2026 College Football: Week 8 Takeaways
Several teams were off this week, including the #3-#5 squads. That gives us a chance to talk about other things…a bit. Despite having only two ranked-vs.-ranked matchups, we’re still in the conference portion of the schedule. Similar and familiar teams are bound to produce some unpredictable results, and boy did they! NC State became the first FBS team to fire its coach this year. We saw plenty more upsets with CFP impacts (we’ll get to all of them), while teams like (6) Indiana and (13) Alabama faced scares. These conferences are more competitive than ever. Read on for my week 8 takeaways to see where everything stands!
JMU Foiled by App State Again, Suffers First Loss of Season
I love having football games on TV every game of the week. However, I must confess that some of the college teams playing on Tuesday-Thursday aren’t that good (even if their games are often great). The Sun Belt served us something different this week though: one of the only unbeaten teams remaining in the FBS. That would be 7-0 James Madison, who went on the road this week to face Appalachian State. I had planned to discuss the Dukes’ strong CFP position, with their only blemish being their strength of schedule (App State is frankly the toughest opponent on their regular-season schedule). The Mountaineers had other plans.
JMU is soon heading to the American Athletic Conference because so far, the Sun Belt has been much too easy for them. Before they stick a foot out the door though, their current conference had something to prove. App State is a great home team, and they’ve played many “superior” teams tough over the years. They actually resemble JMU in terms of their style. Both teams feature 2-QB systems, with one primarily a passer and the other primarily a runner. Their defenses are about equal, and neither team truly excels on the ground. With such similarities, you knew this game would be close, and the teams traded blows all evening.
While JMU took an early lead, they never led by more than 11. However, App State didn’t lead even once through three quarters. They also didn’t make a big mistake. QB1 Malachi Singleton (26/40, 271 yards, 2 TDs) played a clean game and he led an early 4th-quarter TD drive to tie the game at 21. Two traded FGs later, it was the Dukes who made the error. Their QB1, Camden Coleman (22/39, 232 yards, TD, INT; 4/11/1 rushing) threw a pass that was a bit off target, and LB Colton Phares (13 tackles) picked it off. Mountaineers QB2 Henry Hasselbeck (3/4, 14 yards, TD), son of Matt, threw a TD one play later for App State’s first lead.
Coleman redeemed himself with a rushing TD at the end of the 4th quarter, sending the game to OT. A trick play blew up in their faces though, and they lost 11 yards (losing RB George Pettaway (13/57) to a hamstring injury earlier really hurt there). K Morgan Suarez missed a 47-yard attempt, while App State K James London (4/4 FGs) made his, winning the game 34-31. You might remember that in 2023, App State beat a 10-0 JMU team to ruin their CFP chances. History may have repeated itself. Only Boise State is ranked among Group of 6 teams. If JMU wanted a CFP berth, they probably needed to go unbeaten. That path is now gone.
(2) BYU Falls in 2OT to UCF After Wild Ending and Officiating Error
James Madison wasn’t the only undefeated team to go down. A week after a potentially season-defining win over Notre Dame, BYU stumbled against a Big XII opponent: the 3-3 UCF Knights. BYU actually had a good first quarter and change offensively, putting up 14 points and holding a 14-10 lead. The Knights parlayed a Bear Bachmeier (16/32, 257 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 15/37/1 rushing) INT into a long TD drive though, and the Cougars trailed at the half. No matter what they did, BYU could not shake UCF. The third quarter contained just two long drives: one TD for each team. Quarter 4 yielded just 3 points but a crazy finish.
Tied at 24, UCF marched to the BYU 2 with 1:42 remaining but facing 4th-and-goal from the 1. Impressively, the Cougars got a goal-line stand, but they went 3 and out because they basically had to run up the middle with the ball spotted just outside their end zone. A decent punt rolled out to a 61-yard boot, but UCF still had time (37 seconds to be precise). It seemed like BYU had a strip sack of QB Keyone Jenkins, and they incurred an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the defense’s celebration. However, Jenkins’ arm was clearly going forward, so the Knights got the ball back AND the penalty yardage for instant FG range.
After burning a bit of clock, UCF tried the kick on 3rd down. The attempt by K Will Stone was blocked by S Faletau Satuala, but the ball came back to Stone and he ran with it. Confusion ensued, but here’s the gist of the rulings. UCF was entitled to a 4th down after that because the FG wasn’t flat-out missed, just blocked. However, Stone’s helmet came off, and the Knights had no timeouts. Therefore, they incurred a 10-second runoff, which ended regulation. I’d also argue that the runoff was warranted because we had a running clock after Stone’s run. BYU scored in 3 plays during OT, while UCF needed just 1. Then the refs struck.
In 2OT, UCF faced 4th-and-goal at the 8. On the field goal, 2 players got tangled up (one from each team), and both fell into the kicker. Somehow, the officials called roughing. UCF took the gift and scored 8 points, which BYU could not match. As the 39-31 win went final, UCF fans rushed the field. Jenkins (25/41, 293 yards, 3 TDs; 11/35/1 rushing), who couldn’t even hold the starting job at FIU and joined the Knights as a backup, was sensational. BYU’s offense delivered, but the team came up short. They’re still in great shape in both the Big XII and the CFP, so perhaps a little dose of humility is good for them in the long term.
#7 Ole Miss, #8 Texas Tech Fall, (10) Utah Edges Past (14) Houston
In our first matchup featuring 2 ranked teams, reeling (19) Texas tried to stop their 2-game losing streak. To do so, they needed to stop a hot Ole Miss outfit without injured DE Colin Simmons, their best overall player. I think the defense heard the noise about not being able to close out games and used it as motivation because they suffocated the Rebels’ attack in the first half. They allowed just 3 points in the first two quarters and picked off Heisman candidate QB Trinidad Chambliss. Ole Miss converted a fake punt from their own 20 in a sign of desperation, but the drive ended with a second INT, this time at the goal line.
Texas QB Arch Manning also had a good first half in an attempt to silence his critics. He played on schedule, didn’t play with too much recklessness, and properly guided the offense. As a result, the Longhorns took a 24-3 halftime lead. True to form though, Texas began to crumble after the break. Manning took a strip sack after pressure beat his backup LT (first-round prospect Trevor Goosby left on a cart earlier in the game). DE Kam Franklin (sack) recovered it in the end zone. Ole Miss managed to come all the way back and tie the game at 24 as the Texas offense went cold. Manning fired his 2nd INT, but his team soon settled down.
The embattled QB led his best drive of the day, a 6-play, 80-yard march that he capped with a rushing score. After a missed Rebel FG, Manning (18/30, 212 yards, TD, 2 INTs; 2 rush TDs) led another FG drive to extend the lead to two scores. Mississippi scored their own FG and even recovered an onside kick (2 Longhorns missed it), but Chambliss (25/52, 250 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) had his last-gasp heave picked off. Once again, the SEC eats its own. Both of these teams are good, but are they great? I don’t think Texas is, but Ole Miss could be. For one week though, the Longhorns got back on track. Most prior criticisms remain valid though.
Our second unbeaten Big XII team to fall was Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were 6-0 but did not look convincing. Still, they won all their games, including a gutty win against Houston. On the road against Cincinnati, we got to see TTU’s vaunted defensive line go up against the Bearcats’ top-notch OL. I’d say that Cincy won that particular battle. The Red Raiders did notch 3 sacks, but CIN RB Cole Tabb (16/173/1; 2/5/1 receiving) had plenty of room to run, and the team racked up 255 rushing yards at 6.4 YPC. Texas Tech’s biggest problem was their offense. They committed 3 turnovers and didn’t score an offensive TD until the game’s final drive.
You can credit Cincinnati’s defense if you want. They certainly earned the praise with 4 sacks, the takeaways, and a 3/15 3rd-down conversion rate. Texas Tech hurt themselves a lot though, especially QB Will Hammond (24/37, 227 yards, INT; 14/23, 2 FUM rushing). Back-to-back INTs by Bearcats QB JC French (19/30, 172 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs; 12/46 rushing), including a pick six, threatened to make the game close. Instead, Cincy stretched to a 37-18 lead before TTU’s garbage-time TD. They broke a 2-game losing streak that included a blowout and a heartbreaker, putting them on back track in the Big XII title chase.
As we know, Brendan Sorsby was supposed to be Texas Tech’s QB, and Hammond has done decently in his stead. It’s not the same though. The junior isn’t particularly accurate, and he hasn’t learned to take full advantage of his good mobility. The irony here is that Sorsby initially came to TTU from Cincinnati, hanging the Bearcats out to dry while supposedly making the Red Raiders a Big XII juggernaut. That obviously never came to pass, and Cincy has now beaten the team that poached their QB. With just one loss, Texas Tech is not in bad shape. If they’re competing for 1 of the final CFP spots though, their shaky play may be held against them.
The game of the week was supposed to be (14) Houston at (10) Utah. In all honesty, the first half was rather boring. A lone Houston FG provided the entire scoring output, as an INT and a missed 34-yard FG wrecked Utah’s only chances. After the break, both teams flipped a switch. All 3 drives during the 3rd quarter led to points, with Houston and Utah trading TDs and the Cougars adding another FG. To start the 4th, the Utes changed their strategy and thus changed the game. On offense, they relied on the legs of QB Devon Dampier (18/26, 204 yards, 2 INTs; 13/150/2 rushing) leading to a methodical TD drive and a 14-13 lead.
Defensively, DC Colton Swan dialed up the pressure on QB Conner Weigman (19/35, 282 yards, FUM). The plan worked, as the Cougars’ offensive line couldn’t handle it. Utah earned 3 sacks and blew up plenty of other plays with hits to Weigman and men right in his face. When Dampier threw his 2nd INT, the defense forced a 3-and-out. Following a Utah punt, the defense came through again with a strip sack in just 1 play. The Utes scored one play later (Houston might’ve smartly let them score), but again, the pressure blew up Weigman’s attempt at tying the game. He tried his best, but there was little he could do.
Alas, Houston proved that they’re still just a tiny bit below the top teams in college football. They’re consistently really good, but they don’t have that one standout trait that puts them over the top. Utah has two: a stifling defense and a punishing ground game. This was the Utes’ 13th straight win (that’s the longest streak in the FBS), and it puts them in first in the Big XII. However, the conference as a whole took a major CFP hit. I doubt Utah is very concerned with that. They’re one of just 3 unbeaten teams remaining (Miami, UCLA) and have a clear path to a conference championship and the CFP. Their goals are all in front of them.
(15) Iowa, (11) Tennessee Fall to Last-Second FGs on the Road
Beware of playing one of your conference rivals in their house. Two top-15 teams got that lesson this week. First, Iowa went to Minnesota for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy (yes this is real). Stop me if you’ve heard this before: an Iowa game turned into a slugfest. After some recent success with backup QB Jeremy Hecklinski, he got the nod this week over the now-healthy Hank Brown. In the second quarter, coach Kirk Ferentz decided that was a mistake. Hecklinski (9/16, 62 yards, INT) gave way to Brown (11/21, 136 yards, TD, 2 INTs), who did little himself. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, their defense held Minnesota very well.
Each team only scored one TD, and Iowa never led. When they did finally tie the game at 10 in the 4th quarter, we seemed destined for OT. On third-and-4 though, Golden Gophers QB Drake Lindsey (14/26, 137 yards, INT) rolled to his right and fired to WR Jalen Smith for a 39-yard gain. It was his best throw of the day. After a few plays that resulted in a net loss of 1, K Luke Drzewiecki converted the GW 46-yard FG as time expired. Minnesota is a very solid team, but this is a crushing loss for the Hawkeyes. Even with a manageable remaining schedule, I can’t see the CFP committee selecting Iowa for an at-large playoff bid.
Fresh off their big win at Florida, South Carolina welcomed Tennessee to town. They took it to the Volunteers’ strong defense early, building a 14-0 lead. Behind an extremely heavy dose of RB DeSean Bishop (32/120/1), Tennessee’s ground game helped them get back into the game. An under-pressure INT by Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers helped their cause. By halftime, the Vols actually had a 21-17 lead. Nobody scored in the third quarter, as the Tennessee pass rush (5 sacks) wreaked havoc, and their own QB George MacIntyre (16/23, 196 yards, FUM) once again had little success. Sellers conversely had a chance to change his narrative.
He led a statement TD drive late in the 4th quarter, which he punctuated with a TD on which he powered through defenders and contorted himself to reach the ball over the goal line. On Tennessee’s next possession, top DE prospect and recently-maligned player Dylan Stewart earned a crucial strip sack of MacIntyre. Gamecocks K Malik Orsan booted a walk-off 48-yard FG, but Sellers (18/32, 210 yards, TD, INT; 18/96/2 rushing) keyed the 27-24 win. He played like the dual-threat star everyone expected to see. This isn’t a fatal blow to Tennessee’s CFP hopes, but it makes their path tougher. Without better QB play, it won’t matter.
Michigan Can’t Pull Upset, but Wisconsin Very Much Can
As has been the case for much of the season, Michigan’s defense did more than enough to win, but the offense didn’t pull its weight. The difference this week against (6) Indiana was that the Wolverines kept highly-paid QB Bryce Underwood on the bench and started Tommy Carr. In his first start, Carr (20/32, 167 yards, INT) looked like the freshman that he is. He made a poor decision on a pitch that led to a fumble and a Hoosiers FG, and his INT led to 3 more Indiana points. He had no help in the running game either. Indiana’s defense completely dominated, but Michigan made life miserable for their opponents too.
Carr’s counterpart, Josh Hoover (8/18, 81 yards, INT; 4/7/1 rushing), had his worst game since transferring to Indiana. He’s injured, so we can’t judge him too harshly, but he threw his first INT of the year and didn’t complete half of his passes. HC Curt Cignetti even thought about benching him due to his health. That was unnecessary though because this game was just ugly all around. Both teams missed easy FGs, and they went a combined 10/34 on 3rd down. Neither team eclipsed 225 yards of total offense. To Carr’s credit, he did lead his team to a game-tying FG as the fourth quarter expired, and we went to OT tied 6-6.
Hoover saved his best for last. He threw a nice 21-yard pass on the first play of the extra period and then ran for the go-ahead TD. Michigan naturally couldn’t match the score, especially with Indiana’s pressure. LB Rolijah Hardy (9 tackles, 2 sacks) was particularly haunting for the Wolverines. If Hoover gets healthy, I’m not worried about the Hoosiers. They aren’t the best team in the country, but they’re solidly in the top 10. Poor Michigan is no closer to contention. Their QB change did nothing for them, and they’re wasting a terrific defense. OC Jason Beck needs to figure things out quickly because the QBs don’t have the answers.
(16) USC went to Wisconsin in what felt like a trap game. Three people picked the Badgers on College Gameday, knowing that the Trojans might suffer in this matchup. Everyone knew that Wisconsin’s defense could hold their own. Could the offense follow suit? It turns out the defense was so great that it didn’t matter. S Cairo Skanes and CB Bryce West each picked USC QB Jayden Maiava (31/50, 258 yards, TD, 2 INTs) once in the first quarter. The Badgers sacked him 5 times, with half of them coming from LB Sebastian Cheeks. Excluding sack yards, they held the Trojans to 20 carries for 40 yards on the ground in a terrific effort.
Wisconsin’s offense didn’t do much. They had just 58 passing yards, though they scored twice running the ball. And yet they won 24-7 anyway because of how much they smothered USC. The Trojans played their part in this outcome. One sequence that represented their dysfunction came early in the 4th quarter. USC planned to kick a 53-yard FG but incurred a delay of game penalty. K Caden Chittenden then missed the subsequent 58-yard try. To me, this game exposes USC as pretenders. Their season is far from over at 6-2, but they’re too inconsistent to make a real run. HC Lincoln Riley may be running out of time to produce.