B/R's 2026 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 8

After a Saturday filled with upsets and nonstop chaos, Week 8 provided a much quieter slate around college football.

But that doesn't mean it all went according to expectation.

Texas Tech unceremoniously dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten, and Big 12 rival BYU followed suit.

In prime time, Texas will be aiming to stop its slide against Ole Miss. And the final matchup of the night is a showdown between Houston and Utah—the latter of which will try to avoid the same fate as Tech and BYU.

This piece will be updated throughout Saturday's action.

Winner: Miami's Heisman Duo, Again

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Darian Mensah

Sporting a new throwback uniform from the iconic 2001 championship team, Miami put on a performance that properly honored that squad.

Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney, most specifically.

In a 52-23 rout of Pitt, Mensah completed 31-of-37 passes for 386 yards with four touchdowns. Toney shattered a single-game program record with 16 receptions, racing to 194 yards and three scores.

Another few games like this, and both Mensah and Toney may be heading to New York as Heisman Trophy finalists.

Oh, and the No. 1 'Canes are 7-0. Pretty good vibes in Miami right now.

Loser: Texas Tech's Perfection

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Texas Tech, on the other hand, endured a disastrous day on the road.

Cincinnati turned a couple of first-half takeaways into 10 points, built a 24-6 halftime lead and snatched a 37-24 upset of the Red Raiders.

The biggest issue for Tech was a disappearing run defense, which entered the game ranked fifth nationally in yards allowed per game at 82.0. Cincy more than tripled that average with 255 yards on the ground.

One loss doesn't wreck the Red Raiders' title aspirations, and their remaining schedule is favorable after a clash with Arizona next Saturday.

But they're officially in must-win territory the rest of the way.

Winner: Defense in Ann Arbor

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We could complain about Indiana's offense no-showing. It'd be easy to dwell on Michigan's disastrous year on that side of the ball, too.

These defenses, though, folks—they were stellar.

Michigan locked down IU quarterback Josh Hoover, who mustered an 8-of-18 line for 81 yards with an interception. Indiana also struggled on the ground for a third straight game, managing 131 rushing yards on only 3.7 per carry.

But the Hoosiers survived thanks to their own defense, one that yielded 224 yards in a 13-6 overtime win. They generated 10 tackles for loss, two takeaways and sealed the victory with a turnover on downs in OT.

Michigan has a terrible problem on offense. Indiana has serious questions to address after a few unimpressive games.

Nevertheless, we should not lose sight of the excellence from these defenses.

Loser: Oregon's Last Hope

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Dan Lanning

What a bust.

Entering the campaign, Oregon was a popular championship pick. I believed in the Ducks. You, specifically, may have doubted them, but a whole lot of yous out there had similarly high expectations.

Whaaaat a bust.

Even before Dante Moore's concussion, the Ducks were struggling. They trailed Boise State by 10 points in the opener and lost at Oklahoma State. The earliest returns weren't necessarily fantastic.

This, though—a 21-10 loss at Illinois—is a nightmare for a program with a handsomely paid, highly experienced roster. Oregon fell to 4-3 and is effectively out of the College Football Playoff discussion. What seemed like a showdown at Ohio State to begin November has become just another game on the calendar.

Heck, Northwestern might beat Oregon in Eugene next Saturday. That's not a sentence we expected to type in 2026.

Winner: Shane Beamer's Cooling Seat

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To be perfectly honest, I thought Shane Beamer—in his sixth year with the Gamecocks—was going to get fired a few weeks ago.

South Carolina lost to Mississippi State, then suffered a 49-18 blowout at the hands of Alabama, then squandered a 17-0 lead in an overtime loss to Kentucky. Toss in a meltdown that led to a suspension for star defender Dylan Stewart, and it seemed a change was inevitable.

You know what, nevermind!

Back-to-back upsets of Florida and Tennessee have calmed the water pounding Beamer's once-sinking ship. LaNorris Sellers accounted for 306 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's 27-24 win over Tennessee.

Beamer's job security is still tenuous—pitchforks may appear if South Carolina loses to Arkansas, for example—but this hot seat is bearable.

For now, at least.

Loser: BYU's Perfection, Too

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Six teams carried a perfect record into Week 8. Three are gone.

James Madison lost its first game of the season on Thursday night at Appalachian State. Texas Tech fell to Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, and BYU could not escape this double-overtime clash at UCF.

What a cruel sport, college football. BYU pulled off an epic upset of Notre Dame last weekend and soared to No. 2, the program's best AP ranking since 1984.

And it lasted seven days.

BYU remains in the Big 12 and national hunts, but this 39-31 letdown has dimmed the shine on the Cougars' season.