There has been such a sense of frenzied activity this season, that it feels like we must be in the stretch run of the season by now. But take a glance at your calendar. It is “only” mid-October. We still have six weeks left. We are like little kids at Disneyland. Every week of the season has been its own thrill ride and we have crammed so much into such a short period that we are little winded. But we have only hit half the amusement park. Catch your breath, shove some cotton candy in your mouth for the instant sugar rush, and get ready to run again. With every remaining week being pseudo elimination for some teams, they all carry a new adrenaline level. Here is your week eight preview.
Week 8 College Football Preview
Florida State (6-0) vs. Notre Dame (6-0); We are going to go into this under the assumption that Jameis Winston will play Saturday in Tallahassee. There is now the investigation into whether he got paid for autographs. Winston has been his own off-the-field roller coaster and yet has only had to sit one half of football at FSU. Conspiracy theories abound, some credible, as to the lengths FSU has gone to keep Winton on the field. So, short of getting caught standing over a body with a bloody knife in his hand, Winston will likely play Saturday with so much at stake in this game. Both teams are undefeated but neither is unscathed. Florida State has had three near disasters against Oklahoma State, Clemson and North Carolina State. The offense is putting up 39 points per game, but the defense has been suspect most weeks. Notre Dame QB Everett Golson played the first few games like a legitimate Heisman candidate. But he has nine turnovers in the last three games, having to throw on the run more than he is comfortable doing. Florida State is going to win the ACC, so a blemish against a quality non-conference opponent may not hurt them so much. Notre Dame has no conference title to play for, so the Irish likely need this game more for their playoff resume.
Alabama (5-1) vs. Texas A&M (5-2); With two divisional losses, the Aggies are disembarking from the ride for the SEC title. They averaged 43 points per game through the first four weeks, but as the schedule got tougher, the Aggies’ stomach got weaker, leading up to last week’s thumping at the hands of Ole Miss. Alabama needs help from other teams but is hanging on in the conference race by a thread. Curiously, as the season has progressed the Tide offense has gotten more and more conservative. Head Coach Nick Saban railed this against those who say his team was lucky to escape with a one point win against Arkansas last weekend and won’t discuss why QB Blake Sims is throwing the ball so much less than he was a few weeks back. The Tide has one less weapon this week as tight end Kurt Freitag is out after a police search of his dorm room turned up 112 grams of pot and $4,600 in cash.
West Virginia (4-2) vs. Baylor (6-0); Bayor had its first real test of the season last weekend and passed with crazy, psychedelic colors. The Bears scored the final 24 points in the last 11 minutes of the game to beat TCU by three. Credit TCU’s questionable playcalling for giving Baylor so many opportunities to score, but also give Bears’ QB Bryce Petty credit for mustering 227 yards of offense in that final 11 minutes, and 782 yards of total offense against what was supposed to be a decent TCU defense. West Virginia’s two losses have come to Oklahoma and Alabama. Hardly anything to be ashamed of. The Mountaineers have a less flashy but just as solid offense as Baylor. These two have combined for 248 points in their last two face to face meetings. Expect a long night in Morgantown.
Oklahoma (5-1) vs. Kansas State (4-1); Both teams are still in the race for the Big 12 title and both still have a shot at Baylor this season. The question remains if the playoff committee will take a one loss Big 12 team, since the conference has no championship game. The answer lies, in part, on where the loss comes from. Kansas State has only lost to Auburn. Oklahoma lost to TCU. The amusement park guy drawing the caricatures can’t figure out how the picture looks for either team yet. Oklahoma did not have an easy time against Texas last week, with only 232 yards of total offense. The Sooners needed a kickoff return and interception return for touchdowns to hold off Texas. Kansas State got a typical Kansas State win over Texas Tech…ball control leading to big time of possession advantage. Oklahoma is the only conference program that has a winning record against Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.
Arizona State (4-1) vs. Stanford (4-2); The Sun Devils are in second place in the Pac 12 South but actually control their own fate, because they hold the tiebreak against first place USC. QB Taylor Kelly is likely to suit up for ASU after missing three weeks with an ankle injury. But does ASU need him? Backup Mike Bercovici has thrown for 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns the last two weeks. Stanford still has one of the best defenses in the country but would rather face the dropback passer Bercovici than the sprint out QB Taylor. Stanford is tied for first in the Pac 12 North and is still looking at a potential Pac 12 title and playoff berth, even with two losses. ASU scores a lot. Stanford gives up very little. In a loop de loop of circumstances, the Stanford needs Notre Dame to beat FSU to enhance the quality of the Cardinal’s one non-conference loss to the Irish.
Oregon (5-1) vs. Washington (5-1); Both teams have one conference loss, so someone is getting splashed out of the Pac 12 North race at the end of this ride. Oregon’s offensive line got instantly better last week with the return of left tackle Jake Fisher. QB Marcus Mariota had more time to operate and he ripped UCLA for 600 yards of offense in a rout of the Bruins. The Huskies have shown signs of a fast paced offense, but typical of Chris Peterson coached teams, the defense is suspect and it cost Washington in the loss to Stanford a few weeks back.
A quick spin on the tea cups before we go;
Georgia is at Arkansas. The Bulldogs have full control of the SEC East, but Arkansas has made several teams work extra hard for their wins (watch out for Nick Saban getting dizzy).
We told Ole Miss to step up or step off and the Rebels dominated Texas A&M on the road to stay undefeated and very much alive in the race for the SEC title game. Now they get the equivalent of a breather against an improved, but not ready for prime time Tennessee team.
Michigan State continues to lurk around the corner while everyone else goes on the crazy rides. The Spartans are waiting for others to burn themselves out on the big rides, while this week they get the easy kiddie ride, playing Indiana.
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