Week seven provided us with two matchups in the top 11 teams in the country. Oklahoma defeated Texas in the Red River Showdown and put themselves in prime position for another Big 12 championship. Meanwhile, LSU defeated Florida in Death Valley in a win that catapulted the Tigers up to number two in the associated press top 25.
And, who could forget the team of the week? South Carolina upset the Georgia Bulldogs in a game that severely damaged Georgia’s playoff hopes. Could our week eight college football watch guide provide us with even more drama?
Now, the PAC 12 and the Big 10 takes center stage this weekend as our three matchups in the top 25. However, we have several key matchups with the top 25 teams heading to the road in conference play which always has the opportunity for an upset. Let’s take a look around the country with our week eight college football watch guide.
Note: All game times are in central standard time
Week Eight College Football Watch Guide
Friday
7:30 PM
(4) Ohio State at Northwestern 
The Buckeyes have looked like one of the most complete teams in college football this season. Their offense has not skipped a beat behind first-year, Heisman contending Justin Fields. They must be cognizant of the look-ahead in a four-touchdown favorite on the road before the Big 10 game of the year next week against Wisconsin.
Saturday
11:00 AM
(9) Florida at South Carolina 
This sets up for the biggest and the best game in the SEC this weekend. Florida is in must-win mode coming off the loss against LSU sandwiched between facing Georgia next Saturday. Meanwhile. the Gamecocks are coming off their biggest win in many years in knocking off the Bulldogs between the hedges. With a win here, Carolina has a chance to get a few more in a row with Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Appalachian State looming over the next few weeks.
(3) Clemson at Louisville 
The Tigers must be screaming respect at this point of the year because they just aren’t getting the same amount of that this year. After winning 20 consecutive games and a national championship, they are down to number three this week. With that being said, the Tigers have a sneaky good game this week against an improving Louisville club who has averaged over 51 points per game in their last two wins over Boston College and Wake Forest.
Iowa State at Texas Tech 
The Cyclones are in the thick of the race which could be shaping up to see who faces Oklahoma in Arlington. Iowa State has a good shot as they host two of the three toughest Big 12 games remaining with Oklahoma State and Texas both coming to Ames. First, they’ll need to get by a pesky Texas Tech club. The Red Raiders are improving after beating Oklahoma State and taking Baylor to double overtime last week and are 3-0 at home this season.
2:30 PM
(12) Oregon at (25) Washington 
Oregon, along with Utah, looks to be the PAC 12’s best outside shot at the playoffs. Although he’s on the outside of the Heisman watch, Justin Herbert had had a fantastic senior season in Eugene in throwing 17 touchdowns and one interception. He’ll have to be good in a tough environment against a good defense in Washington. The Huskies have been up and down on offense, but have remained tough on the defensive side of the ball.
(2) LSU at Mississippi State 
The LSU offense in 2019 is the biggest story of the college football season at this point. They’ve never experienced a passing attack this strong in Baton Rouge maybe ever. They’ll take their show on the road that has scored 42 points in every game this season to face Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have struggled the last two weeks offensively in scoring a total of 33 points against Auburn and Tennessee. With all the talk about LSU’s explosion on offense and Mississippi State’s struggles, this one might just be closer than the experts think.
3:00 PM
(18) Baylor at Oklahoma State 
Baylor has been the surprise team in the Big 12 this season with their 6-0 start and co-leaders of the Big 12. They’ve been able to shift the culture in Matt Rhule’s third year in Waco and has the Bears playing his brand of football. A win here sets up a likely 9-0 start when they host Oklahoma on November 16th. Before that, they must go on the road to face a team that has had two weeks to ponder a road loss to Texas Tech. This is a must-win for the Cowboys who would essentially be knocked out of the Big 12 race with a home loss here.
5:00 PM
(17) Arizona State at (13) Utah 
This game kicks off the toughest stretch of the season for Utah as they host Arizona State and California before traveling to Washington. It also might be a game between the conferences best two running backs with Zack Moss facing off against Eno Benjamin. With only one loss in the conference for each, the winner of this game will take a commanding lead in the south division of the PAC 12 race.
6:30 PM
(16) Michigan at (7) Penn State 
A white-out at Beaver Stadium is one of the best sites to see in all of college football. This is the biggest game of the weekend and a critical game for both teams for different reasons. The Nittany Lions are sitting just a few spots outside of the playoff and a win here could set up a monumental game against Ohio State in late November. However, these next two games against Penn State and Notre Dame can get them back into contention or possibly give them three losses and outside of the top 25.
