ESPN College Gameday 2022: Week 8 Location Hosts, TV Schedule and Predictions
Only two Pac-12 teams have reached the College Football Playoff since the system was implemented in 2014. Oregon was part of the inaugural tournament, and Washington made the CFP two years later.
Over the past five seasons, the Pac-12 has been shut out of the annual event, but that could soon change. No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Oregon are two of the top teams in the country this year, and one could go on to win the Pac-12 championship and even reach the CFP.
That's why this Saturday is so important. The undefeated Bruins are going on the road to face the Ducks in a marquee matchup with potential playoff implications. Whichever team wins will be the front-runner for the Pac-12 title.
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It's a huge clash, and ESPN's College GameDay will be in Eugene for the occasion. The popular college football kickoff show airs live at 9 a.m. ET on Saturdays on ESPN, with this week's edition taking place at Memorial Quad on Oregon's campus.
Before further breaking down the UCLA-Oregon matchup, here's the schedule for ranked teams in Week 8, along with predictions for each game.
Week 8 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions
Saturday, Oct. 22
Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State, noon ET, Fox
Tennessee-Martin at No. 3 Tennessee, noon ET, SEC Network
No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson, noon ET, ABC
No. 21 Cincinnati at SMU, noon ET, ESPN
No. 7 Ole Miss at LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Boston College at No. 13 Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Memphis at No. 25 Tulane, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Picks in bold.
UCLA-Oregon Preview
Oregon hasn't had much trouble against UCLA in recent years. The Ducks have won nine of the past 10 meetings between the two programs, including each of the past three. The only win for the Bruins during that stretch came in 2017.
It's been even longer since UCLA has won in Eugene. The last time the Bruins defeated the Ducks on the road was in 2004.
However, this year's UCLA team is better than recent iterations. And head coach Chip Kelly, who was in charge at Oregon from 2009-12, will likely have the Bruins ready to play a competitive game on Saturday.
UCLA will be in a hostile environment, but it will be one the 58-year-old is familiar with. However, he has lost his two most recent trips back to Eugene, in 2018 and 2020.
"It's a difficult place to play, just like anything in this league," Kelly told reporters. "You go to Washington and it's hard; you go to Oregon, it's hard. I think that's part of it when you're playing meaningful games in October is you've got to be prepared for crowd noise, so we'll be prepared for it."
This season, UCLA has been well-prepared every week. It is the only unbeaten team remaining in the Pac-12, after winning each of its first six games. Those include home wins over Washington and Utah in its previous two contests before the Week 7 bye.
UCLA isn't the only Pac-12 team with an unblemished conference record, though. Oregon also hasn't lost to a conference rival this season.
After suffering a 49-3 loss to No. 1 Georgia in the season opener, the Ducks have won five straight games. They're 3-0 in conference play, having defeated Washington State, Stanford and Arizona in their past three contests.
It's been an impressive turnaround for Oregon, but it hasn't faced a team as talented as UCLA during its winning streak. And with College GameDay in town, this matchup has a big-game feel.
"These are games that don't take a lot of pep talks. Guys are excited," Ducks head coach Dan Lanning told reporters. "We all realize the moment here. Guys want to play at a high level. But it's also about keeping that energy directed, right? That's what it's about—a one-play focus."
This may not be the only time that UCLA and Oregon meet this season. It's possible both teams could reach the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 2, but plenty of things can change between now and then.
However, whichever team wins Saturday will have a legitimate chance to reach the College Football Playoff, while the loser likely won't.
So, even though there's plenty of football to play over the next six weeks, this is an important game for UCLA and Oregon. And it's a matchup that could go either way, considering how strong both teams are.
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