Five College Football Games to Watch: Week Eight

This piece is a continuation of our weekly series, Five Games You Should Watch. The premise is simple: if you’re an Oregon State Beavers fan, it’s already a safe bet that you’ll watch Saturday’s football game vs Lafayette (7 PM PST on The CW), but here are five more games for you to consider.

#10 LSU at #17 Vanderbilt - Saturday at 9 AM (PST) on ABC

This is a must win game for both schools. Right now, the SEC has three unbeaten teams (Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Alabama) plus five one-loss teams, not including the two schools battling Saturday in Nashville. Whoever loses this contest falls behind nine schools in the conference standings. Following that fate, a miracle run to the conference title game appears unimaginable.

#5 Ole Miss at #9 Georgia - Saturday at 12:30 PM (PST) on ABC

Take everything I just said about LSU/Vandy and multiply it by a hundred. Not only does this game impact the SEC standings - and each school’s path to the playoff - but this game also features two top ten ranked programs. For added measure, Georgia seeks revenge after Lane Kiffin’s side stunned the then-third ranked Dawgs last November. 

UNLV at Boise State - Saturday at 12:30 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1

After a 38-31 narrow escape of Idaho State to open the season, Dan Mullen’s UNLV Rebels have gotten better every week. Entering Mountain West Conference play two weeks ago, Mullen’s team had four wins, thanks to an offense which scored 30+ points every week. Through two Mountain West games, UNLV boasts two more wins. 

Now comes their biggest test: defending Mountain West Conference champions Boise State. The Broncos dropped their season opener to South Florida, a program that could earn the Highest Ranked G5 bid to the College Football Playoff. Then two weeks ago, they fell to Marcus Freeman’s national championship runners-up in South Bend. Aside from those two understandable faults, Boise State looks eager to repeat their conference championship: the Broncos dropped 49 on Air Force, and 41 on New Mexico. 

Washington State at #18 Virginia - Saturday at 3:30 PM (PST) on The CW

My heart goes out to Cougs faithful on the Palouse. After a disheartening blowout loss to North Texas, they would be forgiven for checking out. Still, fans continue to watch Wazzu rip their hearts out. Last week’s brutality occurred in Oxford, where top-five Ole Miss fought off an upset bid by a razor-thin three point edge.

Washington State head coach Jimmy Rogers was adamant that there are no moral victories, and his team hungers for a real win tomorrow in Charlottesville.  

#23 Utah at #15 BYU - Saturday at 5 PM (PST) on Fox

In this post-realignment world of college football, madness reigns. Oregon can play a mid-October conference game in New Jersey, while UCLA welcomes conference foes Maryland to the Rose Bowl on Saturday. No one bats an eye. I take solace in at least one regional, traditional rivalry renewing tomorrow night: a top 25 tussle between Utah and BYU. 

The Cougars are fresh off a last-second comeback win over Arizona, while the Utes aim to repeat last week’s rout of Arizona State. In addition, the Holy War in-state skirmish has Big-12 championship implications: a BYU win keeps the Cougars atop the conference standings, while a Utah win vaults the Utes into the conversation - win out, and they’ll likely rematch Texas Tech at Jerry World on December 6th.