College Football Week 8: Live Updates, Heisman Talk, Injuries and More
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College football week 8 is upon us, and we already have some great games underway.
Will the Ohio State Buckeyes take out their aggression on the Purdue Boilermakers and keep from slipping further in the BCS rankings?
Will the Rutgers Scarlet Knights play their hearts out in the midst of tragedy?
And how about that LSU at Auburn game? Which Tigers will remain undefeated in the SEC?
I will keep you posted with all the latest updates, Heisman discussion, injuries and more!
Let's get started...
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The Baylor Bears have defeated the No. 22 Kansas State Wildcats.
Earlier this week, I predicted potential upsets in the BCS rankings...
And I love it when I'm right!
With teams like Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska getting most of the attention in the Big 12, the Baylor Bears have been overlooked so far this college football season.
Big mistake, college football fans!
The Bears' only two losses have come from TCU and Texas Tech, and even though they still have some big games ahead of them, there is a chance for Baylor to make a big statement in the Big 12.
Their next game will be at the No. 19 Texas Longhorns, but with the way the Longhorns have been playing lately, the Bears are likely to add another win to their record.
Baylor also play the No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Texas A&M Aggies and the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners.
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The Auburn Tigers have added yet another win to their record, and they are now the only undefeated team left in the Southeastern Converence.
The No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs look to keep rolling over their competition as they take on the Air Force Falcons.
But this will be no easy task. The Frogs are tied with the Falcons at 7-7 early in the second quarter, and they will need to pull ahead fast in order to avoid the upset.
Air Force has played very well this year, and no win would be more sweet than an upset over the undefeated Frogs.
If the Falcons pull off the win, we are likely to see TCU drastically fall in the BCS rankings this week.
An Air Force win would also knock the number of undefeated teams down to six.
Teams that remain undefeated: *Oklahoma, Oregon, Boise State, TCU, Michigan State, Utah and *Missouri.
*Oklahoma and Missouri are currently playing each other.
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So far this weekend, only eight college football teams remain undefeated, and that number will be knocked down to seven after the Oklahoma Sooners face the Missouri Tigers.
These two teams are getting ready to kick off, and we could see the third No. 1 ranked team of the season find themselves knocked down after this game.
The Sooners have dominated their schedule so far, but then again, so have the Tigers. This will definitely be an interesting matchup.
Other Undefeated Teams:
No. 2 Oregon (6-0): The Ducks gave the UCLA Bruins a sound beating on Thursday Night.
No. 3 Boise State (6-0): Pending team-wide food poisoning, the Broncos should make their record 7-0 after a win over Louisiana Tech on Tuesday.
Yes, they play football on Tuesdays.
No. 4 Auburn (8-0): The Tigers just claimed their spot as the only undefeated team in the SEC today against LSU.
No. 5 TCU (7-0): The Frogs will try to avoid an upset as they take on Air Force.
No. 7 Michigan State (8-0): The Spartans are the only undefeated team in the Big Ten.
No. 9 Utah (6-0): The Utes look to add their seventh win of the season as they lead Colorado State 31-6 in the third quarter.
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The No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes have been handed their second loss of the season by the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Badgers are currently ranked No. 13 in the BCS rankings, and they are sure to move up into the top 10 after this weekend.
So what about the Hawkeyes?
Iowa's next game will be against the undefeated Michigan State Spartans on October 30th, and they will have home field advantage.
In fact, the Hawkeyes had quite a bit of luck with their schedule this season as they play three of their toughest games (Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State) on home turf.
But does this really make that much of a difference?
Not if you ask the Wisconsin Badgers.
This is still just the Hawkeyes' first loss in Big Ten play, and they definitely have a chance at winning the rest of the games in their schedule.
Other games left to play: At Indiana, at Northwestern and at Minnesota.
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The Auburn Tigers have added yet another win to their record, and they remain one of only eight currently undefeated teams in college football.
Auburn is currently ranked at No. 4 in the BCS rankings, and the Tigers will be hoping for an upset in Columbia, Missouri tonight.
If the Oklahoma Sooners become the third No. 1 team to be knocked off this season, we could see Auburn moving up to the No. 2 (or possibly No. 1) spot in the rankings.
Looking down the Tigers' schedule, they will get their final test when they take on the currently No. 8 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at the end of the season.
So can Auburn run the table?
The Tigers will have the advantage of coming off a bye week when they travel to Tuscaloosa, but the Tide will not go down easily.
Auburn's next game will be at Ole Miss, and a win there is all but guaranteed.
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Cam Newton had an outstanding game today against LSU, and he will remain at the top of Heisman Trophy talks for another week.
But who else is in the running?
Here are some of the top college football players who have a chance at earning college footballs most lucrative prize:
Cameron Newton (Auburn): Newton has been the most dominant force on the most dominant team in the SEC all season.
Kellen Moore (Boise State): Say what you want about Boise State's schedule strength, but don't you dare question Kellen Moore's talent. His ice cold composure throughout the season is Tom Brady-esque.
LaMichael James (Oregon): For those of you who haven't seen LaMichael James play, I strongly suggest that you tune in for the next Oregon Ducks football game.
Andrew Luck (Stanford): The Cardinal's only loss this season was to the dominant Oregon Ducks, and quarterback Andrew Luck has 18 touchdowns to his name so far this year.
Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State): Blackmon is statistically the best receiver in college football, and he is definitely a real contender for the Heisman Trophy.
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The Auburn Tigers are up by a touchdown with about five minutes left to play in this SEC battle, and it looks like Auburn will maintain their undefeated season.
But there is still enough time for the Bayou Bengals to work a little magic and work their way to the top of the conference (and maybe even all of college football).
Les Miles has had 15 fourth quarter comeback wins during his time at LSU, so an upset here is completely possible.
Does Miles have some more tricks up his sleeve?
LSU will have to keep an eye on the game clock as they will try to go for it on 4th and 6 late in the fourth quarter.
Can they do it?
The LSU Tigers are six for six on fourth down conversions, but that streak ends here.
Auburn stops LSU around the 30 yard line and regains possession of the ball.
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Cameron Newton has been at the top of most Heisman hopeful lists in the past few weeks, and he is leading his Auburn Tigers in a 17-10 game against LSU.
Newton's talent is hard to argue with: He has has accounted for 13 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns with just five interceptions so far this season.
Cameron Newton is the perfect example of the "hybrid quarterback" that we've seen so much of recently in college football.
Other quarterbacks who are major threats both on the ground and through the air?
Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State, Denard Robinson of Michigan, Dan Persa of Northwestern and Taylor Martinez of Nebraska.
So should Cam Newton get the Heisman Trophy?
If he continues the caliber of play that he has exhibited throughout the beginning of this season, it will be difficult to argue with this quarterback receiving college football's highest honor.
I will keep you updated with more Auburn football news.
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The Auburn University Tigers host the Louisiana State University Tigers today, and they are in the midst of a very close game.
The No. 4 Auburn Tigers and the No. 6 LSU Tigers battle to become the only undefeated team in the SEC, and this still could be anybody's game.
Auburn is up by a touchdown, but LSU is driving and looks to even the score.
Much speculation has surrounded Les Miles and his "Bayou Bengals" and their supposed "luck" this season, but a win here will silence most critics.
With just over six minutes left to play in the third quarter, we will see if LSU can pull off yet another miracle game.
If Auburn wins this game, they should be able to remain undefeated until their final game of the season where they will try to defeat the dominant Alabama Crimson Tide.
A win for LSU will give them some added confidence as they take a bye before they too take on the Tide.
So who gets the win?
My money is on Auburn making sure that LSU's luck runs out today.
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In recent years, the SEC has been considered by many to be the strongest college football conference, but a conference up north could be giving these teams a run for their money.
After today's Michigan State at Northwestern game, we have to give credit where credit is due.
The No. 7 Michigan Spartans trailed the Wildcats for most of the afternoon before rallying in the second half to pull off the win.
And we have to ask the question:
Is the Big Ten a dominant conference from top to bottom?
Historically, the conference has been run by Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, but with teams like Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan State all having very good seasons, the college football world is having trouble ignoring the strength of this conference.
Take a look at some of the "lesser" teams in the Big Ten: Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota.
The Minnesota Gophers and the Indiana Hoosiers are exceptions, but the rest of this conference is actually very good.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are much better than their schedule suggests, and even the Purdue Boilermakers are a decent football team.
Compared to other strong conferences like the Pac 10, the SEC and the Big 12, the Big Ten is right up there with the big dogs.
And then add the Nebraska Cornhuskers next season, and forget about it!
This conference is shaping up to be the best in college football.
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The Michigan State Spartans remain undefeated after a close win over the Northwestern Wildcats, making them the only zero-loss team in the Big Ten.
Will they be able to keep up their winning streak for the rest of the season?
Looking down the Spartans' schedule, the only real threat to their season lies in next Saturday's game at the Iowa Hawkeyes.
We could say that the Spartans are at a sort of advantage this season as they miss the Ohio State Buckeyes in Big Ten play.
So could the Spartans run the table?
Or will they suffer their first loss of the season next week?
As of right now, the Spartans are currently ranked No. 7 in the BCS rankings, and their win over Northwestern (and a loss from either LSU or Auburn) should push them into the top five come Sunday night.
One thing is for sure:
We will see quite a bit of change in the BCS rankings after this weekend.
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We still have tons of great college football games to watch this evening, and I'm here to tell you which ones you simply cannot afford to miss.
Games You Can Skip:
Colorado State at No. Utah (MTN): The Utes should have no trouble spanking Colorado State at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Texas A&M at Kansas (FSN): Who cares?
Games You NEED to Watch:
UAB at Mississippi State (ESPNU): If you are looking to watch a great football team, look no further than the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Georgia at Kentucky (ESPN-GP): It will be fun to watch the Bulldogs take on the Wildcats as they attempt to salvage their season at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Air Force at TCU (CBSC): Watch the Frogs try to stay undefeated against a strong Falcons squad at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Oklahoma at Missouri (ABC): Can the Tigers upset the Sooners? Find out at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Washington at Arizona (ESPN): This will be a great game to watch at 10:15 p.m. ET to end your night!
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans might try to justify losing their second game in a row to Navy by citing injuries, but I call shenanigans.
Michael Floyd out with a hamstring injury? It must have been really difficult to score three touchdowns against Western Michigan. You know...that MAC team whose only conference win was over Ball State?
Armando Allen hasn't even played, so I don't see how he is relevant in any conversation.
And last time I checked, Micheal Floyd, Armando Allen, Kyle Rudolph and Theo Riddick are all offensive players. I'm pretty sure that their injuries had nothing to do with the Midshipmen putting up 35 points on the Irish.
Part of being an elite football program is being able to find wins no matter which players have to miss games, and the Irish couldn't get the job done against Navy today.
Unless something changes soon, Notre Dame's independence will become a running joke in college football (more so than it already is).
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We have already seen some excellent college football games so far today, but there are plenty more to come!
Here are the biggest games remaining in Week 8 of college football:
Wisconsin at Iowa (ABC): Don't miss the Badgers taking on the Hawkeyes at Iowa City today at 3:30 p.m. ET.
LSU at Auburn (CBS): Which Tigers will win the battle of the SEC? Tune in at 3:30 p.m. ET today to find out!
Nebraska at Oklahoma State (ABC): Watch the Huskers try to redeem themselves against the undefeated Cowboys at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Alabama at Tennessee (ESPN): Can the Tide roll over the rest of their SEC competition after a Week 6 loss to South Carolina? Watch this game at 7:00 p.m. ET.
South Carolina at Vanderbilt (FSS): The GameCocks look to regain momentum after a tough loss to Kentucky at 7:00 p.m. ET.
UAB at Mississippi State (ESPNU): The Bulldogs have surprised us so far this season, and they will try to add to their winning record at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Air Force at TCU (CBSC): Find out if the Frogs can stay undefeated as they take on the Falcons at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Oklahoma at Missouri (ABC): Will the Sooners remain the No. 1 team in the country? Find out at 8:00 p.m. ET.
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish just suffered a huge 35-17 loss to Navy today, and I have to ask the question:
What is going on with Notre Dame football?
The Irish have gone from one of the most dominant football programs in the country to mediocre at best.
A once competitive rivalry with the Navy Midshipmen has turned into a sort of joke as the Irish have three of their last four games against their rivals.
Notre Dame has remained independent throughout the years, but is it time for Irish to join a conference?
If something doesn't drastically change in the Notre Dame football program, it will be difficult for the Irish to justify their independent status. After all, who wants to watch their team lose week in and week out?
Joining a conference like the Big Ten or the Big East would bring some stability to Notre Dame's football schedule. So could we see the Irish become part of a conference in the future?
The Irish's deal with NBC expires in 2015, and if they can't start winning some big games, the TV station may be reluctant to renew.



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