Is it really a surprise anymore when there are massive upsets each weekend in college football? It seems the playoff picture gets a massive change every Saturday and Week 7 was no exception.
Week 8 has already started with a surprise loss by No. 2 Miami at the hands of Louisville. There surely will be further shocking results ahead. They could come among the trio of games in the SEC that will have a major impact on the conference race. Could another ACC unbeaten fall when No. 12 Georgia Tech hits the road? Or are there other games in the Big Ten or Big 12 that might reshape the US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday?
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That’s why the USA TODAY Sports college football staff is here to provide some answers to the difficult questions. Matt Hayes, Jordan Mendoza, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Blake Toppmeyer weigh in with their bold predictions for Week 8 of the college football season.
Arkansas upset gives first blemish to Texas A&M
Arkansas gets a big win over unbeaten Texas A&M to further cloud the SEC race. The classic letdown game for the Aggies, on the road in a sneaky bitter rivalry game against a team that can score points in bunches. Bobby Petrino helped the Razorbacks show competency on the road at Tennessee. It’ll all come together in Fayetteville. — Matt Hayes
Tennessee finally wins in Tuscaloosa
It’s been more than 20 years since Tennessee went into Bryant-Denny Stadium and left with a victory. The Volunteers have looked pretty shaky in recent weeks that doesn’t give confidence they can get it done this year, but expect Josh Huepel to play ultra-aggressive knowing how abundant is riding on this contest. Joey Aguilar outduels Ty Simpson and Tennessee can finally have those cigars in Alabama. — Jordan Mendoza
Duke topples Georgia Tech to complicate ACC race
Duke knocks off Georgia Tech to make things even more complicated in the ACC. The Blue Devils have been on fire offensively to open conference play, dropping 45 points on N.C. State, 38 on Syracuse and another 45 at California. This one will come down which teams set the tone: Tech will look to be a bully at the line of scrimmage while Duke wants a more wide-open game. — Paul Myerberg
Arizona State bounces back against Texas Tech
A quick glance at the score from Utah’s defeat of the Sun Devils might tell some people that Kenny Dillingham’s team is not prepared for the buzzsaw of the Red Raiders. But Arizona State was without quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is expected to play Saturday. Look for the home team to circle the wagons and maybe get an overconfident Texas Tech team that has looked the class of the Big 12. — Erick Smith
Vanderbilt takes down LSU
It speaks volumes about this glorious sport we call college football that a team’s fan base gets salty when its opponent’s victorious home crowd does not rush the field. Well, hate to break it to you, LSU folks, but there will be no storming in Nashville when Vanderbilt wins this week, either.
The Tigers are in the top 10 almost entirely because of one side of the ball. Against actual FBS competition, LSU is averaging under 20 points per outing. Granted they’ve allowed more than 10 points in a game just once, but that was their lone loss at Ole Miss. The defense will again do what it can, but Vandy will do just enough to slog out a victory. — Eddie Timanus
Florida gets win but Billy Napier is fired
This spin of the coaching carousel will be the wildest since 2021, when a bevy of bigtime jobs came open and salaries and buyouts skyrocketed. And we’re just getting started with the firings. So, who’s next? I’ll be keeping my eye on embattled coaches Billy Napier (Florida), Luke Fickell (Wisconsin) and Hugh Freeze (Auburn). Bold prediction: Napier gets the Ed Orgeron farewell, in that he’ll beat Mississippi State on Saturday but be fired on Sunday anyway. Orgeron, in 2021, beat Florida before getting fired a day later. Thanks for the memories. Yes, indeed, there are parallels between this year’s carousel and 2021. — Blake Toppmeyer
