USC (+6.5)
- Army @ Memphis (-6)
Coin Flip Picks
Rules – Heads: Home Covers, Tails: Away Covers
Neutral Site: Heads picks the first team alphabetically
Last Week: 2-3 Season: 21-22
- Arizona (+3.5) @ Texas Tech
- Wisconsin @ Iowa (-3.5)
- Florida @ Georgia (-11.5)
- Ohio State (-6.5) @ USC
- Army @ Memphis (-6)
