College football week 8 consecutive picks
Before The Snap’s Week 8 picks include Ole Miss Georgia, Utah-BYU, USC-Notre Dame, and more.
Is it really any longer surprising that there are major upsets in college football every weekend? The makeup of the playoffs seems to change drastically every Saturday, and Week 7 was no exception.
Week 8 has already begun with second place Miami suffering an unexpected loss to Louisville. I’m sure there will be even more shocking results. These could be among the three games that have a big impact on the SEC conference race. When No. 12 Georgia Tech enters the picture, could another undefeated ACC team collapse? Or are there any other games in the Big 10 or Big 12 that could change the U.S. LBM Coaches poll on Sunday?
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That’s why USA TODAY Sports’ college football staff is here to provide answers to your tough questions. Matt Hayes, Jordan Mendoza, Paul Meyerberg, Eric Smith, Eddie Timanas, and Blake Topmeyer share their bold predictions for Week 8 of the college football season.
Upset of Arkansas gives Texas A&M its first loss.
The University of Arkansas’ big win over undefeated Texas A&M further clouds the SEC race. A classic disappointing game for Agors. A sneaky rivalry game on the road with teams that can earn you tons of points. Bobby Petrino helped the Razorbacks show what they are capable of on the road in Louisville. There is no doubt that they can win at home. — matt haze
Tennessee finally wins in Tuscaloosa
It’s been more than 20 years since the University of Tennessee walked into Bryant-Denny Stadium and left with a victory. Volante has looked pretty shaky the last few weeks and I’m not confident he can pull it off this year, but I’m expecting some super aggressive play from Josh Heupel knowing how richly he rides this contest. With Joey Aguilar’s win over Ty Simpson, Tennessee can finally get a cigar in Alabama. — jordan mendoza
Duke beats Georgia Tech, complicating ACC race
Duke beats Georgia Tech, further complicating things in the ACC. The Blue Devils have been strong offensively to open conference play, dropping 45 points on North Carolina State, 38 on Syracuse and another 45 on California. This will come down to which team will set the tone. Tech looks to be a strong team at the line of scrimmage, while Duke wants a more open game. — Paul Mayerberg
Arizona State fights back against Texas Tech
A quick look at the score from Utah’s win over the Sun Devils might suggest to some that coach Kenny Dillingham’s team is unprepared for the Red Raiders’ buzzsaw. However, Arizona State was without quarterback Sam Leavitt, who was scheduled to play Saturday. Look for the home team circling the wagon and you might find an overconfident Texas Tech team that looks Big 12 class. — Eric Smith
Vanderbilt defeats LSU
What speaks volumes about this glorious sport we call college football is that a team’s fan base gets salty when the opponent’s winning home crowd doesn’t rush onto the field. Well, LSU, I hate to break it to you, but even if Vanderbilt wins this week, it won’t be a storm in Nashville.
The Tigers are in the top 10 almost entirely because of one side of the ball. Against actual FBS games, LSU averages less than 20 points per game. Granted, they’ve only allowed more than 10 points in a game once, but their only loss came against Ole Miss. The defense will once again give it their all, but Vandy will do enough to snatch the victory. — Eddie Timanas
Florida wins, but Billy Napier is fired.
This spin on the coaching merry-go-round will be the wildest since 2021, when a slew of big jobs were made public and salaries and buyouts skyrocketed. And we just started firing. So who’s next? I’ll keep an eye on struggling coaches Billy Napier (Florida), Luke Fickell (Wisconsin) and Hugh Freeze (Auburn). Bold Prediction: Napier bids farewell to Ed Orgeron. They’ll beat Mississippi State on Saturday, but they’ll probably get fired on Sunday anyway. Orgeron beat Florida in 2021, but was fired the next day. Thank you for the memories. Yes, there are certainly similarities between this year’s Carousel and 2021. blake topmeyer
