NCAA College Football Scores, Week 8

NCAA College Football Scores, Week 8

#4 Baylor showed that they really don't belong in the final four. They are good, but not good enough to go into Morgantown and steamroll West Virginia. The game was even for three quarters only because WVU turned it over three times. The Mountaineers dominated the offensive stats: first downs 33-22; total yards 456-318. They ate Baylor's QB, Bryce Petty, for lunch. He was 16 for 36 with a QBR of 24.

#21 Texas A&M has probably disappeared from the top 25 for good after being absolutely crushed by #7 'Bama 59-0. It was 45-0 at halftime. What else is there to say?

#14 Kansas State defeated #11 Oklahoma 31-30. Oklahoma dominated the stats but couldn't close the sale. They turned the ball over twice (compared to none for KSU), including a pick-six. Worse yet, their kicker missed two short field goals and had an extra point blocked (while the Kansas State kicker nailed everything).

#2 FSU did ultimately defeat #5 Notre Dame, but the Fightin' Irish definitely proved that they belonged on the big stage. They were ahead 24-17 late in the game. They had more first downs (26-18) than the Seminoles. They ran 87 plays, compared to 57 for FSU. They had more passing yardage. They had more rushing yardage. They had the lead five times. Saddest of all for the Irish, they had actually won the game on a last-ditch TD, then had the play called back for offensive pass interference. The Seminoles should be relieved to come out of that game with a W.

#12 TCU had no trouble with #15 Oklahoma State (42-9). TCU dominated every aspect of the game. They have now beaten both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs definitely have some offense. They even scored 58 in their loss this year!

Opportunities: teams #4, #5 and #11 lost; #1 and #6 were idle. That's a big opportunity for #7 Alabama to move up to #4 after the monumental soul-crushing curb-stomping they laid on A&M. Given the new playoff structure, #4 in the nation is a key spot. The difference between #3 and #4 is negligible, but the difference between #4 and #5 is a football equivalent of life and death. (Although the playoff selection committee is not bound by the polls.)