How many teams do you think still have a chance at making the College Football Playoff? Be honest. Ten? Fifteen? The group of teams casual fans need to pay attention to is dwindling by the day.
But we’re not casual college football fans, are we? No. We are dedicated to watching high-octane four-win offenses, Sun Belt teams and that running back on that team that isn’t very good at all. We’re here for the ACC and Big Ten noon games, the late night Pac-12 and Hawaii games, and all the SEC and Big 12 goodness in between.
This is your viewing guide. Cherish it. Love it. Watch it grow. And it’ll give back to you tenfold. (Times are in Eastern.)
The Early Slate
FRONT AND CENTER
Noon: Clemson (-7) at Miami (ABC)
This is a sneaky big test for the Tigers. They’ve got back to back road games (at Miami, at NC State) before the date with Florida State in Death Valley that will supposedly decide the Atlantic. They can’t slip up now or lose focus, not when they’re still in the hunt for a shot at the Playoff. Miami recovered nicely from two-straight losses to grab a win over Virginia Tech last weekend, and the Hurricanes would like nothing more than to grab a big win. Plus, we all have the opportunity to look for and talk about airplane banners. That’s always fun.
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
Noon: Auburn at Arkansas (-6.5) (SEC Network)
The second half of the season can go one of two ways for Auburn and Arkansas, and this game will probably be a good indication of which for both. Auburn has a chance to save its season after a disastrous three-game stretch that saw an almost loss to Jacksonville State and two SEC losses. Arkansas, which has been close in many games this year, but hasn’t had the wins to show for it, could still rally hard and make a bowl. Or, of course, they both could crash and burn and this game could be rough (but entertaining!). It’s still worth a watch to see, though.
Dog Day Afternoon
FRONT AND CENTER
3:30 p.m.: Tennessee at Alabama (-15) (CBS)
The Vols are better than their 3-3 record shows. There’s no question about that. Bad breaks and so forth have them mired at .500, but a win over Bama would do a lot to prove things are better than they seem. That’s not exactly easy. Alabama has been getting better, which is a scary proposition all by itself. And if that defense keeps making plays and allowing the offense to ride Derrick Henry, we’re all in trouble.
3:30 p.m.: Texas Tech at Oklahoma (-13.5) (ABC/ESPN2)
This could arguably be the most fun game of the entire Week 8 slate. Mid-afternoon Big 12 game. Two offenses that like to score, and score fast. A much-improved Texas Tech team over last season fighting for respect against the Sooners, who are still kind of trying to put that ugly Texas loss behind them. Sign me up.
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
3:30 p.m.: Indiana at Michigan State (-16.5) (ABC/ESPN2)
How will the Spartans respond after the miracle play that kept their championship hopes alive a week ago? Will they double down and enter the second half of the season re-energized? Or will they slip up and lose their edge?
Under The Lights
FRONT AND CENTER
7 p.m.: Texas A&M at Ole Miss (-5.5) (ESPN)
Talk about a disappointing Week 7 for both the Aggies and the Rebels. This game was supposed to be huge. And it lost so much luster that GameDay decided to go to James Madison instead. (Which is amazing and great and I wish I had spent more time discussing it. Go Dukes.) But all isn’t over for either team. Ole Miss still controls its own destiny so to speak in the SEC West with that Alabama win, and it still has LSU to play. The Memphis loss hurts, and the offensive line play is a concern, but it’s not over. And A&M lost one game, with three pick sixes. Take those 21 points away from Alabama, and the Aggies look a lot better. They could get right in a big way with a road win over Ole Miss. They just have to get better quarterback play, and fast.
7:30 p.m.: Utah at USC (-3.5) (FOX)
If football games were three quarters long, it’s not out of the question that USC would be the best team in the country. But until the rules change, and to my knowledge, they haven’t yet, the Trojans still have to play four quarters. So they’re 3-3 through the first half of the year. They’re favored in this game though against a Utah team that is the lone remaining unbeaten in the Pac-12. Upset watch or not, this is maybe the best game of the day.
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
8 p.m.: Western Kentucky at LSU (-15.5) (ESPNU)
Western Kentucky has one of the best offenses in the country. LSU has Leonard Fournette. This should be fun.
The Late Show
FRONT AND CENTER
10 p.m.: Washington at Stanford (ESPN) (No line posted)
Hey, why not? SNL is a rerun, and Washington is pretty dang scrappy. Plus, any chance to watch Christian McCaffrey go to work is worth it.
