College Football Week Eight Recap: Winners and Losers - jmik58's Blog

Arena Blog Dynasty Scores Sign Up ☰

jmik58's Blog

College Football Week Eight Recap: Winners and Losers Stuck

Posted on October 23, 2012 at 06:07 PM.

(0)

Let the figurative game of college football leap-frog begin.

The rules are simple. Beat a team ranked higher than you and move an equidistant number of spaces ahead. End up on the losing end of said scenario and watch your pawn slide down the ladder a pro-rated number of spaces depending on your previous rank and that of your opponent.

Ok, so maybe the rules aren't so simple after all but they are predictable -- predictably simple yet hard to define. We know these things will happen but we can't always prophecy to what degree. Only weathermen can be more right when they're wrong -- and vice versa.

Confused yet? Good, you're ready for week nine. Here are five winners and losers from week eight of the college football season.

FIVE TEAMS ON THE RISE

#2 Florida (7-0)
Week 8: #7 South Carolina, won 44-11.
Week 9: #10 Georgia (6-1)

Don't look at the boxscore to try and define this win for the Gators. The Gamecocks out-gained Florida in the yardage department 191-183 yet found a way to lose by a whopping thirty-three points. South Carolina struggled to hold onto the ball -- turning it over four times -- which led to an eleven-minute advantage on time of possession for the Gators. Anyone who can make a defensive battle look like a blowout on the scoreboard deserves a double-take.

#17 Texas Tech (6-1)
Week 8: #23 TCU, won 56-53.
Week 9: #3 Kansas State (7-0)

Destiny seems to be on the side of the Red Raiders this year as they continue to simply win games. The manner in which they have achieved their six-and-one record hasn't been simple but a win is a win. Early in the year it was the power of defense that moved Tech to the top but their latest offensive explosion shows they have potential on both sides of the ball.

Duke (6-2)
Week 8: North Carolina, won 36-33.
Week 9: #12 Florida State (7-1)

The Duke Blue Devils are bowl eligible -- oh, and they've only played eight games. Sure they play in the meek ACC and have looked pedestrian in their two losses to Virginia Tech and Stanford, --but it's Duke. Sunshine is sunshine when football is relevant in the land of the Blue Devil. Make fun of them all you want but few down-and-out programs have had as much fun thus far in 2012.

#9 Oklahoma (5-1)
Week 8: Kansas, won 52-7.
Week 9: #5 Notre Dame (7-0)

Not many teams in the nation look as dangerous as the Sooners at this point. Their only loss was to #3 Kansas State and they feature the 5th ranked scoring offense (44.7 ppg) and 12th ranked scoring defense (15.3 ppg) in all the land. The Fighting Irish have found ways to win despite a lack of balance and Oklahoma hopes to expose Notre Dame as frauds while vaulting themselves back into the national championship discussion as they face off this week.

#4 Kansas State (7-0)
Week 8: #13 West Virginia, won 55-13.
Week 9: #14 Texas Tech (6-1)

The Wildcats dismantled the Mountaineers and exposed Geno Smith's West Virginia squad as nothing more than a one-trick pony. Kansas State has proven an ability to win big games on the road, win with defense, win with offense, and win with all of the above. It's still hard to quantify just how good this squad is, yet they still may be left out of the BCS championship discussion.

FIVE TEAMS ON THE DECLINE

Auburn (1-6)
Week 8: Vanderbilt, lost 17-13.
Week 9: #20 Texas A&M (5-2)

This week could be the defining moment on whether Gene Chizik finds himself looking for new employment two years removed from winning a national championship. Chizik has failed to build on the success of Cam Newton's coattail and is painting himself as nothing more than a lucky coach who struggles to maximize the potential of strong recruiting classes. A loss to Vanderbilt is about as low as it gets for the SEC's elite.

#7 South Carolina (6-2)
Week 8: #2 Florida, lost 44-11.
Week 9: Tennessee (3-4)

The Gamecocks are a prime example of a team struggling to put it all together. They have the pieces but the stars couldn't misalign any more if they tried. Thankfully for them, their tough schedule has been rewarded by the BCS as they only fall to #13 after their second loss in-a-row. How many teams in the history of college football could make that claim? If South Carolina can find a way to stop beating themselves and play conservatively behind a stingy defense they may be able to turn it around.

#5 Notre Dame (7-0)
Week 8: BYU, won 17-14.
Week 9: #8 Oklahoma (5-1)

In a way, the Irish are an inverse representation of what is wrong with the aforementioned Gamecocks. Notre Dame has found ways to look impressive statistically yet they somehow haven't found a way to lose a game. I have a feeling this could be the week it all comes to a head for Notre Dame and a huge letdown -- potentially a blowout -- could be imminent against the soaring Sooners.

#11 Georgia (6-1)
Week 8: Kentucky, won 29-24.
Week 9: #2 Florida (7-0)

The 'Dawgs are another squad that has repeatedly played down to the ability of their opponents and eventually it's going to bite them in a big way. This game is their last chance to vault themselves into position for an SEC title and National Championship appearance. Perhaps they've simply been looking past previous opponents to this week's contest with the Gators, but don't expect an upset as the Georgia defense may find it hard to keep pace with Florida's balanced attack.

#14 West Virginia (5-2)
Week 8: #4 Kansas State, lost 55-14.
Week 9: TCU (5-2).

It was just too good to be true for the Mountaineers and Geno Smith. From Heisman shoe-in and potential BCS darling to imbalanced and exposed, West Virginia couldn't have fallen much harder than they have in the past two weeks. Geno Smith is still a phenomenal talent and the Mountaineers are a great squad, but their drop has been sudden and shocking. The BCS is likely out of the question but how will the squad respond the rest of the year?

Sound Off: Who are your winners and losers from week eight of the college football season?

Justin Mikels is a staff writer for Operation Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @long_snapper