2026 College Football Watch Guide – Week 8

Week 7 was insane. Like, historically insane. It was the first time since November of 2012 that both #1 and #2 teams lost on the same day, and the first time since 1936 that five of the AP poll’s top seven teams lost. That’s stunning. It could’ve been even worse as #4 Miami was pushed to the brink of triple overtime by Florida State and Colorado was a Hail Mary away from downing Utah. It was an unprecedented and unbelievably entertaining day of football.

But if you ask some fans and pundits, before long none of it will matter.

Last week, the inevitable 24-team playoff was announced and that it would be starting as early as next season. On what was the most historic day of college football in 90 freaking years was drowned in arguments for and against the expanded bracket. Now, for the record, I’m not in favor of expanding to 24, and many of the arguments against it are absolutely true. Beloved bowl games are in real jeopardy of not just irrelevance but going away entirely, and a high stakes regular season where one or two loses could sink your chances will be a thing of the past. But I’m also not going to buy into the argument that a 24-team bracket is the death of the regular season for the simple fact that determining a national champion has never been, and never should be, the only thing by which we judge college football.

That may sound naive, and maybe it is. But in that moment when Notre Dame’s final pass into the end zone fell incomplete with :00:01 on the clock, any of those fans rushing the field in Provo had playoff seeding on their minds? Or when Florida State nearly seemingly tied the game in double OT against the hated Hurricanes? What about when a team storms the opposing sideline to reclaim a rivalry trophy? Those moments don’t have value solely because they affect the national championship picture, though of course that does help. They have meaning because we give them that meaning. We as fans care about beating our rivals, upsetting the blue blood, and seeing the unforgettable plays.

I don’t like that the playoff is expanding but I can’t be cynical as so many others are. Last Saturday was an amazing day of college football and it should be enjoyed on its own terms.

Let’s enjoy week 8 on its own too. Schedule graphics courtesy of Projection Sports by Tyler Markley.

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There aren’t a whole lot of games that appear likely to blow your mind Saturday morning. #6 Indiana @ Michigan is probably the highlight but there isn’t a whole lot of competition. Bryce Underwood was finally benched in favor of Tommy Carr against Penn State last weekend. He wasn’t great – 5/7, 47 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions – but he did give the Wolverines a spark on the ground with 36 yards and a touchdown. This could be a good spot for Michigan to catch the Hoosiers who are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State.

The other power four conferences have an assortment of seemingly lopsided matches like #8 Texas Tech @ Cincinnati, #18 LSU @ Auburn…although Auburn did shock the world last Saturday by beating then-#1 Georgia…and Pittsburgh @ #1 Miami. Now that I say all that, just watch as one of those becomes this week’s upset of the century. If this were 2024, I’d say Rutgers @ #24 Northwestern would be a great sickos game but with the way the Wildcats are playing this looks like it could be just as lopsided as the rest.

The afternoon starts to give us some more balanced fare. Of course there’s #15 Iowa @ Minnesota where both the Hawkeyes and Gophers are coming off a bye. From here on out I’ll be nervous about every game but after the Fighting Flecks embarrassed themselves against Purdue I’m feeling somewhat better.

Besides the Battle for Floyd, there are some other good afternoon games on offer including Oklahoma @ Mississippi State, not a ranked game but one that will pit star Bulldog QB Kamario Taylor against the Sooners’ top 5 defense. Also in the SEC is #11 Tennessee @ South Carolina and Texas A&M @ #13 Alabama, two games that look like more mismatches but after last week, who knows. The Volunteers especially could have a big win hangover.

Sign me up for Kansas State @ Arizona State for Big XII insanity and Oregon @ Illinois for sickos action.

Finally in the evening we get our headliners starting with #7 Ole Miss @ #19 Texas. After living at #1 since week 3, the Longhorns have now lost two consecutive games to unranked teams, the first time they’ve done so since 2021. Their playoff hopes basically hinge on running the table now and you’d better believe the Rebels would love to throw the knockout punch. Another big time battle is out west with #14 Houston @ #10 Utah with College Game Day in town. If Iowa handles business in Minneapolis, this offers a chance to rise in the rankings.

I’m also really looking forward to #16 USC @ Wisconsin. The Badgers only lost to a resurgent UCLA while USC has yet to lose outside of the Pacific time zone. USC is ranked, but could the Badgers possibly looking ahead to the Heartland Trophy game looming next week?

Bonus late night game: North Dakota State @ New Mexico sees the now bowl eligible in their first FBS season Bison continuing their hot start in their new league. They may be having just as much fun as New Mexico head coach Jason Eck.