Friday, March 29, 2024

College Football Games to Watch – Week 8

After a week off, the weekly college football games to watch column is back baby!  Week 7 certainly would have been a good week to have this list up and running as there was all kinds of chaos (four top 10 teams going down, as well as several other ranked college football teams).

But alas it didn’t happen but we’re here to give you a good list this week.  Without further ado, here are the best games to watch in Week 8.  All games are listed in chronological order and all times listed are Central Time.  All rankings reflect the most recent college football AP Poll.  And remember, if your team doesn’t make this list, it’s only because I hate them.

College football to watch week 8

Thursday October 18

college football
College football © Bob Drebin/ISI Photos

Stanford @ Arizona State

Sun Devil Stadium – Tempe, AZ

Kickoff: 8:00pm

TV: ESPN

Why you should watch: It’s #Pac12AfterDark but on a Thursday.  It’s the best game of the night.  Stanford is trying to bounce back from consecutive beatdowns at the hands of Notre Dame and then Utah, while the Herm Edwards experiment at Arizona State is stalled at 3-3, with the Sun Devils having lost three of their last four.

 

Friday, October 19

Colorado State @ Boise State

Albertson’s Stadium – Boise, ID

Kickoff: 8:00pm

TV: ESPN2

Why you should watch: It’s the best game of the night.  Boise State seems to have fallen off a bit but it’s still tough for opposing teams to roll in and get a win on the Smurf Turf.  Colorado State meanwhile has rebounded from a horrific 1-4 start (the lone win coming over an SEC foe in Arkansas) with back to back wins over San Jose State and New Mexico.

 

Saturday, October 20

#5 Michigan @ #24 Michigan State

Spartan Stadium – East Lansing, MI

Kickoff: 11:00am

TV: FOX

Why you should watch: The Wolverines seems to be rounding into a B1G title contender.  After dropping their opening game against Notre Dame, they’ve won six straight games including their most recent domination of #15 Wisconsin.  But Mark Dantonio and Michigan State have owned Michigan lately, winning eight of the last ten.  Throw in the fact that the Spartans shocked Penn State last week, and who knows what might happen in this one? The Michigan rivalry is one of the biggest in college football.

 

#16 NC State @ #3 Clemson

Memorial Stadium – Clemson, SC
Kickoff: 2:30pm

TV: ESPN

Why you should watch: It’s a battle of the last two undefeated teams in the ACC.  Clemson figures to be the better of the two teams but their QB situation is unsettled with Kelly Bryant transferring out and Trevor Lawrence getting banged up along the way.  NC State has been a quiet 5-0 so far this year (though they did have a marquee game against a Top 15 West Virginia team cancelled early in the season because of a hurricane.)  Dave Doeren doesn’t have too many signature wins in his time in Raleigh, though they did come close to knocking off Clemson two years ago. This is huge college football right here.

 

#22 Mississippi State @ #5 LSU

Tiger Stadium – Baton Rouge, LA

Kickoff: 6:00pm

TV: ESPN

Why you should watch: LSU has been perhaps one of the most impressive teams of the season. With three wins against Top 10 teams on their resume (though as it turns out neither Miami nor Auburn are particularly good).  Mississippi State meanwhile, has been on an emotional rollercoaster with new coach Joe Moorhead: after a 3-0 start fans were all in, but then they dropped two in a row to a good Kentucky team and a good Florida team and everybody bailed.  They then followed that up with a win over then #8 Auburn and everybody is back on board.  But night games in Tiger Stadium are notoriously difficult places to get wins and LSU is playing about as well as anybody in the country right now.

 

#12 Oregon @ #25 Washington State

Martin Stadium – Pullman, WA

Kickoff: 6:30pm

TV: FOX

Why you should watch: This matchup could go a long way in determining who wins the Pac-12 North.  Oregon has looked very good this season, outside of their fourth quarter meltdown against Stanford.  Washington State has not dropped off the way many felt they would after the departure of Luke Falk at QB, but Garnder Minshew has been as good as any QB that’s played for Mike Leach.  College GameDay is making its first ever trip to the Palouse so the crowd will be jacked for this one.

For more college football, visit the dedicated college sports section here. Meanwhile, follow us on Facebook for news and analysis right to your timeline.

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