Tucker’s Top 10 College Football Matchups: Week 8
Credit: University of Georgia Athletics
By Tucker Harlin
I’m really hoping Week 8 is another week where the slate provides matchups that turn out better than expected. The SEC has two games this week with the potential to ink themselves as games of the year, but the other conferences are lacking.
I’ll give myself a 7.5/10 for my performance last week. The only two I really missed on were Arizona at BYU and Red River.
Here is my Top 10 for Week 8.
10. SOUTH CAROLINA (3-3) @ OKLAHOMA (4-2)- OU -3, 12:45 PM SEC NETWORK
Two SEC teams that desperately need a conference win will meet for the first time ever in Norman.
This isn’t exactly a homecoming for Shane Beamer the way it was for Josh Heupel, but Beamer coached at Oklahoma the season before he accepted the job at South Carolina.
I expect the defenses to control the outcome of this game. Both defensive fronts are matched against horrible offensive lines, so expect a big day for every edge rusher.
In the end, South Carolina should have more going its way on the ground to the point where it can win in a field position battle. It didn’t have that luxury in Tuscaloosa last week, but Oklahoma looks dead in the water offensively.
9. KENTUCKY (3-3) @ FLORIDA (3-3)- EVEN, 7:45 PM SEC NETWORK
This another first to 20 type affair between former SEC East foes.
Florida dominates this series historically with a 53-21 edge, winning 31 straight over Kentucky between 1987 and 2017. But from 2018 onward the Wildcats have won four of six.
The Gators’ situation after a road loss to Tennessee is less than ideal, losing quarterback Graham Mertz for the season with an ACL tear. Now all the weight is on D.J. Lagway to turn the season around.
Kentucky is thoroughly unimpressive on offense, but the defense is good enough to keep it in the game with Florida at the very least. This has 20-17 written all over it.
8. COLORADO (4-2) @ ARIZONA (3-3)- ARIZ -3.5, 4 PM FOX
The Buffaloes lead 16-10 in this series of former Pac-12 South opponents.
Unlike #9 and #10, I actually expect quite a few points in this game. You have the quarterback and receiver duo of Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan going against Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in Tucson.
Both sides are coming off tough losses last week. BYU stomped on Arizona in Provo while Colorado lost a heartbreaker at home to Kansas State.
Between the two quarterbacks, Fifita has displayed more weakness with turnover issues than Sanders this season. Colorado isn’t anything groundbreaking on defense, but turnovers could be an area for the Buffs to exploit the Wildcats should the trend continue.
7. #12 NOTRE DAME (5-1) vs GEORGIA TECH (5-2) (Mercedes-Benz Dome)- ND -11, 3:30 PM ESPN
Notre Dame dominates this series 30-6-1 all time, and Georgia Tech’s last victory was a 33-3 win in South Bend back in 2007.
The Irish have won three of their last four in blowout fashion.
The offense remains run-heavy while the defense is the strongest phase of the game. Unfortunately, highly touted defensive back Benjamin Morrison will miss the remainder of the season with a hip injury.
The Yellowjackets aren’t receiving nearly as much attention as they did before the season began, but that rush attack is still causing problems for opposing defenses. It ran for 371 yards last week in a 41-34 road win over North Carolina.
Ultimately, this game boils down to who can run the ball better. I give the Irish an edge because of its reputation on defense, but they found a way to drop a stinker to Northern Illinois this year so I wouldn’t say they’re safe from an upset.
6. #24 MICHIGAN (4-2) @ #22 ILLINOIS (5-1)- MICH -3, 3:30 PM CBS
The winner of this game scores somewhere in the 20s. Michigan dominates this series 72-23-2 all time and hasn’t lost since 2009, but it has encountered a serious issue.
That issue would be the quarterback position. The Wolverines are now on their third quarterback due to general ineptitude throwing the ball between the first two.
The Illini at least have dimension on offense with Luke Altmyer throwing the ball, but how will he fare against Will Johnson and the Michigan secondary?
The other question I have for Illinois is how it will perform after a dramatic win over Purdue last weekend against a team who is off a bye.
It should be a fun one in Champaign Saturday.
5. NEBRASKA (5-1) @ #16 INDIANA (6-0)- IU -6.5, NOON FOX
Big Noon Kickoff has a good one in Bloomington this week between the Huskers and Hoosiers.
Nebraska has rebounded well after its loss to Illinois near the end of September. It won 28-10 on the road against a bad Purdue team and took down a decent Rutgers team 14-7 at home to open October.
The numbers for the Huskers aren’t eye popping, and such is the case for much of the Big 10.
But that’s absolutely not the case for Indiana.
Making their debut in my Top 10 in 2024, the Hoosiers have unlocked an offense under Curt Cignetti that has a claim among the best in the conference.
Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke has thrown for no less than 300 yards in a conference game this season. The Hoosiers have scored no less than 41 points against any of the Big 10 teams they’ve faced to this point.
Expect offense and points in this one.
4. #6 MIAMI (6-0) @ LOUISVILLE (4-2)- MIA -4.5, NOON ABC
The Hurricanes lead the series 11-4-1 but the Cardinals won 38-31 in Coral Gables last season.
Miami has emerged as the favorite for the ACC, but it is by no means infallible.
Cam Ward is a terrific quarterback, but he’s been playing with fire lately. The dramatic comebacks he led to take down Virginia Tech and Cal don’t happen if he doesn’t make bad mistakes earlier in those games.
Louisville is coming off a rather dramatic road victory at Virginia in which it needed a touchdown in the final two minutes to get the win. The Cardinals haven’t been the same since their loss at Notre Dame, dropping the next game to SMU at home.
This is another game where I anticipate a lot of points given the nature of both offenses.
3. #8 LSU (5-1) @ ARKANSAS (4-2)- LSU -2.5, 7 PM ESPN
LSU leads the Battle of the Boot 44-23-2 all time and has one each of the last two meetings by a field goal.
Arkansas has an opportunity to prove its legitimacy following a ranked win against Tennessee. The Razorbacks have been strong on defense in SEC play and Taylen Green is coming off his best performance of the season.
Playing this game out of the bye week is huge for the Razorbacks with LSU coming off an emotional overtime win against Ole Miss.
Garrett Nussmeier is the heart and soul of LSU’s offense. The defense put the Tigers down to the Rebels last week, but it also kept the Rebels out of the end zone in the second half which allowed the Tigers to have a shot at the comeback.
This series is known for close finishes so don’t be surprised if it’s a thriller in Fayetteville.
2. #7 ALABAMA (5-1) @ #11 TENNESSEE (5-1)- ALA -2.5, 3:30 PM ABC
The Third Saturday of October traditionally features the rivalry that built the SEC between the Vols and Tide.
Alabama leads 59-39-7 all time and has won 16 of the last 17, but its last trip to Knoxville ended in a bitter 52-49 defeat.
Both of these teams are coming off of painstakingly close wins in Week 7. The Tide trailed at points in the second half in its win over South Carolina while the Vols didn’t lead until the fourth quarter in their win against Florida.
Somehow I’m less sure what to think of Alabama than Tennessee. The Vols at least have a strong defense with a suspect quarterback while both the defense and quarterback are suspect for the Tide right now.
This should turn out as a great game no matter what versions of these teams show up, and I’ll be in the stadium for this one.
1. #5 GEORGIA (5-1) @ #1 TEXAS (6-0)- TEX -3.5, 7:30 PM ABC
For the second week in a row, there’s a strong possibility for a game of the year candidate at #1.
Texas has won four of the five meetings, most recently winning the 2018 Sugar Bowl 28-21 when Sam Ehlinger infamously said “WE’RE BAAACK!”
I feel stronger about Texas an SEC title contender than Georgia at the moment. Sure the Longhorns have started slow in some instances, but they’ve won by no less than 19 points against power four competition this year.
Georgia has encountered issues trying to pull away from both Mississippi State and Auburn, neither of which have begun 2024 on high notes.
Carson Beck is airing the ball out far more this season than last, but that hasn’t exactly led to more explosive plays from this offense. The Bulldogs lack the reliability of a Ladd McConkey or a Brock Bowers to step in as that consistent big play guy.
I think we see points aplenty in a game that should go down as an instant classic.
