It might not be Thanksgiving weekend, but we’ve got a good number of rivalry matchups with high stakes coming up in Week 8.
USC and Notre Dame meet in South Bend in a game that could end up determining a spot in the College Football Playoff. It’s also the Third Saturday of October, which means Tennessee and Alabama are renewing their rivalry. As both teams already have one loss, the loser of Saturday’s game won’t have much margin for error the rest of the way.
Finally, the Holy War also returns on Saturday, which is where “Big Noon Saturday” will be this weekend. That game between Utah and BYU might determine one of the spots in the Big 12 Championship Game.
I’ll be on the call for the Washington-Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday. So, I’ll preview that matchup and give some picks on a few of the other top games in Week 8.
This is a game that is massive for a possible fourth team to make the College Football Playoff out of the Big Ten. One of these teams, with a win this weekend, can be the team that makes a push in the second half of the season.
Last week, Washington was tremendous on offense against Rutgers. Quarterback Demond Williams became the first player with 400 passing yards and 135 rushing yards in a game since Lamar Jackson. This guy can fly, he’s a bit like Kyler Murray light — really quick short area quickness, throws the ball well when he’s given protection and really good playmakers (RB Jonah Coleman, WR Denzel Boston). How Michigan decides to defend or spy Williams remains to be seen. It could try to replicate what Ohio State did, but let’s face it, Michigan’s defense doesn’t resemble that defense. Michigan’s defense got taken advantage of last week against USC, particularly in the run game as it allowed over six yards per carry.
Flipping things around, Michigan has got to get back to running the football first. That’s a way to make Bryce Underwood feel more comfortable and not put itself in the same position that it was in last week, when it needed to move the ball while it was behind the chains. It needs to lean into what it does best foundationally, so hopefully it can get running back Justice Haynes back for this one.
It’s not going to surprise if Ole Miss plays well offensively to start this one after finding itself in a classic trap game and only beating Washington State by three last week. Georgia’s also had a habit of starting slow this season.
Of course, beating Georgia will take a full 60-minute effort, especially between the hedges. We saw the Bulldogs get out to slow starts against Tennessee and Auburn on the road before winning those games. We’ve also seen Georgia turn it up defensively in the second half of games. It already has two second-half shutouts this year, doing that against Alabama and Auburn.
I expect Ole Miss to have a good game plan and quarterback Tinidad Chambliss to play better than he did a week ago. Georgia hasn’t been great at getting pressure on the quarterback, ranking last in the SEC in pressure rate entering the weekend. That’s a bit alarming.
I don’t see Georgia running away in this game, but I also find it hard to believe that Ole Miss is going to be a team that can go in and take down the Bulldogs in Athens. This Georgia team just has nine lives. It doesn’t matter the lead that the opposition has. And Ole Miss has too many one-possession wins for my liking.
Pick: Georgia 27, Ole Miss 24 (Ole Miss +7.5)
No. 20 USC at No. 13 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET)
I was a bit surprised to see Notre Dame being favored by 9.5 points in this game. USC’s coming off that emotional win over Michigan, while Notre Dame has just gotten better and better since those early losses. This is also the 20th anniversary of the “Bush Push,” so be prepared to hear and see that a lot.
I like both of these teams, though. Both of these teams can score and their offenses are balanced. CJ Carr’s thrown the ball well for Notre Dame and has had strong production out of the backfield with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Notre Dame’s moving the ball with ease, but the competition hasn’t been great since those first two games. Still, it’s been really efficient.
Should USC continue their rivalry with Notre Dame?
USC, in some ways, has the best offense in the country. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has been terrific. New starting running back King Miller ran for 158 yards against Michigan last week. USC’s No. 1 in the country in yards per play, and its offensive line is so much better than it has been over the last couple of years.
So, is USC more suited to than it has been as of late to win a game at South Bend? Yes, there’s no doubt this is a better version of USC than the team Lincoln Riley brought in 2023. But Notre Dame’s defense has been improving and I don’t think USC’s run defense is great, so I think the Fighting Irish will be able to move the football on the ground. Ultimately, I like Notre Dame, but USC’s offense is too good for it not to be a close, high-scoring game.
Pick: Notre Dame 37, USC 30 (USC +9.5)
No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama (7:30 p.m. ET)
Alabama’s a 7.5-point favorite entering this one, which might feel like a big line. But remember, Tennessee hasn’t won at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2003. And for Tennessee, this game might be a make-it or break-it game for its CFP hopes. The schedule doesn’t line up well for the Volunteers.
Alabama, meanwhile, is playing a top-20 team for the fourth straight week. How much wear and tear do the Tide have on the backend of that stretch? Wide receiver Ryan Williams is banged up and running back Jam Miller is in the concussion protocol.
But Alabama does have a Heisman candidate at quarterback in Ty Simpson. He can throw the ball as well as anyone in the country and he’ll be going up against a Tennessee defense that’s the worst pass defense in the SEC, although it has the second-most sacks in the FBS.
So, that’s what I think the game will come down to: Will Tennessee be able to get pressure on Simpson? If it doesn’t, Simpson will eat Tennessee alive. If Alabama can protect Simpson, he’ll put up a ton of points on that secondary.
Tennessee is the No. 1 scoring team in the country, though. It has also allowed just four sacks his season, and Alabama hasn’t been good at rushing the passer this year. But Alabama was able to beat Vanderbilt and Missouri thanks to forcing turnovers. If Joey Aguilar doesn’t fall into that same trap, Tennessee should be able to remain in the game.
Ultimately, I like Alabama to win. Kalen DeBoer has done an incredible job the last few weeks to help his team find ways to win.
Pick: Alabama 34, Tennessee 28 (Tennessee +7.5)
This is a massive matchup that will help provide some separation at the top of the Big 12. In fact, the winner of this game will probably have the inside track to play Texas Tech in the conference title game.
Speaking of Texas Tech, Utah has gotten better since that loss to the Red Raiders in September. Utah’s got two dominant performances in its last two games, and quarterback Devon Dampier looks healthy after playing banged up in the Texas Tech game. That makes me think Utah can be a bit more explosive offensively, which doesn’t bode well for BYU. BYU’s played well defensively, but I just don’t think it’s going to be able to score a ton of points.
Quarterback Bear Bachmeier has done a really good job as a freshman for BYU and LJ Martin has helped provide a 1-2 punch for the Cougars on the ground. But they’re a bit limited offensively beyond that, which is a problem going against that Utah defense. Utah runs so much man coverage that the box is always heavy with run defenders, and if BYU can’t create explosive plays against that, where does it go?
I had Utah as my dark-horse team to make the CFP coming out of the Big 12 entering the season, and I think Dampier helps the Utes get back on track this week.
Pick: Utah 21, BYU 13 (Utah -3.5)
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him @joelklatt and subscribe to “The Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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