Another week of football is now behind us, and we are now almost two-thirds of the way done with the regular season. Time goes by so fast when you’re having fun doesn’t it? I predicted two games almost perfectly so that made it just that much better. Week eight featured some great games, including a couple of big upsets, so let’s dive right into it.

#20 Texas 34 @ #11 Oklahoma St 41
This was the best game of the week in my opinion. It was a crazy game all around as it had five turnovers in total, and two were interceptions in the first and last minute of the game by Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. He really did not play well, despite being close to pulling off the comeback victory. He went 19/49 for 319 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. The damage was done on the ground for Texas as future first or second round pick Bijan Robinson rushed for 170 yards, and Roshon Johnson rushed for 73 yards on just five carries. Both had a rushing touchdown as well. Texas led 31-24 at halftime, but was limited to just three points in the second half. The Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders was on point as he went 34/57 for 391 yards and two touchdowns along with an interception. Running back Jaden Nixon had a long run of 51 that helped him achieve 64 yards on just eight carries. In the end, the one word to describe this game was just chaotic. The quarterback who played better led his team to a close, hard fought win to keep the Cowboys very slim playoff chances alive.

#9 UCLA 30 @ #10 Oregon 45
My prediction for this game was an Oregon victory 45-34, and man I am proud of that prediction. The Bo Nix led Ducks continued to steamroll their competition after getting steamrolled themselves in week one versus Georgia. Since then, they are undefeated and are winning each game by an average of 23 points. Bo Nix has continued to have his best collegiate season by far, and the UCLA game only added more great stats to his name. He was utterly incredible, going 22/28 for 283 yards, along with an astounding five touchdown passes and not a single interception. WR Troy Franklin had eight catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. They also had a guy who rushed for more than 100 yards, with running back Mar’Keise Irving rushing for 107 yards on 19 carries. UCLA was also very successful on offense, just not as much as the Ducks. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a decent day throwing for 262 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on 27 completions. Their main offensive weapon was Zach Charbonnet who had 20 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown. UCLA was the last undefeated team in the Pac-12, and now the Pac-12’s only chance for a playoff team is an 11-1 Oregon that wins the Pac-12, and even then they still might not get in.

#24 Mississippi State 6 @ #6 Alabama 30
Alabama, coming off the loss to Tennessee, was expected to be out for blood against the Bulldogs. And despite what the score suggests, this, in most people’s opinion, was a pretty uninspired effort from the Tide. They were Helabama 30d to six second half points, which is very bad for Alabama standards. Defensively, they were lights out, not giving up a point until the last play of the game. Bryce Young had a very respectable day, going 21/35 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Jahmyr Gibbs was not very productive, only racking up 37 yards and a touchdown. Mississippi State’s offense was utterly terrible, considering that they basically got shut out. They generated 293 yards of total offense, and Will Rogers threw 60 passes only to gain 231 yards and no scores. At least Bama’s defense looked considerably better than against Tennessee, and they still won by 24, but there is still a lot of room for improvement for both of these teams.

#7 Ole Miss 20 @ LSU 45
No one saw this coming. LSU welcomed an undefeated top ten team into their home stadium, and then absolutely clobbered them. For Ole Miss, all that needs to be said is when you lose by 25, a two and half point favorite, that’s bad. LSU’s offense suddenly went off against Florida, and again on Saturday, they replicated their 45 point performance from two weeks ago. Jayden Daniels helped his case for the biggest midseason turnaround, going 21/28 for 248 yards and two touchdowns. And that wasn’t even where he was the most dangerous, as he rushed for 121 yards and a whopping three touchdowns as well as his passing stats. Ole Miss quarterback Jason Dart wasn’t exactly great, but he was not terrible either. He went 19/34 for 283 yards and an interception. His favorite receiver, who accounted for more than a third of his passing yards, was Malik Heath who had eight catches for 185 yards. One of the SEC’s best running backs, Quinshon Jenkins had 25 carries for 111 yards and both of the Rebels touchdowns in the game, which both came in the first quarter. My main takeaway from this game, along with most people’s, is that this LSU team is not the same one that played Florida St. in week one. All of this sudden their offense looks like one of the best, and best of all, they still control their own destiny to Atlanta. But first they have to beat Bama which would be monumental for a first year head coach at LSU.

Week 9 college football predictions

#1 Georgia @ Florida (Jacksonville)
My prediction – Georgia 40 @ Florida 25

#2 Ohio State @ #13 Penn State
My prediction – Ohio State 45 @ Penn State 20

Missouri @ #25 South Carolina
My prediction – Missouri 17 @ South Carolina 20

#20 Cincinnati @ UCF
My prediction – Cincinnati 35 @ UCF 42

#19 Kentucky @ #3 Tennessee
My prediction – Kentucky 28 @ Tennessee 48