- Week 8 of college football features the first ranked Holy War since 2009.
- Utah State faces San Jose State Friday; Baylor meets TCU Saturday morning.
- No. 23 Utah plays No. 15 BYU Saturday night in a crucial matchup.
SALT LAKE CITY — Week 8 of the college football is already upon us, headlined by the first ranked matchup of the BYU-Utah game since 2009.
Other notable matchups include a top-10 clash between Ole Miss and Georgia, and key conference games in the Big 12 and ACC as teams look to position themselves for a conference championship birth.
San Jose State (2-4) vs. Utah State (3-3)
Friday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m. MDT – DATCU Stadium (CBSSN)
Utah State hosts the San Jose State Spartans as both teams look to claim their second conference victory.
Why San Jose State will win:
Scoring hasn't been necessarily a problem for the Spartans this season; and lucky for them, they'll get to face a Utah State team that ranks 125th out of 136 FBS teams in scoring defenses, allowing 32.7 points per game. San Jose State scored a season-high 35 points in a win against New Mexico, a team that hung tight with Michigan and handily beat UCLA.
Quarterback Walker Eget is seventh in the FBS for passing yards, raking up a total of 1,816 while also throwing for 13 touchdowns. He'll have the opportunity to increase that total after the Aggies surrendered 413 passing yards to Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado. Eget will need to finish off drives with as he looks to pick apart this weak Utah State defense.
Why Utah State will win:
The Aggies are coming off a disappointing loss in Honolulu, where they were outscored by Hawaii 20-6 in the second half of Saturday's loss. They now have the opportunity to bounce back at home as they host San Jose State (2-4). The formula for Utah State to get wins going forward will require their offense to score more than 30 points as their defense continues to struggle against good offenses.
Quarterback Bryson Barnes and running back Miles Davis have played well this season and will need to continue to play at a high level in order to help the Aggies separate themselves from the pack and catch up with the top contenders in the Mountain West. The Spartans are allowing over 400 yards of total offense per game while Utah State averages 423.0 yards per game.
Both team's offenses are among the top five of the Mountain West which means the Aggies could be in store for another high scoring game. In order to get a different outcome, they'll need their defense to get timely stops with the turnover margin being a key in this one.
Line: Utah State -3.5
Over/Under: 65.5
Baylor (4-2) vs. TCU (4-2)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. MDT – Amon G. Carter Stadium (ESPN2)
A pair of 4-2 Big 12 teams face off with a chance to gain ground in the conference standings.
Why Baylor will win:
The Bears are coming off a bye and have rattled off back-to-back conference wins before the break. Their attention turns toward a TCU team that lost by double digits to an underperforming Kansas State team.
A couple weeks ago, the Horned Frogs looked like a sleeper in the Big 12, but after two conference losses, the Horned Frogs could be in trouble as they face one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Sawyer Robertson.
Robertson has played just as well in conference games as he did in the nonconference schedule, totaling 2,058 yards and 19 touchdown passes. TCU struggled to contain one of the other top quarterbacks in the Big 12 when Sam Leavitt and Arizona State pulled off a fourth quarter comeback.
This Baylor offense is among the top three in the Big 12. With the Horned Frogs struggling as of late, the Bears have a great opportunity to remain in the mix for the conference championship game.
Why TCU will win:
The play of quarterback Josh Hoover is the key for TCU. In the Horned Frogs' two losses, Hoover has thrown two interceptions; but outside of those two games, Hoover has been very effective this season.
Baylor's defense has struggled mightily this season and TCU must take advantage in order to win this one. The Bears are allowing a staggering 177.2 rushing yards per game, but the Horned Frogs have only accounted for 700 rushing yards this season. Establishing the run game will be a huge boost to this TCU offense as they look to take advantage of a glaring weakness of Baylor's.
A better run game should take pressure off of Hoover to beat the Bears with just his arm as well as setting up the play action pass in order to take more downfield shots on Baylors' defense.
Line: TCU -2.5
Over/Under: 65.5
No. 12 Georgia Tech (6-0) vs. Duke (4-2)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. MDT – Wallace Wade Stadium (ESPN)
ACC foes square off with a chance to improve to 4-0 in conference play and a shot at the College Football Playoff.
Why Georgia Tech will win:
The Yellow Jackets have played in some tight games this season, showing they can be clutch and come from behind when trailing late in games. A lot of credit goes to senior quarterback Haynes King, who has played in a lot of games in his six-year college career. King has shown guts and grit time and time again and it's his ability to get it done through the air and on the ground that makes him special.
Head coach Brent Key deserves a ton of credit for transforming this Georgia Tech program as he has helped lead this team to six wins this year, one win shy of tying the team's season total from the past two seasons. In his third full season at the helm, Key has the Yellow Jackets sitting with their highest ranking in the AP Top 25 since 2014
Their opponent this week, the Duke Blue Devils, have had an up-and-down season so far, getting blown out at home by Illinois and losing to pretty handidly to Tulane (don't let the final score fool you). The Blue Devils play their best when quarterback Darian Mensah is on so the key for Georgia Tech is to force Mensah into mistakes.
Why Duke will win:
Duke has started to find it's groove as they've begun ACC play. They are coming off a dominant road win at Cal, shutting down freshman phenom Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele by forcing three interceptions from him.
Head coach Manny Diaz has always been a great defensive mind in college football, coaching great defenses at Miami and Penn State. His task this week will be stopping the Yellow Jackets' offense and King, who has been a gamer all year.
If the Blue Devils knock off Georgia Tech, they'll be in prime position to take advantage of a weaker ACC schedule and punch their ticket in the ACC championship. In order to make that into a reality, they'll need to knock off the No. 12 team in the country.
Duke possesses the defense to slow down this Yellow Jacket offense but Mensah and the offense will need to take advantage of a Georgia Tech defense that allows 169.5 rushing yards per game.
The Blue Devils have a balanced backfield with three players contributing but freshman Nate Sheppard has impressed with his 8.0 yards per carry. If the run game can take advantage of this weak run defense, it may open up and allow Mensah to take advantage with his arm.
Line: Duke -1.5
Over/Under: 61.5
No. 5 Ole Miss (6-0) vs. No. 9 Georgia (5-1)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 1:30 p.m. MDT – Sanford Stadium (ABC)
Georgia hosts Ole Miss in a heavyweight matchup between two SEC juggernauts.
Why Ole Miss will win:
The Rebels may have been caught looking ahead in last week's game against Washington State. Ole Miss trailed for much of the first three quarters before pulling away in the fourth. Lane Kiffin and his team have excelled on both sides of the ball for the majority of the season, with their biggest win coming against No. 4 LSU at home.
This week's game against Georgia may be a bigger test for the Rebels with this matchup coming on the road and in a hostile environment. The Bulldogs are beatable at home with Alabama coming into Athens and defeating them 24-21 and Georgia is not coming off their best game of the season either after winning a sloppy game against Auburn.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will have to be at the top of his game in order to get past a stout Bulldogs defense. The Senior transfer from Ferris State has impressed with the Rebels since taking over the starting job in the team's Week 3 game against Arkansas. Chambliss has thrown for 1,286 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for another 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Chambliss leads this Ole Miss offense that averages 39.8 points per game with a balanced offensive attack that averages 311.0 passing yards and 204.3 rushing yards. Kiffin has been one of the best offensive minds in college football for a long time but in order for his team to finally enter championship contender conversations he will need to dethrone the Bulldogs who have been one of the best teams in the SEC.
Why Georgia will win:
It's hard to pick against Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, especially in these big-time matchups. Smart has led the Bulldogs to two national championships during his tenure and has turned this program into the premier program in a loaded SEC. Ole Miss is still searching for that breakthrough and have yet to prove they are ready.
Georgia has shown they can beat you in a variety of ways this season, defeating Tennessee in a 44-41 shootout victory and also beating Auburn in a more sloppy affair. The Bulldogs defense remains one of the top units in the country and will always be well coached under Smart and they will be tasked with slowing down an explosive Rebels' offense.
If the game comes down to Georgia needing a game-winning drive from their offense, quarterback Gunner Stockton has proven capable of pulling that off if necessary.
Stockton helped force overtime against the Volunteers and eventual led the Bulldogs to a game-winning drive in overtime. He also helped Georgia overcome a double-digit deficit on the road against Auburn last week, scoring 20 unanswered points.
It may not be pretty or the flashiest, but Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs get the job done and a win this weekend would go along way in potential College Football Playoff seeding as he seeks his third national title with the program.
Line: Georgia -7.5
Over/Under: 54.5
No. 23 Utah (5-1) vs. No. 15 BYU (6-0)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 6 p.m. MDT – LaVell Edwards Stadium (FOX)
Utah and BYU square off in the first ranked matchup of the rivalry since 2009.
Why Utah will win:
The Utes dominated No. 21 Arizona State from start to finish on Saturday night, with quarterback Devon Dampier excelling in the run game, where he rushed for 120 yards and three scores. The Sun Devils were without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt, but Utah's offense still dominated the game nonetheless.
The Cougars boast a stronger defense than Arizona State, but the Cougars are coming off their closest game of the season after an overtime road win against Arizona. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier struggled as a passer, recording his lowest completion percentage while throwing a season-high two interceptions.
The freshman has impressed as he starts his college career, but each week he is facing better competition and the Utes' defense will be the best he has faced so far.
Pressuring Bachmeier and taking advantage of the young quarterback's mistakes will be key for Utah in this one. If the Utes can put a spy on Bachmeier to prevent him from utilizing his legs often and force him to beat them with his arm, Utah may be in prime position to come away with a road victory.
Why BYU will win:
This is easily the biggest game in Provo since the last time these two teams faced each other as ranked opponents. The Cougars came away with a win in that matchup 16 years ago, and they will hope for similar results this time around.
BYU will need the full strength of its defense in order to pull off the home upset.
Isaiah Glasker was able to play last week against Arizona after exiting the prior game due to injury. Fellow linebacker Jack Kelly was unable to suit up against the Wildcats but was upgraded to questionable before the game. He was banged up, alongside Glasker, in the Cougars' win over West Virginia and Kelly's return would be a major addition to the defense.
On the opposite side of the ball, BYU will need to utilize running back LJ Martin as much as they can, similarly to how he was used last week. Martin recorded 25 carries for 162 yards, both setting career highs. Martin is averaging a staggering 6.5 yards per carry and his production in this game will be important to opening up the rest of the offense and taking pressure off Bachmeier.
The Cougars will need to win the turnover battle in this one to pull off the home upset. Their defense will need to rattle Utah quarterback Devon Dampier early like he was in the team's loss to Texas Tech, while Bachmeier will need to play a clean game of football to give BYU a chance in this one.
Line: Utah -3.5
Over/Under: 49.5
