What. A. Saturday. Week 7 had it all. Incredible excitement and close games between tightly ranked opponents. From a thriller in Oregon to Penn State breaking the hearts of USC fans. God, I love college football. The Big 12 had a minor shakeup with Utah losing and the SEC looks like they could dominate the first CFP ranking that comes out in less than a month. Here’s our top 3 picks for 2024 College Football Week 8.
No. 5 Georgia vs No. 1 Texas
Sign me up. What a matchup we have in store with this game. The Longhorns are coming off an absolute crushing win in the Red River Rivalry while the Bulldogs are still trying to prove that they are the best in the nation after a loss to Alabama a few weeks back. This could be Georgia’s best shot to get back into the top three with a win here. It won’t be easy on the road. I see a QB battle here with Carson Beck living up to the billing thus far on paper with 15 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. His issue has been turnovers, as all five picks have come in the last three weeks including three versus Bama. Texas and Quinn Ewers aren’t having as much of an issue. Ewers has three picks this year and no more than one in a game. Defense will reign supreme here. Texas is number 1 in the country in yards allowed and Georgia is 28th. Advantage, Longhorns. Prediction: Georgia 21 Texas 26
No. 7 Alabama vs No. 11 Tennessee
There was a time where I thought that maybe the Vols were the best team in the country. That is no longer the case. Their last three games have been extremely tight against Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Florida. They lost to the Razorbacks and their offense was exposed. Alabama is on a similar trajectory after losing to Vanderbilt (who might be better than we all thought) and just barely escaping South Carolina with a win a week ago. The issues for both teams have come on the offensive side of the ball. Nico Iamaleava has passed for under 170 yards in the last two weeks and it’s been ugly at times with his decision making. Alabama hasn’t looked much better. Their defense forced and recovered three fumbles versus South Carolina with not a whole lot to show for it. Jalen Milroe threw two picks in that game, and they are putting themselves in holes. This has a chance to be a chaotic game. Prediction: Alabama 31 Tennessee 27
No. 6 Miami vs Louisville
The Hurricanes have enjoyed a ton of success with Cam Ward at the helm of their offense, but this is an easy letdown game inside the ACC that could spoil their chances of being first in the conference. Louisville has a powerful offense with an excellent running game that ranks 22nd in the nation in yards per rush per game. Isaac Brown is the key to their offense and if the Cardinals can force a few turnovers and then control the clock with Brown on the ground, I could see an upset brewing. The Canes are 70th in the nation in interceptions per game, averaging nearly one every contest. I’d like to see a slip-up in the ACC to make things interesting. Prediction: Miami 25 Louisville 28