College Football Week 8 Top 25 Picks, Odds, Box Score Predictions, Rankings, Schedule
The SEC will go through a sorting-out process of its College Football Playoff contenders in Week 8.
Ty Simpson and the Alabama Crimson Tide welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to Bryant-Denny Stadium in a continuation of their brutal SEC slate.
Alabama won three straight games against Top 25 opposition. It still has three more games to go against ranked foes, but the rest of those contests are at home.
The Georgia Bulldogs were one of the teams that recently fell to Alabama. They have an opportunity to earn a top-10 win at home against the Ole Miss Rebels.
Ole Miss currently resides inside the top five, but it hasn't faced a significant road test yet, like the one it has on its hands in Athens on Saturday.
All four of the teams in those matchups could still make the 12-team playoff field, but after Saturday, we'll have a better idea of which teams reside at the top of the SEC hierarchy.
Week 8 Top 25 Schedule and Odds
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Friday, October 17
Louisville at No. 2 Miami (-13.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 25 Nebraska (-6.5) at Minnesota (8 p.m. ET, Fox)
Saturday, October 18
No. 10 LSU at No. 17 Vanderbilt (-2.5) (Noon ET, ABC)
No. 12 Georgia Tech at Duke (-3) (Noon ET, ESPN)
No. 14 Oklahoma (-5.5) at South Carolina (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
No. 1 Ohio State (-27.5) at Wisconsin (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Michigan State at No. 3 Indiana (-27.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)
No. 4 Texas A&M (-7.5) at Arkansas (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia (-6.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 7 Texas Tech (-11.5) at Arizona State (4 p.m. ET, Fox)
No. 22 Memphis (-21) at UAB (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 8 Oregon (-16.5) at Rutgers (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
Washington State at No. 18 Virginia (-17.5) (6:30 p.m. ET, CW)
No. 21 Texas (-11.5) at Kentucky (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 11 Tennnessee at No. 6 Alabama (-7.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 20 USC at No. 13 Notre Dame (-8.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
Florida Atlantic at No. 19 South Florida (-22.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
No. 16 Missouri at Auburn (-1.5) (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
No. 23 Utah (-3) at No. 15 BYU (8 p.m. ET, Fox)
No. 24 Cincinnati (-21) at Oklahoma State (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama (-7.5)
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Alabama comes into Week 8 with one of the best playoff resumes.
The Crimson Tide earned top-20 wins over Georgia, the Vanderbilt Commodores and Missouri Tigers to leap back up to No. 6 in the AP Top 25.
Alabama figured out its Week 1 offensive issues and scored at least 24 points in all five of its wins.
The Crimson Tide's biggest X-factor right now is their depth at wide receiver. Four pass-catchers have over 200 receiving yards and six total players have over 100 receiving yards.
Ty Simpson has an abundance of options to work with, which is vital in case an opponent shuts down Germie Bernard or Ryan Williams.
Tennessee's defense hasn't been great over the last few weeks. The Vols had to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs in overtime after a 34-point concession and the Arkansas Razorbacks put up 31 points on them last week.
The Vols' inability to slow down opponents will hurt them in Tuscaloosa against a Bama offense firing on all cylinders.
Tennessee can put up points in its own right behind quarterback Joey Aguilar, who has 1,680 passing yards and 14 touchdowns.
To win on the road, Tennessee needs a better effort from its defense versus an offense that can hit opponents from all angles.
Prediction: Alabama (-7.5)
No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia (-6.5)
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Georgia's lone blemish is a home loss to Alabama.
The Bulldogs beat Tennessee on the road in overtime and it weathered a difficult test in Week 7 against the Auburn Tigers.
Kirby Smart's team seems poised to jump back into the top five with a home win over Ole Miss, who comes in with more questions about its playoff potential.
Lane Kiffin's Rebels only beat the Washington State Cougars by three at home last week in the look-ahead spot of all look-ahead spots.
Ole Miss did beat the LSU Tigers on September 27, but that was a home win. Winning on the road in the SEC is a totally different beast to conquer.
A year ago, two of Ole Miss' three losses came away from Oxford, and if you expand that sample size back to 2022, the Rebels suffered six defeats away from home.
Georgia also has the revenge factor going for it after Ole Miss knocked off the Bulldogs in Oxford last season.
Saturday serves as a prove-it game for Ole Miss, as will next week's trip to face the Oklahoma Sooners.
Georgia is the battle-tested power in this matchup, and its home-field advantage should help it knock off a top-five foe.
Prediction: Georgia (-6.5)
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