College Football Week 8 Predictions: 3 Ranked Teams Facing Dangerous Matchups

Off a Week 7 slate that was full of top teams getting upset, there's no reason to think Week 8 looks much different. By all indications, 2026 continues the trend toward college football parity, which is incredibly fun for some and incredibly frustrating for others. Here are three ranked teams that have their hands full in seeking to avoid a Week 8 upset.

BYU

The Cougars bested Notre Dame, climbed to No. 2, and now have a long road trip to make to a dangerous UCF team. UCF is 3-0 on the season at home and 0-3 on the road. QB Keyone Jenkins has played well lately and Duke Watson is one of the Big 12's better running backs.

The big enemy here is the difficulty in traveling across the country and reloading the emotional tank after the all-in effort to take down Notre Dame. A letdown is only human and when added to the cross-country travel, it's not hard to see why BYU has to be very focused in Week 8.

Tennessee

Along the same lines, Tennessee had a big Week 7 upset of Alabama that ended with a field storming. But with the Vols closing in on the top 10, a road trip to an up-and-down 3-3 South Carolina team has the Vols a mild Vegas underdog. Again, much of the issue is the difficulty in keeping 18-22 year old players laser-focused for 12 games.

The other issue is that South Carolina certainly has teeth. They're off a 38-19 win over a Florida team that just flexed its own muscles by taking down Texas. LaNorris Sellers is always dangerous as a passer and runner and receiver Nyck Harbor is an eternal mismatch in waiting. South Carolina as a favorite seems a bit off, but it demonstrates the difficulty ahead of Tennessee in Week 8.

Texas

Unlike the other two teams above, Texas doesn't have to worry about being distracted by success. Off losses to Oklahoma and Florida, the Longhorns have tumbled from No. 1 to No. 19 in the polls. Next up, they host No. 7 Ole Miss and apparently based on home field, they're a slight favorite.

Ole Miss has had some defensive struggles this season, but those are basically confined to their one loss (Florida) and a tough week 1 battle (Louisville). The Rebels come off two impressive defensive performances, holding Vanderbilt and Missouri to a combined 20 points.

Texas, on the other hand, hasn't topped 400 yards or 30 points since Week 1. Arch Manning has disappointed throughout the season and Texas is 13th in the SEC in rushing and gains just 3.6 yards per carry on the year.

In a shootout, Ole Miss looks like the better team and Texas has rarely been up for a shootout lately. Given the injury to Colin Simmons, Texas has a mammoth task ahead in Week 8.

Josh Heupel and Tennessee have a challenging Week 8 off a big Week 7 win. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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