College football is back! Week 8 presents a strong slate as we now breeze past the midway point of the season. There are so many games that could offer incredible drama this week. Which teams are potentially on upset watch?
1. Nebraska at Minnesota (+7.5) – Friday at 8:00 on FOX
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were extremely fortunate to beat Purdue last weekend and improve to 4-2. The Gophers were outgained 456 to 262, but they forced four turnovers, including the game-winning pick six from Koi Perich, and escaped with the 27-20 victory. Winning a game when you play rather poorly can be a catalyst, and I think that is what happens on Friday night in Minneapolis as Minnesota plays its best game and beats Nebraska in a close contest.
2. Washington (+5.5) at Michigan – Noon on FOX
The line has dropped a bit since opening, and it’s now below the one-touchdown threshold we typically use for this article. However, I still love the Huskies to win this game. Bryce Underwood gets a lot of the national attention as one of the next big things in the sport, but the best quarterback in Michigan Stadium this weekend is going to be Washington’s Demond Williams. The ultra-talented sophomore had a remarkable game against Rutgers last Friday night, racking up 402 yards passing and 136 yards rushing with four total touchdowns. For those who do not excel in math, that is a total of 538 yards of offense from one player! Rutgers has a bad defense, but come on, that is incredible. Michigan got pushed around by USC, and their struggles with former Pac-12 teams will continue this Saturday as Washington improves to 6-1.
3. Army (+9.5) at Tulane – Noon on ESPNU
The Tulane Green Wave are 5-1 and 2-0 in the American Athletic Conference. Still, they only have a +18 total scoring margin, and the conference wins have come against struggling Tulsa and East Carolina. They now have to take on the Army Black Knights and deal with a very different kind of attack. Army struggled early, sitting at 1-3, but they have rebounded to beat UAB and Charlotte comfortably, and Jeff Monken has the defense playing much better. Army can make things very uncomfortable for opponents, and Tulane will need to be very careful to maximize whatever possessions they get if they are going to cover this spread.
4. Ole Miss (+7.5) at Georgia – 3:30 on ABC
The Ole Miss Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs are playing for the third straight season this weekend. The Bulldogs won 52-17 in 2023, and then the Rebels responded with a 28-10 victory in Oxford last season. The rubber match will be a classic with significant stakes on the line. The Georgia Bulldogs struggle to pressure opposing quarterbacks, something Ole Miss could really take advantage of with their high-powered offense and Lane Kiffin pulling the strings. Georgia really cannot afford another loss, and Ole Miss is entering a brutal stretch of their schedule, and losses could mount quickly. Buckle up, this will be a wild one with UGA prevailing in a nail-biter.
5. SMU (+9.5) at Clemson – 3:30 on ACCN
This midseason clash is a rematch of the 2024 ACC Championship Game, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. The Mustangs are 2-0 in the ACC and still have a real shot to return to Charlotte this season, but they are just 4-2 overall and don’t have the look of a conference title contender. Clemson is just 3-3 with conference losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, plus the opening defeat to LSU. They have won two in a row over North Carolina and Boston College, but do the victories over those two cellar-dwellers prove anything is truly fixed for Dabo Swinney’s bunch? I don’t think so, and they have struggled mightily against any opponent with a pulse.
6. Mississippi State (+9.5) at Florida – 4:15 on SEC Network
How much fight do the Florida Gators have left in the tank? Billy Napier’s job is very much hanging in the balance, and his team sits at just 2-4 and only 1-2 in the SEC. There appears to be plenty of talent on the roster, and people seem to like Napier, but it’s a bottom-line business, and the results are not good enough for the faithful in Gainesville. With a bye week after this contest, this battle with Mississippi State might be the last hurrah for the Napier era. The Bulldogs are 0-2 in the SEC but 4-2 overall and hungry to secure a league win in their next game.
7. Tennessee (+9.5) at Alabama – 7:30 on ABC
After Week 1’s defeat at Florida State, Kalen DeBoer was under immense pressure, and rumors circulated about Alabama exploring the possibility of paying the buyout to remove him. Since that time, Alabama is 5-0 with wins over Wisconsin, at Georgia, Vanderbilt, and at Missouri. Ty Simpson has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the country and the Crimson Tide look like one of the best teams in the country. This is a rivalry game, and Alabama could be worn down by playing a fourth-straight match against a top-16 opponent. The Volunteers do have a passing attack that could challenge the Tide’s secondary and make this game very interesting.
8. USC (+8.5) at Notre Dame – 7:30 on NBC
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost the first two games of the season and fell to 0-2. Most knew what would happen next: Notre Dame would improve and take advantage of a weak schedule to start racking up wins and quickly vault up the rankings and back into College Football Playoff contention. The issue for the Fighting Irish is that they lack a quality win. Looking forward to their schedule, and the only game that could really come close to qualifying as one after this weekend is Navy. That means Notre Dame desperately needs to beat USC convincingly, and then they need the Trojans to finish the season strong. Notre Dame can take care of the first part in South Bend, but USC has playoff dreams of its own, and they are fresh off one of the best performances of the Lincoln Riley era in SoCal. They showed the kind of physicality on both lines of scrimmage that has been lacking from Riley’s teams recently, and if they can bring that same fight to South Bend, this will be a classic.
9. Pittsburgh at Syracuse (+10.5) – 7:30 on ACCN
Pittsburgh turned to freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, and he’s completing 73 percent of his passes with 680 yards on the season and two wins under his belt, including an upset victory at Florida State last Saturday. Syracuse is starting a backup quarterback and is struggling at just 1-2 in the ACC. Everything points to a romp for Pittsburgh, but Fran Brown has a knack for being a dangerous underdog, and Pat Narduzzi’s teams have never been known for consistency.
10. Florida State at Stanford (+18.5) – 10:30 on ESPN
This one is a long shot, with the Stanford Cardinal listed as 18.5-point underdogs and sitting at just 2-4 on the campaign, having already surrendered 102 points in conference games. That said, why would anyone trust Florida State right now? The Seminoles have lost a shocking eight straight ACC games and are 1-10 against ACC foes since suing the league in 2024. Mike Norvell has shown no ability to get his team locked in after a loss, and their College Football Playoff hopes are now completely dashed, so what kind of buy-in will he have from his players as they travel cross-country to play the woeful Cardinal?
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