Week 8 Preview: The Miss. State Dilemma

The preseason rankings prove to be worthless again. Five ot the twelve teams that I am watching were not even ranked nationally. Several highly touted teams are out of playoff contention by the 7th week of the season, and one top 5 team has already fired their coach. All of that said, it’s expected to have some shake out, but the rush to sort teams before September is over is an exercise in futility.

Ole Miss narrowly avoided the trap game against Washington State while Indiana went across the country to smack Oregon in the face. The Buckeyes remain the Buckeyes per usual. So the biggest stories came out of the SEC as Alabama and Texas A&M put themselves in position to face off for a title, but neither of them challenge Ole Miss in the regular season setting the stage for a messy finish pending all three stay undefeated. Looking at the tiebreaker, Ole Miss needs a surge from Mississippi State going into the Egg Bowl.

6. Alabama

The laugher against Florida State seems to be a distant memory in Tuscaloosa. They’ve ran off three consecutive wins against winless opponents to debut on our list. Ty Simpson (#2 passer in the SEC), went 74% on 31 attempts versus Missouri. The big rivalry is on the table as Tennessee will roll into town hoping to play spoiler. Bama has a great chance to spoil a couple of more runs if they are to break into the expanded playoff for the first time.

8. UNLV

UNLV is running up the charts to be our top non-Power Four contender. They remained undefeated with a high-scoring game against Air Force. It wasn’t a big surprise since both teams tend to pile up offensive yards and lack defensive prowess. Anthony Colandrea, a transfer from UVa (463 yds vs. MWC opponents), tossed for 361 yards in the win. They’re going to need to address their defense getting stops and quickly. Another high-performance offence is up next in Boise State. They avoid SD State in the regular season, but could face them in the title game.

9. Texas A&M

The Aggies are playing a style of ball that the arcade gamers would detest, keeping the opponent from moving the ball and pressuring the passer. Going into week 8, they are top 5 in yards allowed and sacks in the SEC. Nashville native, Marcel Reed (just shy of 1500 passing yards on the year), only attempted 26 passes on the day against Florida. He’s only attempted more than 30 passes once this season. The latest win was merely ball control offense and solid defense. They got Florida off the field time and again to hold on to a two-score victory. Texas A&M will take the show on the road for the first time in over a month, and their first SEC road game, when they travel to Arkansas next.