The Original 2008 College Football Championship Series: Week Eight

CFB Championship Previous Series: Week Seven (previous weeks linked inside)

Top 10 entering Week Eight:

1. Georgia 6-0

2. Southern Cal 5-0 

3. Florida 6-0

4. Oklahoma 6-0

5. Ohio State 6-1

6. Missouri 6-0

7. Kansas 6-0

8. West Virginia 6-0

9. BYU 6-0

10. Texas Tech 6-0

Key Games in Week Eight:

Kansas at Oklahoma

The Sooners will be coming off a big win against rival Texas and will have no room for a letdown with Kansas coming into Norman.  The Jayhawks will be undefeated and will have their first real chance to show they can play with the big boys in the conference.

Kansas comes in sitting at 5-0 and off to another great start.  But unlike last season, they have to face Oklahoma, and it's on the road at that.

Kansas will have to find a way to score some points on the Sooner defense to win this game.  The Jayhawks defense is going to have a hard time slowing down Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray in this one.  Kansas has to find a way to control the ball and not turn it over.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, will be coming off a very physical, emotional game against Texas, so it's a good thing they are getting Kansas at home.  The question is whether Oklahoma will come out sluggish and have a letdown game, or if they will come out with the intensity needed to win.

I expect this to be a very good game with both teams scoring over 20 points.  Oklahoma will most likely come out a little slow, and Kansas will have a chance to jump on them early, but Oklahoma has too much talent for Kansas.  Kansas just won't be able to stop the Sooner offense enough times to win this game.

Winner: Oklahoma

Missouri at Texas

In another Big 12 showdown, the Missouri Tigers travel to Austin to take on the Longhorns.  This is a must-win for the Tigers if they have national title hopes, and Texas will be looking to rebound from their tough loss to Oklahoma.

Missouri comes in undefeated and looking to stay that way on this trip to Texas.  Chase Daniel and company will be licking their chops to get to this Longhorn secondary.  I don't think scoring points will be a problem for Missouri in this one.  The question will be if their defense stop the Longhorn offense.

Texas comes in with a loss to the Sooners and can't afford two losses in a row if they expect to win the conference.  Texas better have their defense ready to go, and that secondary has to be ready to play a great game to slow down the Tigers.

This should be a great game and has a chance to be a shootout.  Missouri will come in thinking they can really take advantage of an inexperienced Texas secondary.  Texas will have to control the ball on offense and keep Chase Daniel on the sidelines.

I think Missouri will score some points, but Will Muschamp will have that secondary ready to play, and the Texas D will make enough plays in the end.

Winner: Texas

BYU at TCU

You are probably thinking, how is this a key game?  Well, when BYU comes in undefeated and their BCS hopes ride on every single game, a trip to TCU is a big one.

BYU will come in rolling and really playing well.  BYU's previous schedule should help them out here—having already made the trip to Washington and playing UCLA as well should have them prepared for this big game.

The key won't be offense for the Cougars—BYU will score points.  The key will be BYU's defense coming to play and shutting down TCU.

TCU will come in looking to crush BYU's dreams of an undefeated season.  They better have their offense clicking because BYU is going to score some points.  Can TCU keep pace and outscore them?  Or can the Horned Frogs come up with a stellar defensive performance?  That isn't unthinkable for a TCU team to do.

This should be a great game and a big-time test for BYU.  I'd expect it to come down to the fourth quarter, but BYU should do enough to win this one and stay unbeaten.

Winner: BYU

Top Heisman Candidates after Week Eight:

1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

2. Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State

3. Pat White, QB, West Virginia

4. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

5. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Top 10 after Week Eight:

1. Georgia 7-0 (next week: @ LSU)

2. Southern Cal 6-0 (next week: @ Ariz)

3. Florida 6-0 (next week: Kentucky)

4. Oklahoma 7-0 (next week: @ Kansas St.)

5. Ohio State 7-1 (next week: Penn State)

6. West Virginia 6-0 (next week: Auburn)

7. BYU 7-0 (next week: UNLV)

8. Auburn 6-1 (next week: @ West Virginia)

9. Texas 6-1 (next week: Oklahoma St.)

10. Clemson 6-1 (next week: bye)

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, LSU, Texas Tech, South Florida

Also, a reminder that at the end of the season, there will be an eight-team playoff that will be voted upon by you.  You will be able to go to my blog and vote for the winner of each matchup, and the winners will move on each week.

Get more college football talk at my blog, Gridiron Guru.