College Football Week 8 Schedule: TV and Live Stream Info for Every Game
Week 8 of the NCAA football season doesn't feature quite as many marquee matchups as the previous two weekends, but there should be plenty of excitement to go around for pigskin fans across the nation.
Mississippi State jumped to No. 1 in the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls after its 38-23 win over then-No. 2 Auburn, and it will get at least one week to enjoy the limelight as it prepares for its next game, a Week 9 matchup on the road against the University of Kentucky.
It's a week for those that wish to wear the rankings crown to establish themselves as contenders worthy of the inaugural College Football Playoff alongside the front-running Bulldogs.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Here is a look at the Week 8 college football slate, complete with television and live stream information.
| Thursday, Oct. 16 | |||
| 7:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh | ESPN | Watch ESPN |
| 10 p.m. | No. 20 Utah at Oregon State | Pac-12 Network | |
| Friday, Oct. 17 | |||
| 8 p.m. | Fresno State at Boise State | ESPN | Watch ESPN |
| 9 p.m. | Temple at Houston | ESPN U | Watch ESPN |
| Saturday, Oct. 18 | |||
| 12 p.m. | No. 4 Baylor at West Virginia | Fox Sports 1 | |
| 12 p.m. | No. 14 Kansas at No. 11 Oklahoma | ESPN | Watch ESPN |
| 12 p.m. | South Florida at Tulsa | ESPNEWS | Watch ESPN |
| 12 p.m. | Tulane at UCF | ESPN U | Watch ESPN |
| 12 p.m. | Syracuse at Wake Forest | ESPN 3 | |
| 12 p.m. | Iowa at Maryland | ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN |
| 12 p.m. | Purde at Minnesota | ||
| 12 p.m. | Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic | ||
| 12 p.m. | UTSA at Louisiana Tech | ||
| 12 p.m. | Furman at South Carolina | SEC Netowrk | Watch ESPN |
| 12:30 p.m. | Virginia at Duke | EPSN 3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Akron at Ohio | ESPN 3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Western Michigan at Bowling Green | ESPN 3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Eastern Michigan at Massachusetts | ESPN 3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Appalachian State at Troy | ESPN 3 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 21 Texas A&M at No. 7 Alabama | CBS | |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 8 Michigan State at Indiana | ESPN | Watch ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | Rutgers at No. 13 Ohio State | ABC/ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 24 Clemson at Boston College | ESPN U | Watch ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | UCLA at California | ABC/ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | New Mexico at Air Force | ||
| 3:30 p.m. | Army at Kent State | ESPN 3 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Ball State at Central Michigan | ESPN 3 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | UAB at Middle Tennessee | ||
| 3:30 p.m. | North Carolina State at Louisvile | ESPN 3 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Cincinnati at SMU | CBS Sports Network | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Kansas at Texas Tech | ||
| 4 p.m. | No. 10 Georgia at Arkansas | SEC Network | Watch ESPN |
| 4 p.m. | No. 15 Oklahoma State at No. 12 TCU | Fox Sports 1 | |
| 4 p.m. | San Jose State at Wyoming | ESPN 3 | |
| 5 p.m. | New Mexico State at Idaho | ESPN 3 | |
| 5 p.m. | Miami (OH) at Northern Illinois | ESPN 3 | |
| 6 p.m. | Colorado at No. 22 USC | Pac-12 Network | |
| 6 p.m. | No. 25 Marshall at Florida International | ||
| 7 p.m. | Tennessee at No. 3 Ole Miss | ESPN | Watch ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | Missouri at Florida | ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | Southern Miss at North Texas | ||
| 7 p.m. | Utah State at Colorado State | CBS Sports Network | |
| 7 p.m. | Georgia Tech at North Carolina | ESPN U | Watch ESPN |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 19 Nebraska at Northwestern | BTN | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Georgia State at South Alabama | ESPN 3 | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Kentucky at LSU | SEC Network | Watch ESPN |
| 8 p.m. | No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State | ABC | |
| 8 p.m. | Washington at No. 9 Oregon | Fox Sports 1 | |
| 8 p.m. | Iowa State at Texas | Longhorn Network | Watch ESPN |
| 10:15 p.m. | Nevada at BYU | ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN |
| 10:30 p.m. | No. 23 Stanford at No. 17 Arizona State | ESPN | Watch ESPN |
| 10:30 p.m. | Hawaii at San Diego State | CBS Sports Network |
Note: schedule courtesy of ESPN.com.
Live Stream Note
More games can be found at the following websites, although they may require an account or a subscription:
Game of The Week
No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State
If you can watch just one game this weekend—skip the farmers market on Saturday for once—make it this one.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Florida State Seminoles in a titanic tango that will leave one squad with its first loss of the season. As ESPN College Football points out, Notre Dame does a fine job of fighting off titleholders while undefeated:
Both teams are led by their star quarterbacks—Everett Golson for the Fighting Irish and Jameis Winston for the Seminoles—who have done a bang-up job of torching opposing secondaries via the pass and wearing down front sevens with their legs.
| Winston | 126/180 | 1605 | 11 | 5 | 23 | 39 | 2 |
| Golson | 135/216 | 1683 | 16 | 4 | 58 | 209 | 4 |
The Seminoles rank 15th in the nation in offensive efficiency, while the Fighting Irish rank 29th, per ESPN.com. Putting up 39 points per game will earn a team a lofty ranking, but the Noles could very well struggle to hit that number Saturday.
Notre Dame is ranked 41st in team passing efficiency defense, per NCAA.com.
It's a fine ranking and just behind Wake Forest, which ranks 40th in that category. Yes, the Seminoles dropped 43 points on the Demon Deacons, but Winston tossed just one touchdown against one interception and averaged 7.6 yards per attempt in that contest.
Golson should be able to keep up if his secondary does its job, but he will have to take care of the ball. Florida State took advantage of three turnovers in that game, and Golson has nine turnovers in the past three games, per ESPN.com. NFL.com's Bryan Fischer felt the senior quarterback hurt his Heisman chances with his mistake-ridden performance against North Carolina:
The Seminoles will be looking to take advantage of Golson's miscues.
"We know they're going to come in and play their best game, but we see that [turnovers] on film," said strong safety Tyler Hunter, via Garry Smits of The Florida Times-Union. "We try to force turnovers anyway. We force them in practice, stripping the ball, picking it off. We try to force it on them [Notre Dame]."
It's interesting that neither team has what one can call a "signature" win on the season—the type of win that sees them grind a top-tier opponent into dust and has fans of rival teams exchanging nervous glances when the score pops at the bottom of their television sets.
Notre Dame did beat then-No. 14 Stanford, but it was a three-point victory in a somewhat turgid, sloppy affair. The Seminoles crushed Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons are 2-4 and fifth in the ACC. A 23-17 overtime win over Clemson, with quarterback Sean Maguire at the helm in place of a suspended Winston, was encouraging, even if it did reveal how much this team depends on Winston.
This contest is a season-affirming opportunity for both teams, but it might mean a little more for the Fighting Irish.
If Florida State loses this game, it could still very well march to an ACC title—with Clemson and perhaps Virginia the only legitimate challengers—and lock up a College Football Playoff spot as a one-loss conference champion.
Notre Dame, which forges on as an independent in the FBS, might have a bit more riding on this game. Should the Fighting Irish lose, they don't have a conference ranking as a barometer, only the strength of their schedule. The six teams they've defeated have a combined record of 17-21—Stanford is the only team above .500. This game represents an opportunity to beat the best and affirm their ranking.
We want to be challenged nationally against the very, very best," head coach Brian Kelly said, per The Associated Press, via The Washington Post. "That's probably more significant than anything else, that these are the games that we want to play."
If the Fighting Irish do get past the 'Noles, an undefeated record is well within reach, as No. 17 Arizona State and No. 22 USC are the the two strongest opponents left on their schedule.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
