College football 2017 Week 8 predictions

Saturday, 12:00 pm ET

Two teams, two seasons gone wrong. Louisville has dropped its last two games, losing its last matchup against unranked Boston College and fell to last place in the ACC Atlantic Division. Florida State has not lived up to its lofty expectations, losing every game against a ranked opponent this year. Both teams need this win to get their respective seasons back on track.

Pick: Florida State

Saturday, 7:30 pm ET 

The Wolverines recovered from their loss against Michigan State—barely. Even after beating Indiana in overtime, many people doubt Jim Harbaugh’s big game fortitude. He can shut all the critics up with a huge win in Happy Valley. Penn State will be ready, bringing an undefeated record and Heisman candidate Saquon Barkley, who recovered from a slow start to score two touchdowns against Northwestern. Penn State will look to him again to down Michigan.

Pick: Penn State

Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

The teams may not be evenly matched, but there’s something special about Tennessee and Alabama. The Crimson Tide is coming in hot, undefeated and looking like championship contenders again. The rotating rushing attack gained 308 yards last week against Arkansas, and the defense is as suffocating as ever. Tennessee fans are teetering on mutiny after losing two straight games at home. Butch Jones’ buyout clause seems to be the only reason he is still around, but even a loss against Alabama may not stop the hammer from coming down on his career with the Vols.

Pick: Alabama

Saturday, 12:00 pm ET

The Longhorns lost a close game to Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown last week. They won’t get a break hosting Oklahoma State and hot quarterback Mason Rudolph this week. Texas has been close in its last two games against ranked opponents. The Longhorns may take the moral victory against the Sooners, and perform well against the Cowboys.

Pick: Texas

Saturday, 4:00 pm ET

While the top Pac-12 teams are ruining each other’s seasons, UCLA and Oregon are struggling to survive. Both these teams are desperate to get back in the win column, which should make for some fast-paced football with both teams unable to stop anyone on defense. Look for UCLA’s Josh Rosen to make his case to be the first quarterback off the board this year in the NFL Draft.

Pick: UCLA

Saturday, 7:30 pm ET

The greatest intersectional rivalry is back, and the Jeweled Shillelagh is on the line once again. The Trojans have been living on the edge this season with Sam Darnold not performing at a Heisman level, but they have still been able to win seven of their eight games. Notre Dame lost against Georgia earlier in the year, but has won its last four games to climb up to No. 13 in the AP Poll. There are major bowl implications with this game, and both teams will be fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Pick: USC

Thursday, 8:00 pm ET

Tigers quarterback Riley Ferguson has been the star of the show for Memphis, throwing for 10 touchdowns in the last two games, but it was their defense that shined against AP-ranked Navy with five turnovers. Houston started its conference schedule with two wins, but dropped a game against Tulsa. Both teams will be battling for the top spot in the AAC West Division.

Pick: Memphis

Saturday, 7:30 pm ET

Auburn’s normally mighty defense fell victim to LSU, allowing 159 rushing yards against the Tigers of Baton Rouge. This week, Auburn get a chance to right the ship against a faltering Arkansas team that is struggling to get any stability in the SEC. Can the Tigers recover from their heartbreaking loss?

Pick: Auburn

Saturday, 7:15 pm ET

How about them Tigers? After being on the verge of total collapse, head coach Ed Orgeron got LSU back on track with two huge wins against ranked SEC opponents in Florida and Auburn. Next on LSU’s recovery tour Orgeron’s last head coaching stop: Ole Miss. The Rebels beat Vanderbilt in their last game, and look to give Orgeron a rude welcome back to Oxford.

Pick: Ole Miss

Saturday, 4:00 pm ET

Coming off its Red River Showdown win, Oklahoma is once again in the top 10 of the AP Poll. It has some issues to solve on defense, but Baker Mayfield can make an entire team look really good. The Sooners travel to Kansas State where the Wildcats are trying to find the form that got them ranked in the AP Poll earlier in the year. Will they be able to withstand the firepower of Oklahoma?

Pick: Oklahoma

Saturday, 10:15 pm ET

Boise State started the year off slow, but has come on in recent weeks, even beating No. 19 San Diego State last week. The Broncos’ defense stymied the Aztecs’ stud running back Rashaad Penny, and they will have another challenge this week. Josh Allen of Wyoming has the tools to be a good NFL quarterback, and could stop the Broncos’ momentum. Both these teams are competing for a spot near the top of the Mountain West Mountain Division. A win would be a big boost for either squad.

Pick: Wyoming

Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

Syracuse shocked the country by beating Clemson last week, and their season doesn’t get any easier, facing No. 8 Miami. The Orange had the advantage of playing at home last week, but does it have the same magic on the road? Maybe, but Syracuse will have to deal with the Hurricanes and their ability to win close games. Whose luck runs out?

Pick: Miami

Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

The Hoosiers were close, but not close enough. Indiana nearly topped Michigan last week but fell in overtime. The team now heads to East Lansing where it faces a suddenly hot Michigan State team. Can Indiana get over the hump and beat their first ranked team this week?

Pick: Michigan State

Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

We may want to check the sky for pigs because the Sun Devils are coming off a win against a ranked opponent where they held them under 10 points. That’s exactly what the team did when it beat No. 5 Washington last week. Now they head to Utah who was one two-point conversion away from beating USC last week. Can the Utes stop the bleeding against an Arizona State team that is riding high?

Pick: Utah

Saturday, 8:00 pm ET

An 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter might as well by a three-point deficit with the West Virginia offense. The Mountaineers came back against Texas Tech last week behind five touchdowns thrown from Will Grier. They now travel to Waco, where a beaten down Baylor team is still looking for their first win this season. Baylor pushed Oklahoma to the brink earlier this season. Maybe they finally get a win against West Virginia.

Pick: Baylor

Saturday, 10:30 pm ET

San Diego State’s perfect season ended last week against Boise State. Not only did the Aztecs lose the game, they also lost their share of first place atop the Mountain West West Division. The Aztecs can get it back if they defeat Fresno State, a team that shut out New Mexico last week 38-0. Who ends up at the top of the division after this week?

Pick: San Diego State

Saturday, 10:45 pm ET

Some things were not meant to be. After looking like a playoff-bound team, Washington State was embarrassed on the road against Cal 37-3 on a short week. The Cougars still have a good shot at playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and a win against Colorado will help. The Buffaloes got back in the win column after a three-game losing streak with a victory over Oregon State. The Cougars are back at home, but Colorado may be able to capitalize on a vulnerable Washington State team.

Pick: Washington State

Saturday, 12:00 pm ET

In order to be a good team, you have to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat. Wisconsin has taken advantage of their schedule, staying undefeated while facing all non-ranked teams. With Maryland coming to town, the Badgers have another porous run defense to abuse with running back Jonathan Taylor, who nearly has 1,000 yards rushing for the season. Will the Badgers stay undefeated?

Pick: Wisconsin

Saturday, 12:00 pm ET

When a team comes back from an 18-point deficit, it could be hard to swallow. Unfortunately for Texas Tech, the team doesn’t have a lot of time to recover. The Red Raiders hop back in the saddle, and face off against a hot Iowa State team that shut out Kansas last week. Can Nic Shimonek shake off the loss, and lead Texas Tech to an important conference victory?

Pick: Texas Tech

Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

As good as Navy’s run game has been this year, their defense has been unable to stop anyone. That came back to bite them in the butt against Memphis last week. The Midshipmen return home to host UCF, a team who has quietly put together an undefeated season. Navy can run the ball, but it will have to stop UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton if it wants to maintain its lead in the AAC West Division.

Pick: Navy

Saturday, 12:00 pm ET

There’s nothing like a little MAC-tion to inject some excitement in your Saturday afternoon. Akron struggled through a difficult nonconference schedule, but has recovered to go undefeated against conference opponents so far. Toledo is also undefeated in conference games with a dynamic offense centered on quarterback Logan Woodside. With both teams on top of their respective MAC divisions, this could be a preview of the MAC championship at the end of the year.

Pick: Toledo

Saturday, 5:00 pm ET

North Texas went to its second bowl game in 12 years last season. The way it is playing, the team wants to go to another one this year. The Mean Green is on top of the Conference USA West Division behind the great play of quarterback Mason Fine, who has slung the ball for 1,796 yards and 14 touchdowns. It now faces the suddenly relevant Florida Atlantic Owls who have won their first two conference games to put itself near the top of the Conference USA East Division. Who remains undefeated in conference play after this game?

Pick: North Texas

Saturday, 8:00 pm ET

Amid all the chaos in college football this year, TCU finds itself in playoff position behind a balanced attack the rest of the country has yet to figure out. The next team standing in its way is Kansas, who just got shutout by Iowa State. Crazier things have happened this season. Could Kansas pull off the upset to knock TCU out of playoff position?

Pick: TCU

Saturday, 7:00 pm ET

South Florida has bullied its way to an undefeated season so far behind nearly 300 yards rushing per game. The Bulls face off against Tulane, who is looking for a spark to get their season going after a slow start. With the Green Wave at home, an upset is not totally out of the question.

Pick: Tulane

Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

Virginia Tech returns to the field after the bye week refreshed, and ready to battle for the ACC Coastal Division. The Hokies come out of the break facing a struggling North Carolina team that has lost all its games during conference play. Teams are usually a little rusty coming out of a bye week. North Carolina might be able to capitalize on the situation.

Pick: Virginia Tech