Week eight of the college football season is in the books, and while some teams look primed and ready for potential playoff competition, others are on more shaky ground. Here’s how it all went down:
Winner: Florida
It may not seem like it on paper, but No. 9 Florida had a tough matchup this past week. The Gators were just coming off a disappointing defeat to LSU and their hot offense. Their opponent, who they were facing on the road, was South Carolina, still on their high from beating Georgia in week seven. The weather was gray and rainy, the field wet and sloppy. And, above all, the Gators had not yet had their bye week, and were playing their eighth straight game to start the season. All of the signs pointed to a potential trap game, but Florida did not let that happen. South Carolina was in it for most of the game, even taking a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but the Gators (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) soon put their foot down, and won the game by double digits. Truly good teams show you what they’re made of not only in the big games, but in how they respond to tough losses. Florida responded well, proving that they deserve to be in the playoff hunt.
Loser: Texas
While Florida passed the test of truly good teams mentioned above, No. 15 Texas certainly did not. Unlike the Gators, the Longhorns had it easy in week eight. Florida had to travel to face a spirited Gamecocks squad. Texas faced Kansas, the worst team in the Big 12, in the comfortable environment of their home stadium. But while Florida ended its game with measured composure and dominance, the Longhorns ended theirs in frantic desperation. Kansas scored 48 points in Austin, and it took a last-second field goal from sophomore kicker Cameron Dicker for Texas to escape with a victory. I know that defense doesn’t exist in the Big 12, but giving up 48 points to Kansas (2-5, 0-4 Big 12) at home is very troubling. Texas (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) is clearly miles behind No. 5 Oklahoma in the Big 12, and no longer are the Longhorns even the second-best team in the conference, as Baylor is ranked 14th in the AP Top 25 Poll. I’d be worried about this program if I were a Longhorn fan.
Winner: The Pac-12
That’s right, I actually have good news for the Pac-12 this week! It seems that the conference’s playoff aspirations are not dead after all, even if they are on life support. It looked like No. 11 Oregon’s playoff hopes were going to be dashed by Washington, but the Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) staged a comeback to keep their hopes alive, and likely the Pac-12’s with them. In the Pac-12 South, No. 13 Utah downed No. 17 Arizona State at home to keep them at one loss as well. Both teams need a ton of help to leapfrog the teams that stand between them and the top four, but should both teams win the remainder of their regular season games, which is entirely possible, then this year’s Pac-12 Football Championship Game will be very interesting indeed.
Loser: Boise State
The carousel of top Group of Five teams continued to turn this past week. At the beginning of the season, UCF led that pack, but two losses have since knocked the Knights out of the AP Top 25 entirely. This put Boise State in the driver’s seat for a coveted spot in a New Year’s Six bowl, but now the Broncos, too, have slipped down the totem pole after losing to BYU in Provo. Both teams started backup quarterbacks, but BYU’s Baylor Romney (distantly related to Mitt, apparently) outplayed Boise State’s Chase Cord to give the Cougars (3-4, 0-0) the narrow win over the Broncos (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West). That caused the Broncos to slip eight spots down in the rankings. Now, it’s anyone’s guess who the top-ranked Group of Five champion will be. The highest-ranked team from the Group of Five at the moment is No. 16 SMU, but No. 18 Cincinnati, No. 21 Appalachian State and the Broncos themselves are all still in the mix. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds in the remaining weeks.
Honorable Mention: Illegal Camouflage
There were quite a few zany occurrences in college football this week, including a “Sooner Schooner” mishap and a six-overtime game between North Carolina and Virginia Tech, but this week’s honorable mention will go to a Washington Huskies player who took the meaning of home-field advantage quite literally. On Washington’s first kickoff reception of the game, senior wide receiver Chico McClatcher hid from sight by laying down in the end zone. His purple jersey blended in with the purple hue of the end zone, and thus he went unseen. After the Oregon players were well downfield, McClatcher stood up, received a lateral from the return man and took the ball to midfield. He was promptly flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Nice try, Chico.