College football has seen unprecedented chaos. Last week, five of the AP's top seven teams lost for the first time ever, and a No. 1 team fell to an unranked opponent for the second straight week, something not seen in 36 years. The question now is whether Week 8 brings a hangover or doubles down on the upheaval.
Week 8 has fewer marquee matchups, but plenty of storylines could raise the drama further. Texas is looking to avoid a third straight loss, Indiana hopes to avoid a second straight defeat, and the new AP top two of Miami and BYU must prove they can avoid immediate letdowns. Resurgent SEC contenders Tennessee and LSU also face tests.
The SEC is in elimination mode. Per SP+, the top four SEC favorites all lost last week. Georgia (48%) remains the favorite overall, but Tennessee (12%), LSU (12%) and Ole Miss (10%) are next in line, and all three face serious road tests this week.
The headline clash is No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas. Ole Miss rebounded from a 52-28 loss to Florida by beating Vanderbilt and Missouri by a combined 83-20, and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has posted a Total QBR above 80 in four straight starts. Texas, meanwhile, has suffered back-to-back upsets to Oklahoma and Florida, and Arch Manning's play has dropped off sharply. Texas is a 3.5-point favorite, with SP+ projecting a 6.5-point margin.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing