It’s Sampler Platter time again.
It’s that week of the year when nothing of merit is happening on paper in the FBS, so College GameDay heads off to the greener pastures of the lower divisions. Week eight doesn’t promise anything in advance because of the carnage college football has wrought on itself. There is only one game between ranked opponents, and both carry more questions than answers into the competition. Still, the most average of Saturdays beats the best of Sundays. Let’s dive in.
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GAME OF THE WEEK: WESTERN KENTUCKY at LSU
By now everyone reading this knows about LSU and the Fournette Express. The Tigers have chewed up every opponent in front of them and won a thriller last week against Florida. The Tigers are the known quantity, but the Hilltoppers are the best team in the South you aren’t talking about. WKU quarterback Brandon Doughty is a star and pilots a Hilltopper offense averaging 535 yards a game, including 401 through the air. The Tigers are coming off a big, emotional win and the Alabama game is next. In a slow week, this one could see ample fireworks in the Bayou night.
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UPSET SPECIAL: UTAH at USC
Utah is fascinating. The Utes are rolling right now, and their win over Michigan looks better by the day as does the win over Cal. USC is floundering, but the oddsmakers have pegged the Trojans as a small favorite in the Coliseum. On paper this looks like a walkover for the Utes, but if Vegas is sniffing something it’s hard to fully block that out of your mind.
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UNIMPORTANT GAME OF IMPORTANCE: NORTHWESTERN at NEBRASKA
Anyone want to win this game? The Big Ten West is a dumpster fire. Northwestern seemed like a potential playoff team a month ago but has been beaten badly its last two times out. Nebraska has been on the wrong end of karma all season after pushing out one of the most consistently good coaches in America. From BYU’s miracle win in Lincoln on opening weekend to now, the Huskers have looked average on their good days. Someone will need to win in Lincoln. Northwestern can become bowl eligible with a W, but it will ring hollow after the last two games. Nebraska needs something, anything, to grasp onto.
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NERDOUT OF THE WEEK: AURBURN at ARKANSAS
When the pundits looked at this game in August, it was a sure thing that this would have major SEC, and maybe national, title implications. Instead it’s a battle between the two cellar dwellers in the SEC West. Auburn seems to have righted the ship a bit since it face-planted in September, but Arkansas appears to be a lost cause. The Tigers can quietly pick up a fifth win if they get out of Fayetteville with a win.
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STAT OF THE WEEK: TEMPLE at EAST CAROLINA
The magic season at Temple got a bump this week when the Owls entered the AP Top 25. Their reward is a trip to East Carolina and a difficult road date with the Pirates. It’ll be the first game the Owls play as a ranked team since they finished 17th in the final AP poll in 1979. Those Owls finished 10-2 and beat California in the Garden State Bowl.
