College football Week 8: It’s hard to stop chasing the dragon after last week

College football Week 8: It’s hard to stop chasing the dragon after last week

The high from Week 7 chaos hasn’t dissipated, and this slate could still provide a fix

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Expecting the college football gods to give us a second helping of last week’s madness is asking a lot. Four undefeated Top-10 schools fell, and three different crowds rushed the field, with the Vols starting a GoFundMe-type deal for their goalposts that were dumped into the Tennessee River.

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You don’t dare ask your parents to go back to Disney World a week later, nor is it smart to seek permission from your better half for another guy’s (or gal’s) weekend before the booze from a bachelor (or bachelorette) party in Vegas is even out of your system. The most you can hope for is maybe a trip to the arcade (if those are still a thing), or a round of golf with your work buddies. Let’s not get greedy, and simply be thankful for what we’ve been given.

And that is unbeaten UCLA visiting a one-loss Oregon team. How about another matchup of flawless teams (at least record-wise) in upstart Syracuse looking to knock off ACC overlord Clemson? There’s also the Insufferable Coach Bowl with Brian Kelly’s LSU squad hosting Lane Kiffin’s 7-0 Ole Miss. TCU has its fourth-straight game versus a ranked opponent as Deuce Vaughn and Kansas State come to Fort Worth. Even though Alabama is a 21-point favorite over Mississippi State, the Tide’s pass defense has been shredded by good passing games, and Will Rogers leads the SEC in passing.

It might not be 48 hours of euphoria, and that’s OK. If every weekend was a quest to one-up the last, we’d constantly be let down. It’s like Peter La Fleur said in “Dodgeball”: “I found that if you have a goal, you might not reach it. But if you don’t have one, then you are never disappointed.”

So with that, let’s take a whip around these games.

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BEST GAME: No. 9 UCLA Bruins at No. 10 Oregon Ducks

BEST GAME: No. 9 UCLA Bruins at No. 10 Oregon Ducks

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There’s no shortage of storylines in this one as Chip Kelly (pictured) visits the school he made a title contender and that got him an NFL coaching gig. The Bruins are the last unbeaten team in a much-improved Pac-12, and this is their biggest test left until they play USC in a month. The Ducks are first in the conference and eighth in the country in yards per game (512.5), while the Bruins are third and 12th respectively (505.7).

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UCLA at Oregon (continued)

UCLA at Oregon (continued)

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Ducks QB Bo Nix (pictured) will get another shot to show us he can actually beat a good team, which is a perception the guy on the other sidelines also has worked hard to dispel. Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been unconscious all season, completing 75 percent of his throws with a 15-2 TD-int ratio.

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It’s a 12:30 West Coast start time, and Eugene will be on fire. Factor in Oregon’s pink-tinged “Stomp out cancer” uniforms, and UCLA’s never-not-pretty gold and baby blue threads, and at the very least this contest will be aesthetically pleasing.

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4 / 12

ONE LESS UNBEATEN GAME: No. 14 Syracuse Orangemen at No. 5 Clemson Tigers

ONE LESS UNBEATEN GAME: No. 14 Syracuse Orangemen at No. 5 Clemson Tigers

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Dabo Swinney’s team is a 14.5-point favorite, and there are a few reasons for that, primarily the Clemson run defense against the Syracuse rushing attack. The Tigers are fourth in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (82.7) and fifth In yards allowed per attempt (2.78), and that’s been the Orange’s go-to offense. They run the ball 12 more times a game than they pass. For context, the Tigers also are a run-first team despite all the flowers people have given D.J. Uiagalelei for the strides he’s made passing, and they only attempt five more runs than passes per game.

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Syracuse at Clemson (continued)

Syracuse at Clemson (continued)

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That said, Florida State did get loose a few times last week, and ended up out-gaining Clemson by nearly 100 yards. The Seminoles repeatedly shot themselves in the foot and had some garbage time scores, but tallied 206 on the ground with a lot of it coming before the game got out of hand. If Garrett Shrader can convert the opportunities FSU QB Jordan Travis couldn’t, this might be a closer game than expected. While I don’t like that it’s in Clemson, it’s a noon kick, and a hot start could stifle a groggy crowd.

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THE INSUFFERABLE COACH BOWL: No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels at LSU Tigers

THE INSUFFERABLE COACH BOWL: No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels at LSU Tigers

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Lane Kiffin (pictured) keeps messing around with teams he shouldn’t, and the Bayou Bengals are talented enough to make him regret one of the many irresponsible decisions he’s made over the past three weeks. His quest for points almost cost Ole Miss against Kentucky, and they let an Auburn team in search of season-ending euthanasia almost clip them last week. Even though you could call The Rebels’ W over a seventh-ranked Kentucky team their signature win, the Wildcats lost the next week to South Carolina.

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Ole Miss at LSU (continued)

Ole Miss at LSU (continued)

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Brian Kelly (pictured) has been bitching about replay ruining the college game, and if he wasn’t always complaining/grandstanding about something I’d agree with him. (Nothing like coming back from a commercial break to learn that the refs are just now getting a notification from the booth to look at a play.) This should be a fun game because these are two evenly matched teams (LSU is a 2-point favorite), it’s the CBS afternoon showcase, and it’s in Baton Rouge.

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8 / 12

Big 12 ROUND ROBIN OF CFP DEATH GAME: No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats at No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs

Big 12 ROUND ROBIN OF CFP DEATH GAME: No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats at No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs

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Like in the ACC or the Pac-12, all someone has to do is win the conference with one loss, and they’re in the College Football Playoff. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, but Oklahoma and Clemson made a habit out of it. However, now you’re seeing what it’s like when the conference bully bleeds.

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As is the case when a bunch of rival factions tries to become the new kingpin once Pablo Escobar gets pinched, there’s rarely an easy or peaceful transition of power. All of the contenders just end up knocking off each other until the most opportunistic party gains a toehold for like three seconds. The Horned Frogs did that to undefeated Kansas two weeks ago, and again against unbeaten Oklahoma State last Saturday. And now they’ll try to remain king of the hill.

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Kansas State at TCU (continued)

Kansas State at TCU (continued)

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Quarterbacks Max Duggan (above) and Adrian Martinez are going to be bulldozing around the field, and the running game will determine the winner of this. That’s mostly because K State struggles and/or refuses to pass the ball, but that’s neither here nor there. The 7 p.m. start under the lights should make for a Horned-up crowd, too.

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THE NICK SABAN LOOKING FOR A TEAM TO PISTOL WHIP GAME: No. 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs at No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide 

THE NICK SABAN LOOKING FOR A TEAM TO PISTOL WHIP GAME: No. 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs at No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide 

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As much as I like Mike Leach and Will Rogers (pictured) they’ve laid two eggs against quality SEC opponents on the road. The Bulldogs managed half of their season scoring average at LSU and at Kentucky, and it’ll be tough out there once again. Nick Saban has only lost back-to-back SEC games once in his tenure at Alabama, and that was during his first season.

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Bulldogs at Crimson Tide (continued)

Bulldogs at Crimson Tide (continued)

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Be that as it may, the Tide’s pass defense didn’t look great against Texas when Quinn Ewers was in the game, and we saw Hendon Hooker throw for 385 and five touchdowns last week, with a boatload of wide-open receivers and explosive plays. Alabama was uncharacteristically undisciplined in the Texas and Tennessee games, as well, with 15 and 17 flags against them in those two games.

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You know Leach watched the film and is going to try to test that secondary. Rogers might be able to move the ball enough to make Bryce Young work more than Bama fans would like. And more frustrated Saban sideline reaction shots are all we can really ask for because a return trip to Pleasure Town ain’t happening — at least not twice in a span of eight days.

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