College Football Week 8 Preview

After six relatively calm weeks, Week 7 provided a few shake ups among the top teams with possibly the biggest coming in the form of Georgia being dealt a major loss by Missouri. One was possibly the biggest loser of the week and other possibly the winner. Stanford as well suffered their first loss and might have an uphill battle to get back in the national title conversation. The ranks of the undefeated dwindle a little and some familiar names are dominating the conversation still while a couple others are hanging in the outside conversation. The ACC will get the major spotlight this week with Florida State going to Clemson in a top 5 battle that will likely knock the loser out of the national title conversation. The SEC has a few good ones this week as well that pit some recent favorites against upstarts.

Looking back at the games highlighted, Rutgers pushed Louisville and QB Teddy Bridgewater but a couple missed chances and plays by the Scarlet Knights allowed the Cardinals to do enough to pull away in the 4th to stay unbeaten. USC and Arizona provided a stellar battle into late hours on a Thursday night with USC doing enough to escape with a win. The Red River Shootout turned out to be a different game than most expected. Texas got on Oklahoma early and despite a couple attempts to mount a comeback by the Sooners; it was never really close. It was a must needed win for head coach Mack Brown as much as the team. And South Carolina came out strong and dominated Arkansas in what could be used as a confidence booster for them despite some struggles.

With my top 5 for Week 7, I went 3-2 bringing my record to 30-5 on the year. Texas A&M was pushed to its limit by Mississippi. For a team that pretty much came up lame against Alabama in an earlier big challenge forced QB Johnny Manziel to dig deep for a major 4th quarter to help keep A&M alive in the national title conversation. The 4th quarter has not been friendly to Northwestern the last couple years. All of their losses in 2012 came after letting leads slip away in the 4th quarter and then fell short to Ohio State the same way. However, against Wisconsin; the 4th quarter was not as questionable as Northwestern were slammed being hard all day and loss their second consecutive Big Ten game. Georgia has done well at managing injuries all year and nearly defeated Clemson to start the year. They fell down early to upstart Missouri who is playing completely opposite from their first year in the SEC in 2012. The Tigers' lead was more than enough to hold off a talented QB Aaron Murray from pulling off the comeback win and now Georgia likely is officially out of the title picture.

It is not unexpected for the SEC to have at least one marquee game each week and this week had a second one besides Georgia-Missouri as LSU was able to slowly wear down Florida. The Tigers still look to have a bit of the hangover after their loss to Georgia but Florida has dealt with injuries throughout the first half and not been close to the team they were last year. Finally, in what was possibly the biggest game in Washington's recent history; they hung close with Oregon early but the Ducks again dominated yet another opponent this year. Washington's defense has played pretty well this year and Oregon torn them apart and they continue to make a strong argument for being the best team in the country.

Now comes this week's games to spotlight and the weekly top 5.

Games to highlight in Week 8:

UCF at #6 Louisville: Louisville had their toughest challenge last week and could see another one this week as they try to navigate the season undefeated and keep slim hopes for a national title game appearance alive.

#15 Georgia at Vanderbilt: Georgia is banged up and the injuries might be catching up to them as they travel to a very good Vanderbilt who can pull the upset.

#16 Texas Tech at West Virginia: West Virginia has shown a bit more fight this year in the Big 12 and this one could be pretty close as Texas Tech tries to stay unbeaten.

Minnesota at Northwestern: Northwestern is staggering a bit after two straight conference losses and draw a Minnesota team that has packed a punch this year.

Indiana at Michigan: Indiana got a big win over Penn State earlier this year and Michigan is coming off a tough quadruple overtime loss to that same Penn State team. Not sure if this goes four overtimes but could be tight late.

#19 Washington at Arizona State: Washington was looking like a potential Pac-12 winner and ran into Stanford and Oregon in back to back weeks. If they are not careful, Arizona State could deal them another blow.

#7 LSU at Mississippi: LSU has not looked as dominant the last couple weeks and Mississippi pushed Texas A&M pretty far last week so don't be surprised if the Rebels keep it close through most of the game and potentially make a couple big plays that win them a huge game.

Top 5 Games of Week 8 (30-5):

5) USC at Notre Dame: Neither are ranked. Neither will be playing for a national title. But, the rivalry between them is as strong as ever. USC has shown a lack of offense and not the strongest defense through most of the year. Notre Dame has some flair in the backfield and should be able to move the ball enough through the air as well. The rivalry aspect keeps it close during the first half before the Fighting Irish gets a small cushion in the second half they use to win this year's battle. PICK: NOTRE DAME

4) #25 Florida at #14 Missouri: Missouri made a big statement last week knocking off Georgia on the road. Now they draw Florida at home with another chance to stay undefeated and more importantly show they are for real this year. The Tigers might be without their starting quarterback but it might be their defense that carries them regardless. They put pressure on the quarterback and will keep Florida off guard a lot of the time. Florida still brings a good amount of talent that will keep it close before Missouri hits a big play or has a big turnover or return that sets up another big win. PICK: MISSOURI

3) #24 Auburn at #8 Texas A&M: Auburn has been reignited this year and they fell short in their first big game of the year against LSU. They go to Kyle Field in hopes of upsetting QB Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M. The Aggies got pushed to the limit against Mississippi and have lacked the killer instinct during the first half of most games this year. Because of that, Auburn will keep it neck and neck for much of the game. A&M and Manziel will need to dig deep in the 4th where they get the go ahead score late that proves enough in a a high scoring affair. PICK: TEXAS A&M

2) #10 UCLA at #13 Stanford: UCLA might be one of the most unheralded undefeated teams this year. They have a chance to make some noise if they can go on the road against Stanford and win a big Pac-12 game. Stanford plays a type of style that involves slow and steady offense and very tight defense. With that in mind, they will keep the Bruins' open offense relatively locked up in what could be a close losing scoring first half that starts to open a bit more in the second half with Stanford getting a couple scores that puts away UCLA. PICK: STANFORD

1) #5 Florida State at #4 Clemson: The ACC has not had a matchup of this caliber in nearly a decade. Clemson is constantly trying to prove they are for real and had a couple scares before staying undefeated. Florida State has left little question about their talent in every game this year as QB Jameis Winston has put himself on the map after only half a season's worth of games. Thus. don't be surprised if Winston is joined by Clemson QB Tajh Boyd in a bit of duel. The two teams have physical defenses and they will look to challenge each quarterback. But, the dual threat ability of both will keep defenses on edge at times. Florida State's defense puts a little more pressure on Boyd and forces a couple turnovers that prove to be the difference as Florida State pulls away with a late score to seal it. PICK: FLORIDA STATE

Lead by a top 5 battle, there are a few big top 25 contests and potential upsets lurking once again. Each week the pressure rises and the title picture gets a little clearer as top teams start to pull away from the field.