Week 8 constitutes something of a "separation week." Several programs could put themselves in an insurmountable position for conference championship game berths after this week. This includes Alabama, which hosts No. 6 Texas A&M, in a game that might effectively decide the SEC West right now. South Florida will be in the lead for the American East division with a win at Temple. Navy might join South Florida as division favorites with a win over Memphis. Should Colorado lose at home to Stanford, Utah becomes the sure pick to win the Pac-12 South with a win Saturday afternoon in the Rose Bowl.
Let's dive into the schedule.
Thursday
Miami at Virginia Tech (ESPN, 7 p.m.). The ACC Coastal Division makes no sense to me this year. North Carolina started as favorites, but Miami emerged as the hot new thing. Virginia Tech smashed North Carolina, which then defeated Miami the following week. This gave Miami a two-game losing streak and may have eliminated it from the ACC Coastal picture.
Then, Virginia Tech lost at Syracuse. Now, North Carolina is back on top the ACC Coastal, followed by Pittsburgh. But, North Carolina needs another Virginia Tech loss for a return trip to the ACC Championship Game.
Your guess is as good as mine in that division.
Troy at South Alabama (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.). You should watch the ACC contest instead, but this Sun Belt affair will be available to you during halftime and commercial breaks. It's the best of the league (5-1 Troy) against the worst (3-3 South Alabama).
BYU at Boise State (ESPN, 10:15 p.m.). BYU beat a Big Ten team (Michigan State) and an SEC team (Mississippi State) in consecutive weeks. An upset of No. 14 Boise State on the blue turf might get first-year head coach Kalani Sitake a hefty extension.
Friday
South Florida at Temple (ESPN, 7 p.m.). South Florida would be in cruise control for the American Athletic Conference Championship Game with a win in Philadelphia. Both teams are atop the East Division, though South Florida is undefeated in league play while Temple already has a conference loss at Memphis.
San José State at San Diego State (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.). San Diego State's 18-point loss at a bad South Alabama team may cost it the Group of Five invite to the New Year's Six. Everything else is still ahead of San Diego State, though. It's 5-1, undefeated in league play, and en route to a conference championship tilt with Boise State.
Oregon at California (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.). How many more wins are available to Oregon this year? It's lost four consecutive games and still has games Friday night at California, against Arizona State and Stanford, and at Utah and USC on the schedule. Only one other game (at Oregon State) looks like a sure win at the moment.
Just dawned on me Mark Helfrich could pass as a Karl Pilkington doppelganger. Must be why Oregon football is like An Idiot Abroad episode. pic.twitter.com/b2j5RHGIRR
— Vico (@ourhonordefend) October 11, 2016
Saturday
North Texas at Army (CBS Sports, 12 p.m.). Army may not be that bad and, here's a fun fact: Army has the best record among the FBS independents at the moment. It's 4-2 record is better than BYU's 4-3, Notre Dame's 2-5, and Massachusetts' 1-6 records.
Massachusetts at South Carolina (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). You do you, SEC scheduling practices...
Central Florida at Connecticut (ESPN News, 12 p.m.). Central Florida is the only other hurdle to the USF/Temple winner in the American East. Central Florida will be rooting for USF in that contest. Temple already beat Central Florida while USF and Central Florida play at the end of the regular season.
Wisconsin at Iowa (ESPN, 12 p.m.). Wisconsin will look to get back on the winning track with a trip to Iowa, the reigning Big Ten West champions. This contest will always remind me of the "nature film" some college football fans made to describe the 2010 encounter.
Indiana at Northwestern (BTN, 12 p.m.). The battle of the two Big Ten teams that make no damn sense. Indiana is annually the Big Ten's "chaos team" while Northwestern had a MACtastrophe and an FCS loss to begin the season but has rallied to beat both Iowa and Michigan State on the road. Northwestern, whose scoring offense has ranked in the hundreds for the past few years, even put 54 points on Michigan State.
NC State at Louisville (ABC, 12 p.m.). It's the battle of two teams that "Clemsoned" themselves in Clemson.
Oklahoma State at Kansas (FOX Sports 1, 12 p.m.). Kansas is still looking for that first league win in almost two years.
Ron Prince stomps out Texas in one of the few displays of something going well in the Ron Prince era at K-State.
Texas at Kansas State (ESPN2, 12 p.m.). It's hard to believe that Kansas State has won six of the last eight encounters against Texas in the past ten years, but it's true.
Rutgers at Minnesota (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). Because when I think "Big Ten football", I think Rutgers v. Minnesota.
Colorado at Stanford (Pac-12 Network, 3 p.m.). Colorado is the surprise story of the Pac-12. At least, it's the "good" surprise story of the Pac-12. Stanford, which got swept by the Washington schools by a combined 64 points, might be the "bad" surprise story at the moment. The national championship and Heisman aspirations for the program are effectively shot.
Memphis at Navy (CBS Sports, 3:30 p.m.). It's the battle of the last two conference unbeatens in the American. Expect Houston fans to be cheering hard for Memphis, to whom Houston could give a definitive second conference loss at the end of the season.
Illinois at Michigan (BTN, 3:30 p.m.). Oh god, Illinois is so dead. Michigan is favored by 36 points.
Purdue at Nebraska (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.). I still kind of feel for Nebraska fans who came of age with the Oklahoma rivalry game and who enjoyed clashes with Texas, Texas A&M, and Kansas State after the creation of the Big XII, only to have Purdue and Illinois appear on the schedule every year.
Texas Christian at West Virginia (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.). Fans may not know that No. 12 West Virginia is still among the nation's undefeated teams and nominally in the playoff hunt. It will host TCU as six-point favorites.
Texas A&M at Alabama (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). Past Poll Watch features, especially this week's SEC hate fest, highlighted how Alabama is legitimately the only good team in its garbage conference. Texas A&M is a September team only.
Texas A&M is the AP No. 6, but it will travel to Tuscaloosa with the No. 98 total defense against a team that averages over 504 yards a game. So, we're going to pretend this game is something worthy of ESPN's College GameDay instead of an impending human rights abuse by Alabama against Texas A&M worthy of a UN Security Council resolution and a strong rebuke from the U.S. Department of State.
Tulane at Tulsa (ESPNU, 3:45 p.m.). Tulsa couldn't get the job done last week at Houston but will host a 3-3 Tulane team that's not as bad as it record might imply.
Utah is on a collision course right now for Washington in Santa Clara. (Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports)
Utah at UCLA (FOX, 4 p.m.). The Pac-12 Championship Game, if the season ended right now, would pit Utah against Washington. This might be a good opportunity for fans to see arguably the best team in the Pac-12 South this year.
Middle Tennessee at Missouri (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). You do you, SEC scheduling practices...
Arkansas at Auburn (ESPN, 6 p.m.). Arkansas is the AP No. 17 and Auburn is the AP No. 21 despite both programs being garbage. The fun part is knowing the loser of this game will likely still be ranked on Sunday.
Oregon State at Washington (Pac-12 Network, 6:30 p.m.). Washington comes off its bye to host the worst team in the Pac-12. Washington is a 38-point favorite.
Houston at Southern Methodist (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). It'll be a battle of offensive minds in Dallas, though SMU hasn't gained any traction since Chad Morris arrived in 2015. Houston will enter this game as 22-point road favorites.
Michigan State at Maryland (BTN, 7:30 p.m.). Michigan State has lost four-straight games and will need to figure something out this Saturday at Maryland. Michigan's coming for a visit next week.
Mississippi State at Kentucky (SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.). Mississippi State and Kentucky play each other every year as a protected cross-division game. It's been that way since 1992 though the matchup looks like the kind of administrative convenience that made Iowa and Purdue a "rivalry" during the Legends and Leaders years.
The talking point for this game: can an SEC East team beat an SEC West team this year? It hasn't happened yet. It could happen in Lexington. Florida's games against LSU and Arkansas are probably the best chances for it. Either way, there might not be more than three SEC East wins against the SEC West in 2016.
Tennessee State at Vanderbilt (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.). You do you, SEC scheduling practices...
Ohio State at Penn State (ABC, 8 p.m.). This is your personal game of the week. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game that Penn State fans adorably think is a rivalry. Also check out our Penn State affiliate, Roar Lions Roar, for the Penn State perspective.
Ole Miss at LSU (ESPN, 9 p.m.). The loser of this game will also find a way to stay ranked on Sunday.
The pirate swagger is back in the Palouse after an 0-2 start. (James Snook-USA TODAY Sports)
Washington State at Arizona State (Pac-12 Network, 10 p.m.). Washington State is the only other conference unbeaten remaining in the Pac-12 (along with Washington). Arizona State, albeit a seven-point underdog at home, could change that on Saturday night.
Fresno State at Utah State (CBS Sports, 10:30 p.m.). It's a battle of last-place teams in the Mountain West. 2-4 Utah State hosts 1-6 Fresno State in this cross-divisional contest.
Wyoming at Nevada (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.). Don't glance over this contest because you see "Wyoming" mentioned. Wyoming is not bad this year. In fact, it's 4-2 and undefeated in conference play. It would conceivably win the division, though it would need to defeat Boise State in Laramie. That game is next week.
