Week 8 is a big one for the SEC.
Saturday features two games between top-11 opponents and could go a long way to deciding who is playing in Atlanta for the conference title in December. Of the four, only No. 1 Texas is undefeated. No. 5 Georgia, No. 7 Alabama and No. 11 Tennessee each have a loss.
But there’s a lot to watch outside the SEC too.
Here’s what to watch in Week 8. All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.
Time: Noon | TV: ABC | Line: Miami -4.5 | Total: 61.5
Is Miami in for a third consecutive close game? Louisville has won its last two games as home underdogs and both of those victories came against ranked opponents. No player in college football has more than Cam Ward’s 23 total touchdowns. If Miami can avoid the upset on Saturday and Ward has a fantastic game, his Heisman campaign will be in an even stronger position.
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: Alabama -3 | Total: 56.5
The Crimson Tide are road favorites in Knoxville as the Vols’ offense has had a rough two weeks. UT has been plagued by penalties and sacks, but the Crimson Tide have issues of their own. After losing on the road at Vanderbilt, Alabama couldn’t put South Carolina away until the final play in a 27-25 win. Tennessee has one of the best defensive lines in the SEC. Will Alabama have answers up front?
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: Michigan -3 | Total: 43.5
This has all the makings of a slugfest; just look at the over/under. Jack Tuttle came on in relief of Alex Orji in UM’s Week 6 loss to Washington and is set to be Michigan’s third starting QB of the season in the Wolverines’ seventh game. Michigan will, of course, look to run the ball as much as possible. And that could be a good strategy against Illinois.
Time: 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Line: LSU -3 | Total: 55.5
That three-point line is no coincidence. The last four games in this series have been decided by exactly three points. The Razorbacks are playing their third straight ranked opponent after falling to Texas A&M and beating Tennessee. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier had his roughest game of the season in the Tigers’ OT win over Ole Miss in Week 7, but it was still a win thanks to the Tigers’ defense.
Time: 7:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: Texas -4.5 | Total: 55.5
Georgia’s second huge road test of the season is the biggest game of the weekend. The top-ranked Longhorns are coming off a blowout win over Oklahoma in Quinn Ewers’ first start since Week 3. It’s not much of a stretch to say that Georgia will need the best game of the season from Carson Beck to get the win. Ewers got more comfortable as the Oklahoma game went on, but Texas’ biggest strength has been its running game.
