Week 8 Preview: Conference Stakes

After an all-time great college football Saturday last week with numerous top-25 matchups that had major stakes, we are probably going to take a step back in Week 8. Thanks to multiple teams taking a bye week, the slate is lighter but there are still some quality matchups.

We have a de facto division title game in the ACC, a seismic matchup in the SEC West with an unbeaten top-10 team going on the road, and battles for the No. 1 spot in both the Big 12 and Pac-12.

Odds are this will be another thrilling college football weekend following a huge rivalry win by Troy to take control in the Sun Belt West. We’re back again to set the table as the season marches on.

The Slate

— Tulsa at Temple (7:30 ET Friday, ESPN2)

— UAB at WKU (8:00 ET Friday, CBS Sports Network)

— Indiana at Rutgers (Noon, Big Ten Network)

— Kansas at Baylor (Noon, ESPN2)

— Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State (Noon, FOX)

— No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson (Noon, ABC)

— No. 21 Cincinnati at SMU (Noon, ESPN)

— Houston at Navy (Noon, ESPNU)

— UNLV at Notre Dame (2:30, Peacock)

— West Virginia at Texas Tech (3:00, FS1)

— Northwestern at Maryland (3:30, Big Ten Network)

— BYU at Liberty (3:30, ESPNU)

— Memphis at No. 25 Tulane (3:30, ESPN2)

— Boston College at No. 13 Wake Forest (3:30, ACC Network)

— No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (3:30, FOX)

— No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State (3:30, ABC)

— No. 7 Ole Miss at LSU (3:30, CBS)

— Purdue at Wisconsin (3:30, ESPN)

— Vanderbilt at Missouri (4:00, SEC Network)

— No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama (7:00, ESPN)

— Boise State at Air Force (7:00, CBS Sports Network)

— Texas A&M at South Carolina (7:30, SEC Network)

— Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State (7:30, ABC)

— UCF at East Carolina (7:30, ESPNU)

— No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU (8:00, FS1)

— Pittsburgh at Louisville (8:00, ACC Network)

— Utah State at Wyoming (9:45, FS2)

— Washington at California (10:30, ESPN)

— San Diego State at Nevada (10:30, CBS Sports Network)

Gambling Corner

With another weekend of college football comes some more against-the-spread (ATS) picks. KSR’s “Pick 3” has you covered.

Luckett’s Locks are also available with a six-pack of ATS picks. Let’s cash some tickets.

Pac-12 shootout

Undefeated UCLA travels to top-10 Oregon this weekend in a matchup of the final two teams without a conference loss in the Pac-12. “College GameDay” is in town as Chip Kelly returns to Autzen Stadium for the third time since arriving in Los Angeles.

All signs point to a big-time shootout in Eugene.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson probably deserves some Heisman buzz at UCLA as the super senior is pacing an offense that is No. 3 in points per drive (4.03) and No. 6 in success rate (50.5%). DTR might be the most efficient passer in college football, and tailback Zach Charbonnet is just as efficient (58.6% rushing success rate). The Bruins are scoring 41.5 points per game because Chip Kelly has an offense that is dynamite when it comes to staying ahead of the chains and produces just enough explosive plays to score 41.5 points per game.

However, Oregon has been more efficient under first-year offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. The Ducks rank No. 2 in points per drive (4.49) and success rate (58%) as this offense has scored 40-plus points in five consecutive games. Auburn transfer Bo Nix has been rock-solid at quarterback with 20 total touchdowns, and the Ducks are rushing for 241.7 yards per game this season. Points will be scored in Eugene.

Expect an exciting shootout between UCLA-Oregon as this matchup has all of the ingredients to give us one of the most exciting games of the season.

A big stage for Syracuse football

Syracuse head coach Dino Babers entered the season firmly on the hot seat after going 11-24 in the three seasons since the 10-3 breakthrough in 2018. With a 29-43 overall record, Babers needed to win now. After making some offensive changes, things got corrected quickly in Central New York.

Former Virginia offensive coordinator Robert Anae is overseeing an offense that ranks inside the top 15 in both EPA and success rate. Sean Tucker is one of the best tailbacks in college football, and quarterback Garrett Shrader might be the most improved player in the country. On the other side, Cuse’s 3-3-5 defense has been dynamite against the pass. That combination has led to a 6-0 start with Power Five home wins over Louisville, NC State, Purdue, and Virginia.

However, the Orange have left the JMA Wireless Dome once this season for a blowout win over UConn. We’re about to find out quickly if Syracuse is for real or not when they take on top-five Clemson on Saturday afternoon in Death Valley.

The Tigers have made some strides on offense but may have taken a step back on defense. This is not a vintage Dabo Swinney team but the path to an undefeated season is there thanks to a schedule that will likely have just one top-25 opponent (Wake Forest) at the end of the year.

Syracuse (6-0, 3-0) has a golden opportunity to make a statement against Clemson (7-0, 5-0).

Big 12 showdown

For the fourth week in a row, TCU (6-0, 3-0) will be playing in a prominent conference game in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs are off to an unblemished start under first-year head coach Sonny Dykes, and the Frogs will host ranked Kansas State (5-1, 3-0) on Saturday night at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

The contest could be a preview of the Big 12 Championship Game and will be a total clash of styles.

K-State is a run-heavy attack that is led by a top-15 defense. TCU is led by its high-flying offense but has some major defensive concerns. Styles make fights, and this one could get interesting in Fort Worth.

The Wildcats have a great pass defense, and that could give TCU some problems. If Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn can create enough explosive plays, K-State will have a great shot at the outright upset.

Will TCU be fatigued after four consecutive big games started with a huge road win over SMU? We’ll find out soon as this appears to be a great opportunity for Chris Klieman’s K-State squad.

Don’t sleep on LSU

Lane Kiffin has Ole Miss (7-0, 3-0) off to a fast start in year three as the Rebels are inside the top 10 and have a ridiculous rushing attack. There are some defensive issues, but a great schedule has many people thinking Ole Miss could get to 9-0 before Alabama comes to Oxford on Nov. 12.

But do not sleep on Brian Kelly’s LSU team.

Quietly, the Tigers are now 3-1 in conference play following a big road win over Florida. Over the next two games, LSU gets both Ole Miss and Alabama at home. The winner of the SEC West will have to go through Tiger Stadium with the purple and gold being a legit contender. LSU has some flaws, but their defense is creating scoring opportunity stops at a high rate, and the offense seems to be getting better with each week.

As you look up the spread, unranked LSU is the favorite over No. 7 Ole Miss. That should tell you something. The Tigers aren’t out of the division title hunt yet.

Luckett’s Notebook

— One of the biggest things to watch this weekend is how Alabama will respond following the loss to Tennessee. The Tide welcome ranked Mississippi State to Bryant-Denny Stadium, and this is a series they’ve handled with ease for a long time. Will Bama keep that up or is this a squad that is just going to have to win a lot of one-score games?

— Keeping it in the SEC, Texas A&M-South Carolina is quietly a very big matchup. In a battle of two teams that have gotten iffy QB play, a win could help propel either team to a strong finish. An 8-4 record and potential top-25 ranking are on the table for the Aggies and Gamecocks. A loss could start a tailspin where one program is fighting in November for bowl eligibility. It’s a huge swing game at Williams-Brice Stadium under the lights.

— Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders is banged up and that has taken some luster off the home matchup with Texas in Stillwater. However, Steve Sarkisian’s team is what we need to watch here. The Longhorns have a great shot at a conference title but must avoid bad losses. Texas nearly gave one away to Iowa State at home last week. Oklahoma State is down and wounded. Will we see the same killer instinct from Texas this team showed against Oklahoma? The Horns have a chance to make another statement on Saturday.

— Illinois and Purdue are in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West race with identical 3-1 conference records. The Nov. 12 contest between the two programs in Champaign looms large. However, Jeff Brohm and his program need to end a long losing streak first. The Boilermakers have lost 15 consecutive games to Wisconsin prior to Saturday’s meeting in Madison at Camp Randall Stadium. Purdue has a great shot to end a long streak and make another statement in the Big Ten. Can Brohm and his program record a huge road win while Wisconsin is down?