The Big 12's good vibes didn't last very long.
Top-five teams BYU and Texas Tech each lost road games to unranked teams, which undoubtedly hurts the conference's hopes of multiple College Football Playoff bids.
In Ann Arbor, Indiana and Michigan played a game that will set offense back decades.
And those bettors who pushed the South Carolina-Tennessee line in favor of the Gamecocks knew what they were doing as Shane Beamer's team knocked off the Vols in dramatic fashion.
Oh, and another coach was fired.
That and more in another crazy week of college football. Writers from across the USA TODAY Network try to make sense of Week 8's biggest storylines.
We'll have more as Saturday's biggest
games finish.
Cincinnati 37, No. 5 Texas Tech 24
Texas Tech goes from unbeaten contender to crisis mode at Cincinnati
Texas Tech wanted to be taken seriously as a College Football Playoff contender. Then Cincinnati provided a brutal reality check. The previously unbeaten Red Raiders were overwhelmed 37-24 after committing three turnovers, drawing 12 penalties, allowing four sacks and converting just 3 of 15 third downs. Joey McGuire called it “about as bad as we could play,” and there’s little reason to disagree. With Will Hammond’s return from knee surgery not providing the expected spark and the offense lacking answers, Texas Tech has gone from undefeated darling to a team facing its first real crisis of the season.
∎ Click here to read full column from Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's Don Williams.
UCF 39, No. 3 BYU 31, 2OT
BYU went from CFP darling to pretender after a stunning loss to UCF
For one week, BYU had everyone believing. The Cougars beat Notre Dame, climbed to No. 3 and looked ready to enter the national championship conversation. Then they lost 39-31 in double overtime to UCF. That’s the sort of loss that changes how a contender is viewed. BYU might still win the Big 12. It might still reach the College Football Playoff. But after losing to a middling UCF team, it’s hard to imagine the Cougars surviving against the best teams in the country. The Notre Dame victory made BYU look like a contender. The UCF loss made it look like a one-week illusion.
∎ Click here to read full analysis from USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg.
No. 6 Indiana 13, Michigan 6, OT
Curt Cignetti gambles in overtime as Indiana makes history at Michigan
Indiana’s offense spent four quarters looking like the biggest threat to the Hoosiers’ championship ambitions. Fortunately, Curt Cignetti knew when to stop playing it safe. After leaning on an elite defense throughout a brutal afternoon at Michigan, Cignetti “threw caution to the wind” in overtime. Two plays later, Indiana had a 13-6 victory and its first win in Ann Arbor since 1967. The offense remains a problem, but this program is no longer defined by what goes wrong. Cignetti has built one that expects to overcome its problems and win anyway.
∎ Click here to read full analysis from IndyStar's IU Insider Zach Osterman.
South Carolina 27, No. 11 Tennessee 24
Vols waste Alabama momentum with brutal loss at South Carolina
Tennessee spent a week celebrating a season-saving win over Alabama. Then the Vols went to South Carolina and gave much of it back. Twelve penalties, three touchdowns erased by flags, a failed fourth-and-1 and George MacIntyre’s fumble in the final minute helped turn a seven-point fourth-quarter lead into a brutal 27-24 loss. Malik Orsan’s walk-off 48-yard field goal sent Williams-Brice Stadium into chaos and left Tennessee entering its off week with virtually no room for another mistake in the CFP race.
∎ Click here to read four takeaways from Knoxville News Sentinel Vols reporter Adam Sparks.
No. 13 Alabama 31, Texas A&M 20
Keelon Russell grows up when Alabama needs him most
Keelon Russell didn’t need a complicated message after one of his lowest moments against Texas A&M. His Alabama teammates gave him three words: “We got this.” Russell took it from there. After struggling early, the young quarterback completed his final seven passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns as Alabama rallied for a 31-20 victory. Russell has learned the hard way how quickly the game can speed up, but Saturday showed something more important: his ability to slow himself down, recover from mistakes and lead. With Alabama’s margin for error shrinking, that growth could matter even more than the numbers.
∎ Click here to read full analysis from Tuscaloosa News Alabama Insider Colin Gay.
Minnesota 13, No. 14 Iowa 10
Hawkeyes squander late comeback as costly mistakes derail CFP push
Iowa picked a terrible night for everything to go wrong. The No. 14 Hawkeyes committed four turnovers, surrendered a blocked punt, lost leading rusher Kamari Moulton to injury and generated almost nothing offensively for most of the night at Minnesota. Hank Brown provided one remarkable lifeline with a 98-yard fourth-quarter touchdown drive, but Iowa couldn’t finish the escape. Luke Drzewiecki drilled a 46-yard field goal as time expired to give Minnesota a 13-10 win, dropping Iowa to 5-2 and dealing a damaging blow to the Hawkeyes’ College Football Playoff hopes.∎ Click here to read thoughts from Des Moines Register sports columnist Chad Leistikow.
No. 17 LSU 38, Auburn 17
Lane Kiffin unleashed Sam Leavitt, and LSU finally got the payoff
Sam Leavitt’s LSU growing pains may finally be giving way to something much more dangerous. Lane Kiffin unleashed his quarterback against Auburn, and Leavitt responded with 387 passing yards, four total touchdowns and another turnover-free performance as LSU rolled 38-17. Jackson Harris delivered a monster day with 178 receiving yards and two scores, while Trey’Dez Green returned to provide another weapon. After miscues helped sink LSU in earlier road losses, Leavitt looked more confident and comfortable as the Tigers produced the explosive road offense Kiffin has been waiting to see.
∎ Click here to read full analysis from Lafayette Daily Advertiser's LSU reporter Cory Diaz.
Illinois 21, No. 25 Oregon 10
All that talent, all that money, and Oregon is still waiting
This was supposed to be Oregon’s year. Dante Moore returned, Dan Lanning assembled another loaded roster and championship expectations followed. Instead, the Ducks are 4-3 after a stunning 21-10 loss to Illinois and their CFP hopes are all but finished before Halloween. Injuries have hurt, but they don’t explain everything. Oregon’s offense has regressed, its running game has vanished and the mistakes keep mounting. Lanning isn’t going anywhere, but the pressure is changing. At some point, all of Oregon’s money, talent and ambition have to produce more than hype and disappointment.
∎ Click here to read full column from USA TODAY Sports' Jordan Mendoza.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football live analysis: BYU, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Iowa crash in chaotic Week 8
