7:00 AM ET
ESPN staff
The Week 8 docket up is the cleanable clip to cheque successful connected 2 Power 5 conferences that haven't gotten a batch of emotion this season.
The Big 12 and Pac-12 person been rocked by realignment plans the past 2 offseasons but the conferences presently person 2 of the astir intriguing title races successful the country.
Following a double-overtime triumph against Oklahoma State, TCU has taken the reins of the Big 12. It doesn't get immoderate easier for the Horned Frogs, however, arsenic they invited a ranked Kansas State squad to Fort Worth this Saturday.
UCLA announced its plans to permission the Pac-12 this offseason but it appears the Bruins person their eyes connected a league crown earlier jumping ship. Standing successful their mode is simply a top-10 Oregon squad that has bounced backmost from an opening week blowout nonaccomplishment to Georgia. The top-10 matchup successful Eugene volition spell a agelong mode successful deciding which of these teams volition beryllium making a Pac-12 title crippled quality -- if not both.
Of people the SEC and ACC besides person ranked matchups this week that volition specify the teams' season. Clemson meets upstart Syracuse, portion some Mississippi State and Alabama are looking to bounce backmost aft losses. Oh, and Ole Miss travels to LSU successful an age-old rivalry.
Plenty to support way of this week, present are the apical storylines from the champion games.
No. 9 UCLA Bruins astatine No. 10 Oregon Ducks (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
The publication that's been written for this matchup has each the makings of a bully 1 earlier the archetypal drawback is adjacent taken: 2 top-10 teams each coming disconnected bye weeks. UCLA manager Chip Kelly returning to Oregon, wherever helium was caput manager for 4 seasons. UCLA backmost Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bo Nix going head-to-head. GameDay connected site. The victor gains the wrong way to the Pac-12 championship.
"We cognize it's going to beryllium electrical present and that's thing we tin number connected to our advantage," Oregon information Bennett Williams said.
"We unrecorded for games similar this," Thompson-Robinson said.
While Kelly has gone supra and beyond to destruct the emotion from this matchup, it's harmless to accidental each Oregon manager since Kelly near for the NFL has had to enactment successful the shadiness of what Kelly did successful green. Dan Lanning is the latest, and helium knows he's going up against an discourtesy that is starting to amusement shades of those Ducks teams nether Kelly, particularly erstwhile it comes to the quarterback.
"We truly haven't played anybody rather similar him, successful my opinion," Lanning said this week. "He's a dynamic player. Anytime helium touches the shot it tin crook into an explosive play. So that's showing up for them."
Lanning said he's seen similarities betwixt DTR and the Ducks' Nix successful presumption of however they're executing each offense's imaginativeness from crippled to game. The stats carnivore retired immoderate similarities arsenic well. Both person thrown for implicit 1,500 yards truthful acold this season; Thompson-Robinson has 15 touchdowns and 2 interceptions to Nix's 12 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, portion Nix has tally the shot for 330 yards and 8 touchdowns and Thompson-Robinson has 231 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns.
The backmost duel is, of course, lone portion of the fun. Both teams pb the league successful rushing defence and are going to beryllium facing pugnacious matchups successful UCLA's Zach Charbonnet and Oregon's Bucky Irving (who transferred from Minnesota) -- some pb the apical 2 rushing attacks successful the conference, too.
Between Charbonnet, Thompson-Robinson and players similar violative lineman Jon Gaines II, among others, Kelly finds himself with a seasoned squad that's yet turning his process into results. It's allowed the Bruins to beryllium successful this presumption arsenic the astonishment squad successful the conference. But aft beating Washington and Utah successful consecutive weeks and announcing themselves arsenic a morganatic contender, they won't beryllium astonishing anyone anymore -- particularly the Ducks. -- Paolo Uggetti
No. 14 Syracuse Orange astatine No. 5 Clemson Tigers (Saturday, noon ET, ABC/ESPN app)
After Clemson's season-opening triumph against Georgia Tech, DJ Uiagalelei was mad. He'd really played well, a sneak peek astatine what would beryllium a singular turnaround successful 2022, but determination was 1 country of his crippled that hadn't measured up. Clemson dialed up 10 designed runs for Uiagalelei and helium mustered conscionable 38 yards. It could've been truthful overmuch more.
"If I'd conscionable gotten my knees up, I could've gotten a batch much yards," helium said.
Call it prophetic. In the six games since, those yards person come.
Uiagalelei's quality to tally was 1 of Clemson's large talking points this offseason arsenic the QB shed much than 30 pounds successful a quest to beryllium much diversion connected the field. He's besides gotten healthy, aft dealing with a bum genu for astir of past season.
The results talk for themselves.
Through 7 games, Uiagalelei already has much yards (319) connected designed runs successful 2022 than helium had successful 13 games past play (312). Discounting sacks, Uiagalelei has rushed for 60 yards oregon much successful 4 of his past 5 games, thing helium hadn't managed successful immoderate of his anterior 17 starts. He's had astatine slightest 8 designed runs against each FBS squad he's played this season. He deed that people conscionable 4 times past year.
"I emotion moving the ball," Uiagalelei said. "For me, it's fun. It's different magnitude the defence has to play. The backmost tally is different happening they person to interest about, and it opens up the moving lanes for the moving backs arsenic well."
And yes, the value nonaccomplishment has helped considerably. Last season, Uiagalelei was liable for conscionable 12 missed tackles each year, according to Pro Football Focus. This year, he's already made 25 defenders look silly.
"I don't judge successful sliding," Uiagalelei joked this week.
No 1 volition mistake Uiagalelei for an elite runner -- similar this week's opposing QB, Garrett Shrader -- but the specified menace is capable to unit defenses to reconsider however they privation to onslaught the Tigers. That's been a boon for the full discourtesy successful 2022.
"Any clip you person that other chapeau to tally the shot it creates tougher situations for the defense," violative coordinator Brandon Streeter said. "Whether it influences 1 mode and you spell the different oregon you conscionable load up and summation an other blocker. There's a batch of ways to manipulate the defence erstwhile you person a feline that's consenting to tally and steadfast capable to run. And that's what DJ has been capable to bash this year." -- David M. Hale
No. 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs astatine No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN app)
Expect the punishment flags to alert Saturday successful Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama's 66 accepted penalties are the astir of immoderate squad successful the FBS this season, portion Mississippi State is tied for 26th astir with 48.
And portion we're connected the taxable of driving coaches crazy, look for plentifulness of drops, too. Alabama is tied for the astir dropped passes successful the FBS with 21, portion Mississippi State is 30th with 14.
So whoever shoots itself successful the ft slightest wins, right?
It's evidently much analyzable than that.
The result could beryllium decided successful ample portion by which defence is astir effectual getting to the quarterback. Because Mississippi State's Will Rogers and Alabama's Bryce Young are 2 of the champion QBs successful the state this season. Rogers has thrown for the third-most passing yards successful the FBS (2,324). Young, meanwhile, ranks eighth nationally successful QBR (86.1).
Both defenses person shown they person the quality to get into the backfield. With prima borderline rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Dallas Turner, Alabama has the highest complaint of sacks per walk effort successful the SEC astatine 8.2%.
Mississippi State, connected the different hand, is successful the apical 5 of the SEC successful unit percentage, affecting 28.1% of dropbacks.
"Their defence is precise aggressive, creates a batch of turnovers, bash a batch of pressuring the quarterback," Alabama manager Nick Saban said.
And the Bulldogs tin propulsion a batch astatine you. Nathaniel Watson and Tyrus Wheat are some successful the apical 10 successful the SEC successful sacks. Randy Charlton, Collin Duncan and Nathan Pickering person 2 sacks apiece arsenic well. -- Alex Scarborough
1:10
Paul Finebaum calls retired Nick Saban and the Alabama coaches for the team's struggles.
No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels astatine LSU Tigers (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Ole Miss manager Lane Kiffin, ever the Twitter troll, has been known to poke amusive astatine his aged brag Nick Saban astatine immoderate notation of rat poison, and Kiffin has his ain drawstring of Twitter emojis symbolizing rat poison saved for whenever thing gets retired determination connected societal media that mightiness emergence to that level.
Well, here's an evident one: With a triumph Saturday implicit LSU, Ole Miss tin commencement 8-0 successful a play for the archetypal clip since the 1962 SEC title squad (national champions by a fewer non-NCAA recognized outlets) finished 10-0. It remains the lone unbeaten and untied squad successful schoolhouse history.
Now, cipher is suggesting that Ole Miss is bearing down connected its archetypal nationalist title successful six decades, particularly with the Rebels astir to deed the teeth of their schedule. Three of their past 5 games are connected the road, and the location games are against Alabama and Mississippi State. But it's an Ole Miss squad that does a batch of things it takes to beryllium successful rubric contention.
The Rebels tally the shot arsenic good arsenic anybody. They're 3rd nationally successful rushing discourtesy with an mean of 271.4 yards per game. Quinshon Judkins (720) and Zach Evans (605) are the lone brace of teammates successful the state with much than 600 rushing yards each.
The Rebels marque large plays connected discourtesy and don't springiness up galore connected defense. They're 1 of 3 teams nationally on with Alabama and Florida State with 50 oregon much plays from scrimmage of 20 yards oregon longer and 25 oregon less plays allowed of 20 yards oregon longer.
The Rebels besides unit turnovers and are tied for 13th nationally with 13 turnovers gained.
Yes, each of this is rat poison.
The Rebels besides person a manager successful Kiffin who's not going to beryllium acrophobic to spell for it connected 4th down and has a way grounds of making definite his players play escaped and instinctively arsenic the games get bigger.
Kiffin, whose Ole Miss squad has won 11 consecutive regular-season games dating backmost to past season, said this week that LSU was the "most talented hostile by far" the Rebels person faced this season.
The Tigers (5-2) person flashed that endowment astatine antithetic points, but they've besides been wildly inconsistent. They were exposed successful the violative enactment (among different places) successful their 40-13 beatdown by Tennessee 2 weeks ago. They had to rally from a 17-0 shortage astatine Auburn 3 weeks agone to triumph 21-17.
But done immoderate of the hiccups, Brian Kelly has been capable to clasp it unneurotic capable that LSU has won 5 of its past six games aft the season-opening nonaccomplishment to Florida State. The latest was a 45-35 triumph astatine Florida past week, the Tigers' highest-scoring output against an FBS squad this play with backmost Jayden Daniels accounting for six touchdowns and 349 passing yards. LSU is hopeful that moving backmost Armoni Goodwin (hamstring) tin instrumentality to the lineup this week on with receiver Jack Bech.
Kelly knew it would instrumentality clip for Daniels to consciousness wholly comfy successful a caller system, particularly successful the passing game. It was Daniels' assertiveness successful the Florida crippled that jumped retired astir to Kelly, who's anxious to spot if LSU tin physique connected the Florida triumph aft getting embarrassed astatine location 2 weeks agone by Tennessee.
"We privation to beryllium capable to enactment unneurotic bully performances backmost to back, and we haven't been capable to bash that yet," Kelly said. "It's been benignant of grinding retired a game." -- Chris Low
No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats astatine No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, FS1)
TCU and Kansas State are atop the Big 12 due to the fact that of a redemption play for each of their quarterbacks nether caller violative coordinators.
Wildcats QB Adrian Martinez, a four-year starter astatine Nebraska, threw 45 touchdowns to 30 interceptions for the Huskers earlier transferring to K-State this offseason, wherever helium has thrown for 900 yards with 4 TDs and zero interceptions this season. Kansas State manager Chris Klieman said caller violative coordinator Collin Klein deserves a batch of recognition for his transformation.
"Part of it is his maturity, the information that he's played truthful overmuch shot and I deliberation manager Klein is putting them successful immoderate truly bully situations and calls to beryllium palmy and america trying to enactment up of the chains and not being successful a clump of third-and-eight-plus, wherever you mightiness typically unit the ball, and being successful a batch much 3rd and shorts," Klieman said. "It opens up the playbook a small spot much and he's making bully decisions."
TCU's Max Duggan, who threw 41 touchdowns to 20 interceptions successful his archetypal 3 seasons successful Fort Worth, has thrown for 1,591 yards with 16 touchdowns and 1 interception nether violative coordinator Garrett Riley.
"I deliberation it's a recognition to wherever Duggan is astatine and however he's playing due to the fact that he's making them go," Klieman said.
Horned Frogs manager Sonny Dykes said Duggan volition person to proceed to beryllium businesslike due to the fact that Kansas State controls the clip of possession and TCU won't person that galore opportunities. The Wildcats person called designed tally plays connected 57% of their snaps.
"We inactive person excessively galore three-and-outs," Dykes said, contempt TCU scoring a touchdown connected 46% of its violative drives, the fifth-highest complaint successful FBS. "We're not going to get galore opportunities, truthful we person to beryllium capable to instrumentality advantage."
To his point, Kansas State has allowed a TD connected conscionable 13% of its opponents drives, eighth champion successful the FBS.
The victor volition beryllium successful the driver's spot down the agelong successful the Big 12 race, with 1 of these 2 teams suffering its archetypal league nonaccomplishment Saturday. -- Dave Wilson
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