CFB: Week 8 Preview
Top-10 Rankings:
1. Alabama (7-0, 100 Pts)
2. Ohio State (7-0, 95 Pts)
3. Clemson (6-0, 91 Pts)
4. Notre Dame (7-0, 90 Pts)
5. LSU (6-1, 80 Pts)
6. Texas (6-1, 79 Pts)
7. Michigan (6-1, 75 Pts)
8. Oklahoma (5-1, 71 Pts)
9. Central Florida (6-0, 52 Pts)
10. Georgia (6-1, 36 Pts)
Review: LSU (+6) was our biggest riser of the week because of their 36-16 beatdown of No. 2 Georgia, on their home field. The Tigers got up 16-0 at halftime, and then pushed past the Bulldogs with a 17-point fourth quarter to cap off their third top-10 win of the season. LSU, despite the loss to Florida in Week 6, has a chance to get to the CFP if they can defeat No. 1 Alabama in a few weeks. That'll be one of the best environments of the year. Georgia (-8) was by far our largest faller, but West Virginia (-6), Penn State (-5), and Washington (-4) all fell out of the top-10 as well. The Bulldogs will get a week off before facing their bitter rival Florida, with a possible shot at the SEC championship game. Other movers were Michigan (+5) and Texas (+4).
Weekly Standings:
Caleb Henderson: 25-10
Charles Post: 27-8
Chinedum Wejinya: 28-7
Tyler Taylor: 23-12
Consensus Picks:
NC State @ No. 3 Clemson
No. 7 Michigan @ Michigan State
No. 8 Oklahoma @ TCU
Colorado @ Washington
Mississippi State @ No. 5 LSU
Review: No. 3 Clemson will face their second toughest matchup of the season, this time against NC State, and it will likely be their final game against a ranked opponent until a possible ACC title game. No. 7 Michigan is coming off of a huge victory over Wisconsin, and their tough stretch continues with a rivalry at Michigan State. Jim Harbaugh is 1-2 against the Spartans in his tenure, and this game would go a long way in the Wolverines' postseason hopes. No. 8 Oklahoma hits the road to TCU following their bye week, looking to bounce back from a loss. Washington will attempt to rebound, too, as they host Colorado. No. 5 LSU stays home for a bout with Mississippi State. We're picking Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma, Washington, and LSU to win.
Heisman Standings:
1. Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) (+0)
2. Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State) (+1)
3. Kyler Murray (Oklahoma) (-1)
4. Travis Etienne (Clemson) (+2)
5. Will Grier (West Virginia) (-1)
Review: QB Tua Tagovailoa is at the top of our rankings for the sixth straight week, but this time it wasn't as impressive as usual. He still has a huge lead over the rest of the pack, but Tua threw for a season-worst 54.5 percent against Missouri, going for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Before this, his worst performance was 68.4 percent versus Arkansas State. QB Dwayne Haskins jumps up one spot, back up to second, after throwing for 412 yards, three scores, and 75.0 percent passing. A couple of Big 12 signal callers are in the back end, as QB Kyler Murray is coming off of a bye week and QB Will Grier dropped down one spot. In between them is RB Travis Etienne from Clemson. He's averaging 126.8 yards and has 11 touchdowns.
College Football Playoff Picks (Week 1):
Photo Credit: ESPN.
