Kirk Herbstreit ranks top players of college football Week 8

Week 8’s college football slate brought no shortage of highlight reel plays and big-time performances from across the country on Saturday.

Following another eventful week, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit ran through his picks and ranked the top seven performing players in his eyes across an exciting list of games.

1. Brady Cook – Missouri

Brady Cook showed the nation his toughness after having to leave Missouri’s 21-17 comeback win against Auburn with an ankle injury in the first quarter. He was taken to the hospital and underwent an MRI — before returning to the game in the third quarter, just in time to lead the Tigers back to victory with two fourth quarter touchdown drives.

He completed 11 of 22 passes for 194 yards. But the fact that he was able to not even just return to the game, but to outscore the Tigers 15-0 in the final quarter to win the game and advance to 6-1 on the season is more than enough to earn Herbstreit’s top honor for Week 8.

2. Jalon Walker – Georgia

Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker recorded three sacks during the Bulldogs’ 30-15 win over the then-top ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday. It was a coming out party for the junior linebacker, who hadn’t recorded a sack since logging 1.5 against Clemson in the season opener.

Walker also recovered a fumble at the end of the first half, which resulted in a field goal on the other end and pushed Georgia’s lead to 23-0 at halftime.

3. Mario Anderson Jr. – Memphis

The South Carolina transfer is having a breakout season for the Tigers in 2024, and proved his worth in a big way during Memphis’ 52-44 win over North Texas on Saturday. He rushed for a season-high 183 yards on 22 carries. He was responsible for four touchdowns during the afternoon.

Anderson now has 13 total touchdowns on the season compared to just three with the Gamecocks in 2023. Averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 104 touches — Anderson is well on his way to surpassing his totals in Columbia from one season ago.

4. Sawyer Robertson – Baylor

Anytime your quarterback throws for five touchdowns and no interceptions, it’s usually a recipe for success. This was the case during Baylor’s 59-35 win over Texas Tech this weekend, as Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson accomplished exactly that on 21 of 32 completions for 274 yards.

Robertson now has a 14-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio with 1,319 passing yards and the ninth-best QBR in the country (83.8). The victory also snaps a three-game losing streak for Baylor, who will look to ride this momentum into the weekend at home against Oklahoma State.

5. Bryson Daily – Army

Army remained undefeated after defeating ECU 45-28 during Week 8, which saw quarterback Bryson Daily total six touchdowns thanks to 318 total yards produced by himself.

He rushed for five touchdowns on 171 yards, and is less than 100 yards away from securing a 1,000-yard rushing season for the Black Knights. Not only that, but he is yet to throw an interception this season on 47 passes. At 629 yards, there’s a chance Daily could total 1,000 yards through the air and on the ground this season.

6. Colorado Defensive Line

Colorado’s defense smothered Arizona on Saturday, producing seven sacks during a 34-7 victory over the Wildcats on the road. Both DL Samuel Okunlola and EDGE Keaten Wade produced two sacks a piece, while no Arizona player rushed for more than 50 yards during the contest.

Colorado improved to 5-2 on the season with the win, but to come out of such a blowout victory talking about another group of players aside from Shedeur Sanders (who had three touchdowns during the game) and Travis Hunter is a testament to what Deion Sanders is getting done in Boulder.

7. Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. – Virginia Tech

Seven tackles, four sacks and a fumble recovery. Those were the disruptive stats from Virginia Tech’s Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. against Boston College in Week 8. The Hokies improved to 4-3 on the season thanks to Powell-Ryland’s heroics.

Powell-Ryland’s performance now has the senior defensive lineman tied for tops in the country in sacks. They play Georgia Tech this weekend, whose offensive line has given up just three sacks this season.