Week 8 came very close to delivering on a high number of blockbuster upsets, but most of those bids ultimately fell short.
The biggest game of the week — Ohio State vs. Penn State — proved to be a low-scoring affair with the Buckeyes outlasting the Nittany Lions in the defensive battle. But that proved to be far from the most compelling game on the slate.
Both Oklahoma and Texas survived scares against conference newcomers in UCF and Houston, respectively. The former staved off a late two-point attempt and an onside kick that was very nearly successful, while the latter nearly squandered a 21-0 lead against a coach on the hot seat.
Top-five teams in Florida State and Washington both overcame second-half deficits with FSU pulling away from a banged-up Duke team and the Huskies sleepwalking to a one-possession win against a bad Arizona State team.
By far the most shocking result of the weekend was previously 1-5 Virginia’s emotional win on the road against an undefeated North Carolina team that ranked No. 10.
We’re already approaching the final weekend of October, and the College Football Playoff race is becoming clear with the first rankings set to be released following Week 9. As we prepare for crunch time in the season, here are the winners and losers from Week 8.
Winner: Ohio State continues to get it done
It hasn’t always been pretty for the Buckeyes this season. After losing C.J. Stroud, the offense isn’t nearly as explosive as new quarterback Kyle McCord settles into his role. Even returning two of the best receivers in the nation, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, there’s been a learning curve.
But in spite of that learning curve, Ohio State is 7-0. It touts a pair of top-10 wins against Notre Dame and now Penn State, with the former coming on the road. It would be pretty hard to argue anyone has a better resume in the country right now.
A lot of that has to do with the defense, which is elite and played at a championship level on Saturday, causing all sorts of problems for a young quarterback in Drew Allar.
Ohio State played fairly conservatively on offense while it was without Egbuka and its top running back TreVeyon Henderson. Still, McCord made enough plays to win the game, connecting with Harrison 11 times for 162 yards and a touchdown.
This feels like a team that’s still finding its footing, and a matchup against a Michigan team that has been obliterating lesser competition all year still looms at the end of the season. Yet, it’s hard not to like what Ryan Day has done with this team so far in 2023.
Loser: Penn State loses the big one again
There’s absolutely no denying that James Franklin has been a beacon of stability for a program that was desperately searching for it when it hired him ahead of the 2014 season. The highs have been memorable with a Big Ten title in 2016 and New Year’s Six wins in 2017, 2019 and 2022.
The question, though, has become if that is enough.
That Big Ten championship was seven years ago, and since then, the Nittany Lions have only reached the double-digit win total three times, which included 4-5 and 6-7 finishes in 2020 and 2021.
A Rose Bowl win and 11-2 season last year got things back on track, and with a former five-star recruit in Allar taking over at quarterback, an All-Big Ten-caliber running back returning in Nicholas Singleton and a defense that even lived up to the hype in Saturday’s 20-12 loss, this game against an injured Ohio State team with a young quarterback of its own seemed like an incredible opportunity for a statement.
Instead, Allar — who still has a ton of potential — wasn’t ready for a moment like that on the road. Franklin now falls to 1-9 against Ohio State during his tenure, and he’s just 3-6 against Michigan.
Penn State draws that Wolverines team at home in a few weeks, and winning that game now seems like the only way this season will be deemed a success in Happy Valley.
Winner: Virginia's much-deserved moment in the spotlight
Welcome to the winners’ circle, Virginia. It’s lovely to have you here.
You would be hard-pressed to argue there’s any program or coach in the country who deserved a win like Saturday night’s more than Virginia and Tony Elliott.
Elliott’s two-year tenure has been, understandably, largely overshadowed by the tragic shooting last November that took the lives of three Cavaliers players. On the field, there hasn’t been much to feel good about under Elliott, who went 3-7 last fall and started this year 1-5 with a loss to Group of Five James Madison.
Saturday’s road win over a top-10 team in North Carolina felt like something this program desperately needed, and there was nothing flukey about it in the slightest. Virginia played masterfully on defense against Drake Maye, who made some plays but completed just 50% of his passes.
Maye had plenty of opportunities to win the game and put Virginia away, but the defense managed to get him off the field every time before ultimately clinching the victory with an interception.
Running back Mike Hollins, who survived the shooting and returned to the team this season, led the way on offense with three rushing touchdowns.
Regardless of what happens down the stretch this year, this is one Virginia fans will remember for a while.
Loser: USC's wasted championship window
USC’s 48-20 loss to Notre Dame was a gut-punch, but it didn’t feel like the end of the season for the Trojans, who still controlled their destiny the Pac-12 and, at least possibly, the College Football Playoff race. After all, Caleb Williams probably won’t have a three-interception game the rest of the year.
Now, the discourse has changed. USC’s woes against Utah continue as the Trojans lost again to the team that beat them twice last season, this time at home in Los Angeles and without quarterback Cam Rising.
The oft-maligned defense seemed to be making at least incremental progress heading into this game, but optimism there has dissipated after allowing nearly 500 yards to a Utah offense that has struggled all season with backups Nate Johnson and Bryson Barnes, the latter being a former walk-on who got the start in this game.
He looked more like the reigning Heisman winner against a USC defense that was absolutely abysmal once again and allowed Utah to drive down the field and kick a game-winning field goal despite Williams delivering a go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes to play.
Now, USC’s playoff hopes are effectively over. Defense has been an issue for Lincoln Riley’s teams dating back to the Oklahoma days, and he brought his defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, with him from Norman. Retaining Grinch this season was controversial, and it may be costing this team its championship window.
Williams will be off to the NFL after this season, and while Riley has a pristine track record of developing quarterbacks and is recruiting at a high level, it’s hard not to feel like he missed the chance to do more in his first two seasons at the helm.
How he proceeds from here could determine his future at USC, which invested in him with the expectation of winning a national title, no matter how much he wants to brush off that standard.
Quick Hitters - Winners
James Madison: Unfortunately, my plea last week was ignored as the NCAA officially ruled that the Dukes won’t be given a postseason waiver this fall. The Dukes do not care, and they beat one of the Sun Belt’s best teams in Marshall to remain undefeated.
Rutgers: They did it. The Scarlet Knights beat Indiana on Saturday to reach six wins and bowl eligibility. Do not look at the rest of the schedule. I’m begging you. Just enjoy bowl-eligible Rutgers.
Missouri: After dominating an explosive South Carolina team, Mizzou looks like it might be for real. That matchup against Georgia in a couple of weeks looks more interesting by the day…
Houston coach Dana Holgorsen: I’m not going to say Holgorsen has coached his way off the hot seat, but in a pivotal two-game stretch against his former team West Virginia and rival Texas, he realistically couldn’t have done any better. A win over the Mountaineers and a real fight against a top-10 Longhorns team may be enough to cool things off, at least for the time being.
Florida State: Duke’s Riley Leonard unfortunately reaggravated his ankle injury in this game, but it likely wouldn’t have mattered as FSU ultimately overpowered a tough Duke defense in the second half. Suddenly, games against Miami and Florida look like the only thing standing between Mike Norvell’s team and a 12-0 finish.
Utah QB Bryson Barnes: Once a walk-on, Barnes had a legacy game in the win over USC, throwing three touchdown passes and leading the game-winning drive. Not too shabby for a former pig farmer, I must say.
Heisman < PIG FARMER#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/C2CMqc9sWP
— MattE (@Yarrrrrrrrrr) October 22, 2023
Quick Hitters - Losers
Southern Miss: Will Hall was the architect of one of the nation’s most impressive turnarounds last fall, taking the Golden Eagles from 3-9 to 7-6. This year’s team is 1-6, though, and after a 55-3 loss to South Alabama, things may be getting dicey in Hattiesburg.
Temple: In the same vein, Stan Drayton just has not been able to get things going at a Temple program that has recently been a springboard for bigger jobs. He’s 5-15 in two seasons, and the Owls are coming off a 55-0 home shutout loss to a conference foe in SMU.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks suffered three-straight hard-fought losses to good teams, but a 7-3 loss to Mississippi State is very concerning for Sam Pittman, whose Hogs fall to 2-6. Arkansas fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos as it looks to salvage something from what’s likely to be a losing season.
Cincinnati: The Scott Satterfield hire was a bit confusing from the jump, and the Bearcats have had a tough transition in the Big 12. It got even tougher on Saturday, losing at home by three to a bad Baylor team.
East Carolina: In Nov. 2018, Charlotte hired Mike Houston before ultimately revoking the offer when he was rumored to be interested in the East Carolina job, which he later accepted. Completely unrelated: Houston and the Pirates lost to Charlotte 10-7 at home on Saturday to fall to 1-6 on the season.
Tennessee: It wasn’t the shootout that last year’s game was, but the Volunteers had a real chance to upset Alabama in Tuscaloosa and took a 20-7 lead to the locker room. Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide outscored them 27-0 in the second half, delivering its largest halftime home comeback since 1995.
TCU: After a 41-3 loss to Kansas State, there’s no doubt that the Horned Frogs have taken a significant step back after last season’s College Football Playoff run.
Michigan State: I don’t really know what I expected from the Spartans in this one, but I feel like it wasn’t losing 49-0 at home to their biggest rival.
Clemson: The Tigers fell to 4-3, squandering a 17-7 lead against a backup quarterback-led Miami team. Eight weeks into the season, Clemson doesn’t really seem like a major factor in the ACC race, which is untrodden territory since Dabo Swinney has gotten this thing rolling.
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.: Whatever lead Penix had in the Heisman race is effectively erased after a two-interception performance as the Huskies squeaked by 1-6 Arizona State. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is now the betting favorite, and Penix’s performance may have also opened the door for someone like LSU’s Jayden Daniels, who now isn’t far behind him.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes had the inside track to winning the Big Ten West heading into the week, but that now belongs to Wisconsin after an ugly 12-10 home loss to Minnesota, which captured the Floyd of Rosedale for the first time under PJ Fleck. Iowa had what would have been a game-winning punt return touchdown, but it was called back after the officials ruled Cooper DeJean waved for a fair catch. I’ll let you, dear reader, be the judge.
THEY CALLED THIS AN INVALID FAIR CATCH??? OH NO IOWA pic.twitter.com/iImEwl6RPH
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) October 21, 2023
