Week 8 Games of the Week: How to Watch, Previews, and Predictions
RELATED ARTICLES: W7 RECAP, G5 TOP 4, CFP TEAMS, GOPHERS UPDATE
Unfortunately, you are reading those records correctly. This hasn't been the year that Louisville or Florida State anticipated, and this isn't the game that it was last year.
The Seminoles got off to a rough start, losing to Alabama and also losing their starting quarterback for the season. Deondre Francois' promise turned into disaster not even a game into the season, and his backup, James Blackmon, has so far been uninspiring. A loss to the Cardinals would essentially remove them from the ACC Atlantic division race, but they still have a lot of work to do even if they win. You shouldn't have to worry about motivating this team after last year's embarrassing performance. These dogs definitely looked like puppies (sorry, had to get the Jameis Winston reference in one more time), and received a beatdown on the road against the Cardinals. You can bet they're looking to erase that memory as quickly as possible this year.
Louisville only had 530 yards in that game, but turnovers and special teams play took away from a lot of that yardage on their way to 63 points. The 43 point blowout was definitely surprising and launched Lamar Jackson's Heisman campaign. While Jackson probably won't repeat this year, he's not the reason that his team is struggling. He's till on pace to get around or surpass his stats last year, and that should be reason enough to keep him in the Heisman conversation with the talent around him. Unfortunately, Florida State doesn't have a lot to worry about outside of Jackson, and the Cardinals did just lose to Boston College.
My pick: Florida State 31 Louisville 26
Navy committed five turnovers in their loss to Memphis last week, and it was too much to overcome. A repeat performance might end the game at halftime against UCF.
Navy's biggest concern was at quarterback coming in, and Zach Abey did his best to east those concerns through the first five games. Once the Midshipmen finally saw some quality competition, Abey struggled. He won't have five turnovers again, but UCF is more of a complete team than Memphis is. It comes down to Abey's play and the defense's ability to stop an explosive Knights offense.
Scott Frost has his team reminding people of what Oregon used to look like: high scoring offense with solid defense. The Knights boast the top scoring offense and 14th best scoring defense in the country. They have wins over Maryland and the aforementioned Memphis Tigers, giving Navy fans just cause for concern. UCF can gash defenses in so many ways, and it all starts at quarterback. McKenzie Milton has taken great strides in just his second year with the program, and his development has taken the Knights to great heights so far. His playmakers around him keep defenses from focusing on just one player, and their talent might be too much for Navy to handle.
My pick: UCF 44 Navy 28
Penn State beware, Top 10 teams have been dropping like flies lately. However, last year's beatdown in Ann Arbor may erase those concerns. Penn State did not look good against Michigan last year, losing 49-10, and it's safe to assume they will be better prepared at home this year.
The Nittany Lions haven't played the best schedule, but have proven they can win tough games. A road trip to Iowa tested their resiliency, but a Trace McSorley pass found the endzone as time expired to defeat the Hawkeyes. What's keeping their offense going is the phenomenal play of their Heisman candidate. Saquon Barkley may not be in the Top 20 in rushing, but he has made an impact in just about every facet of the game. He has 649 yards rushing, 395 yards receiving, and 16 yards passing. He's rushed for six touchdowns, caught two touchdown passes, threw a touchdown pass, and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He's easily the best running back in college football, and it's not even close. What gets lost in the Barkley hype is the Nittany Lions defense. They have the ninth best defense in the country, and are a big reason for their team being the second best team in the nation so far.
Michigan's quarterback drama continues, and I'm convinced that Jim Harbaugh is close to suiting up himself. His team can run the ball and play defense well, but the passing game continues to elude them. A loss to Michigan State soured the season after a great start, but they can stay in the division hunt with an upset on the road. The only problem becomes when these two teams along with the aforementioned Spartans and Ohio State all have two losses, essentially eliminating the Big Ten from the playoff. Sorry, Wisconsin fans, you're not beating the winner of this division. Michigan can continue the chaos Saturday night, and silencing a raucous crowd will be their first priority.
My pick: Penn State 34 Michigan 31
Who would have thought that USC would be the one struggling coming into this game? Brian Kelly has hushed any hot seat talk with a 5-1 start, and their one loss was by just a single point. Kelly's Irish have gotten back to playing great defense, and his offense is looking like it should once again. Brandon Wimbush has taken over for the now-departed Deshone Kizer, and has developed well so far. His dual threat abilities have opened up new opportunities for the offense, and numerous playmakers have emerged. Equanimous St. Brown is their best receiver, but he has just 211 yards receiving thanks to other players stepping up. Could this be the game where St. Brown explodes for a big game? He's definitely due.
USC's 6-1, but could easily be 4-3. Sam Darnold came into the year as a Heisman favorite and potential first round draft pick in the NFL, but now is trying fix plenty of mistakes. Notre Dame is not a good team to do that against, and being on the road won't help either. If Darnold can't get going against the Irish, who will run the ball? Ronald Jones has battled injuries this year, and is healthy, but his counterpart Stephen Carr is out. Jones is one of the best backs in the country, and could be called upon frequently on Saturday. If the offense can bring back it's explosive and dynamic ways, they have a chance. Right now, though, things aren't looking good.
My pick: Notre Dame 28 USC 24
