Georgia won’t go away, down go the undefeated and more college football Week 8 takeaways

And now, 20 Final Thoughts from Week 8, which left me pining for a Vanderbilt-Indiana national championship game.

1. At the same time baseball fans were marveling over Shohei Ohtani’s three home runs in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ NLCS clincher on Friday night, college football fans were watching Miami quarterback Carson Beck get intercepted four times in his No. 2-ranked team’s loss to unranked Louisville. Where the Dodgers and their $3 billion payroll are proceeding to the World Series, the Canes and their $3 million-plus quarterback now trail Georgia Tech, Virginia and five other teams in the ACC standings.

Many prefer the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL because they love watching the greatest athletes on the planet excel at their craft.

College football fans much prefer when no one excels at anything. We live not for excellence but for chaos. And the 2025 season is rapidly turning into a chaos lover’s dream.

2. Down goes undefeated Miami. And undefeated Ole Miss (to Georgia). And undefeated Texas Tech (to Arizona State). Throw in 5-1 LSU (to Vanderbilt) and you have four top-10 defeats in one weekend. There were also losses by undefeated Memphis (to UAB) and undefeated UNLV (to Boise State).

Obviously, this is not 1998, or even 2023, when one loss could end a team’s national title hopes on the spot. For most contenders this season, even two won’t be a dealbreaker. But none of these teams are 2024 Ohio State, loaded with so many NFL Draft picks you wouldn’t dare pick against them.

The way this season is going, I wouldn’t bet on anyone going unscathed.

3. I’m sure some Miami fans are in panic mode after the Canes’ ugly home loss to the Cardinals because, well, isn’t this what Mario Cristobal does? Lose games he shouldn’t lose? One too many of those kept last year’s team out of the College Football Playoff. But this year’s team has more margin for error thanks to a great nonconference win over Notre Dame and a good one over USF. Even if Miami loses again and finishes the regular season 10-2, I can’t imagine there will be seven at-large teams with a better resume.

Whether the Canes can get to 10-2 will likely depend on if Beck can shake off his four-interception nightmare. He was trying way too hard to hit home runs against Louisville and forced balls into coverage. Miami has two outstanding receivers in Malachi Toney and CJ Daniels, but sometimes they’re just not open.

4. Louisville’s Jeff Brohm doesn’t have the flashiest of profiles, but, man, can that guy coach. Friday marked his fourth career top-five win and third time beating a team ranked No. 2. The first two came at Purdue, over Ohio State in 2018 (the memorable Tyler Trent game) and Iowa in 2021. And Brohm’s first Louisville team in 2023 won 10 games and reached the ACC title game. This year’s Cards (5-1, 2-1 ACC), which lost in overtime to Virginia on Oct. 4, have a top-20 defense, but QB Miller Moss and the offense hadn’t clicked like they did Friday. They can contend in the ACC if that unit keeps progressing.

5. You can tell Kirby Smart is feeling himself when he says things like this after Georgia’s latest comeback victory: “The one thing we are, we’re hard to kill. We won’t go away.” And: “Who we are is … it’s methodical, bludgeon you.”

Methodical is not the word that came to mind when the ninth-ranked Dawgs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) allowed touchdowns on each of No. 5 Ole Miss’s (6-1, 3-1) first five drives of a wild offensive shootout. But Georgia QB Gunner Stockton’s career game (26 of 31 for 289 yards, four TDs) kept Georgia within striking distance until the defense forced two three-and-outs and a turnover on downs to close out a 43-35 win.

I am done doubting Stockton, who previously morphed into a super passer in Georgia’s 44-41 overtime win at Tennessee. Smart’s team wouldn’t be in the SEC race without him.

6. Indiana locked up Curt Cignetti last week. How quickly can Vanderbilt find $90 million to do the same for Clark Lea? While Vandy is at it, does Diego Pavia’s lawyer have a plan ready to get him another year?

Vanderbilt’s remarkable rise under Lea reached another milestone Saturday, as the 16th-ranked Commodores (6-1, 2-1 SEC) put down No. 10 LSU 31-24. Vandy, which hadn’t started 6-1 since 1950 (!), has now defeated two top-10 teams in the past 12 months. But unlike last year’s shocking upset of Alabama, this one didn’t feel surprising. (In fact, Vanderbilt was favored.) It was more of a confirmation that Pavia and company are legitimate.

I expect Pavia will shoot up some Heisman lists this week. His stats (14 of 22 for 160 yards, 17 carries for 86 yards, three TDs) don’t do justice to how well he played, constantly escaping pressure and picking up extra yards. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Tim Beck is the unsung hero of the Commodores’ transformation. I assume the former Division II and FCS head coach will be getting some calls soon from FBS schools in search of a new head coach.

7. Will LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC) soon be one of those schools with an opening? I’m not going there yet, with the Tigers still in CFP contention. But the heat on Brian Kelly will be cranked up over the next two weeks with back-to-back top-five showdowns against Texas A&M and Alabama. Kelly, in his fourth year, has yet to reach a CFP, and now the Tigers are in danger of going 8-4 again if they don’t pull a top-five upset.

Non-SEC fans will roll their eyes at this, but if LSU beats one of those teams and runs the table from there, it’s going to have a CFP shot at 9-3. The Tigers wouldn’t have a disqualifying loss such as the ones Alabama and Ole Miss had last year. But LSU hasn’t inspired much confidence that it can have such a performance.

8. While other teams are busy getting exposed, No. 6 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) — the only team to beat Vanderbilt — gets more impressive by the week. QB Ty Simpson (19 of 29, 253 yards, two TDs) had eight completions of 15-plus yards and cornerback Zabien Brown had a soul-crushing 99-yard interception return in the Tide’s 37-20 win over No. 11 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2). It was Bama’s fourth win against a ranked opponent in four weeks (Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee).

Kalen DeBoer’s team now has a 46 percent chance of winning the SEC, per The Athletic’s Austin Mock, well above Georgia (20 percent) and Texas A&M (16 percent). The fourth-ranked Aggies (7-0, 4-0) had their hands full with Bobby Petrino’s Arkansas offense but never trailed after the first quarter in a 45-42 road win over the Razorbacks (2-5, 0-3). (Note: It was 45-35 with 10 seconds left.)

The next two games will help decide whether A&M can get to Atlanta for the first time: At LSU on Oct 25, at Missouri on Nov. 8.

9. Texas Tech had been dominant in its first six games, but Saturday’s trip to Arizona State presented two challenges. The Red Raiders (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) were without starting quarterback Behren Morton, while the Sun Devils (5-2, 3-1) got starting quarterback Sam Leavitt back. Last year’s Big 12 champs topped this year’s Big 12 front-runners 26-22 after Leavitt led a game-winning, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped with 34 seconds left, throwing the conference race into flux.

The Big 12’s current co-leaders are No. 15 BYU (7-0, 4-0) and No. 24 Cincinnati (6-1, 4-0). The Cougars face both the Bearcats and Red Raiders on the road, but ASU won’t face either BYU or Cincinnati. Unlike the ACC, where Miami and Georgia Tech have realistic at-large chances, the Big 12 looks very much like a one-bid league again due to the teams’ lack of big nonconference wins. So, get your crazy tiebreaker scenarios ready.

10. After losing nine straight to rival Utah from 2010-19, BYU has completely flipped the Holy War rivalry. The Cougars’ 24-21 home win against the No. 23 Utes (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) marked their third straight in the series, their longest winning streak since 1989-92. The same program that was stuck in limbo as an independent as recently as three years ago is now one of the hottest teams in the Big 12.

Since reaching consecutive Rose Bowls in 2021 and ’22, the Utes are 9-12 in Pac-12/Big 12 play. Kyle Whittingham’s team has looked resurgent at some points this season, blowing out UCLA and Arizona State, but that has been tempered by a blowout loss to Texas Tech and a disappointing rivalry loss. Utah could use a strong rebound next week against Colorado.

BYU has taken control of the Holy War rivalry as the team makes a push in the Big 12. (Rob Gray / Imagn Images)

11. On the 20th anniversary of the famous USC-Notre Dame “Bush Push” game, Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love did his best Reggie Bush impression with a career-high 265 total yards (228 rushing, 37 receiving) in the No. 13 Irish’s (5-2) 34-24 home win over the No. 20 Trojans (5-2). He and Jadarian Price combined to average 8.5 yards per carry, with Price notching a 100-yard kickoff return as well. I cannot imagine how cathartic it must be for Notre Dame fans to watch their team be this explosive.

This was the exact type of game that must leave USC fans throwing up their hands over Lincoln Riley. From a weird trick play that ended with receiver Makai Lemon fumbling while attempting a pass to a Jayden Maiava ill-fated play-action pass on fourth-and-inches, Riley outsmarted himself in a third consecutive loss to Notre Dame.

12. Georgia Tech’s Haynes King gets less publicity than Pavia, but he should be garnering his own Heisman love. He has the 12th-ranked Yellow Jackets (7-0, 4-0 ACC) off to their first 7-0 start since 1966 (!) following their 27-18 win at Duke (4-3, 3-1). King finished 14 of 21 passing for 205 yards and ran for 120 yards on 14 attempts. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime, at which point King led four consecutive scoring drives of at least 63 yards to build an insurmountable 27-10 lead.

Tech’s win coupled with Miami’s loss gives Brent Key’s team a clear path to Charlotte. Its four remaining conference foes are Syracuse, NC State, Boston College and Pitt. After Florida State and Clemson fought for an uneven share of ACC revenue, a Georgia Tech versus Virginia championship game just feels right.

13. The two-year Billy-Napier-job-security roller coaster at Florida may have already reached its resolution by the time you read this. The booing and “Fire Billy” chants during Saturday’s Mississippi State game felt a lot like the nasty environment in what became James Franklin’s final game at Penn State. The difference: Florida won.

The Gators (3-4, 2-2 SEC) escaped 23-21 only after Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen got intercepted by 6-foot-4, 349-pound D-lineman Michai Boireau while driving for a potential game-winning field goal. The game featured a heavy dose of the maddening miscues that have repeatedly plagued Napier’s four-year tenure: a delay of game on fourth down; 12 men on the field on a two-point conversion, etc.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin has long tuned out fan noise and stuck by his guy, but Florida has an off week before facing rival Georgia, giving him a natural reset opportunity if he so chooses.

14. Florida State’s season-opening rout of Alabama has become this season’s biggest mirage. The Noles (3-4, 0-4 ACC) somehow lost their ninth consecutive ACC game late Saturday, 20-13 at Stanford (3-4, 2-2), in wild and controversial fashion. After FSU backup QB Kevin Sperry completed a 53-yard Hail Mary to the Stanford 9 with two seconds left, and then a pass interference call, the Noles had one last untimed down from the 2-yard line. Gavin Sawchuk may or may not have crossed the goal line on a shovel pass. The officials on the field ruled he was down, and replay upheld the call.

Regardless, Florida State should not be in any position to lose to a Stanford team that came in ranked in the 100s in the computer ratings. Good for Cardinal interim coach Frank Reich, not so good for embattled Noles coach Mike Norvell.

15. I was not surprised Penn State suffered a fourth consecutive loss Saturday, 25-24 at Iowa (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten). Those players must have experienced an extremely unsettling week between coach James Franklin’s abrupt dismissal and starting QB Drew Allar’s season-ending injury. What I would not have guessed, though, is that the Nittany Lions would lose to a team whose own QB, Mark Gronowski, threw for 68 yards and a pick. Gronowski, who’d run for a combined 16 yards in his previous two games, exploded for 130 on nine attempts — one of them a 67-yard dash that set up the Hawkeyes’ go-ahead touchdown with 3:54 left.

Penn State (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten), which began the year as a national championship contender, is now facing an uphill climb just to get bowl eligible.

16. I began my first full Saturday of the season eagerly watching Texas in a top-five showdown at Ohio State. Seven weeks later, I found myself morbidly watching the Horns (5-2, 2-1 SEC) escape 16-13 — in overtime — at Kentucky (2-4, 0-4). Reports from Red River that Arch Manning and the offense were back on the right track proved premature. Manning completed 12 of 27 passes for 132 yards and the Horns gained just 179 total yards but won thanks to two long Ryan Niblett punt returns and a goal-line stand in overtime.

As of Saturday, Texas still had a No. 21 in front of its name. Not seeing it. Maybe I need a pair of Arch’s glasses.

The Longhorns put up their fewest total yards (179) in the Steve Sarkisian era in an OT win over Kentucky. (Jordan Prather / Imagn Images)

17. Willie Fritz earned two FCS national championships at Sam Houston, a Sun Belt title at Georgia Southern and a Cotton Bowl win at Tulane. Now he’s winning in the Big 12.

Houston, 4-8 each of the past two seasons, has reached bowl eligibility in Fritz’s second season after the Cougars (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) beat Arizona (4-3, 1-3) on a walk-off field goal. The Cougars have not played the world’s toughest schedule — this was their first win against an FBS team currently above .500 — but it’s a milestone nonetheless for the former Group of 5 program, which went 5-13 in Big 12 play its first two seasons in the league.

18. I don’t give out many “F’s” in my annual “Grading the Coaching Hires” column, but UAB hiring Trent Dilfer from a Nashville high school was a no-brainer. Dilfer’s short-lived 9-21 tenure ended last week, with the school appointing OC Alex Mortensen — son of the late NFL reporter Chris Mortensen — as interim coach. All he did in his first game was lead 21.5-point underdog UAB (3-4, 1-3 American) to a 31-24 upset of No. 22 Memphis (6-1, 2-1). The Tigers nearly came back from a fourth-quarter 31-17 deficit, but the Blazers held on fourth-and-goal.

Tip of the cap to sophomore QB Ryder Burton (20 of 27 for 251 yards, three TDs, one INT), he of one career pass attempt, who in his first career start claimed the beloved Battle for the Bones Trophy.

19. UNLV’s 6-0 start came to a humbling end on the blue turf, as Boise State (5-2, 3-0 Mountain West) hammered Dan Mullen’s team 56-31. Broncos’ breakout sophomore RB Dylan Riley did his best Ashton Jeanty impression yet, bursting for 201 yards on just 15 carries, his fourth 100-yard day in his last six games.

At this point, it’s hard to see anyone outside of the American champion claiming the Group of 5’s automatic Playoff berth. Even if Boise keeps winning, its season-opening 34-7 loss to USF may box it out. But hey, maybe someone like 4-3 East Carolina surges to the top above Tulane and Navy, opening the door for Boise.

20. Finally, on Friday night, I got to see the North Carolina/Bill Belichick experiment up close and in person — and the Tar Heels (2-4, 0-2) nearly won. If you missed it (as I assume most of you did), Tar Heels receiver Nathan Leacock got stripped by Cal’s Brent Austin just as he was about to cross the goal line for a go-ahead TD. The Bears (5-2, 2-1 ACC) held on to win 21-18.

It was a weird experience for two reasons: 1. I’d never covered a game where the coach’s girlfriend was on the sideline beforehand, wearing a snakeskin print jacket and knee-high boots. 2. The UNC players who spoke to the media after the game seemed to fully embrace this being a moral victory. They seemed unusually nonchalant and upbeat for having suffered a seemingly excruciating loss.

But … perhaps that’s exactly what Belichick coached them to do. Because both the coach and one of his players used the same familiar phrase to describe the loss: “It is what it is.”