Week 8 preview: Ranking Heisman contenders, plus key matchups and top quotes
The third Saturday in October delivers a lot of good things in college football, and not just Tennessee-Alabama, as the Vols try to break their Tuscaloosa curse and win there for the first time since 2003.
The SEC figures to dominate the spotlight, as it often does, as Ole Miss and Georgia tangle between the hedges. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin took a shot at Kirby Smart's waistline this week, giving the Georgia coach and his team even more fuel to avenge last season's loss in Oxford. Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt have had two weeks to stew over the Alabama loss, and now welcome offense-challenged LSU to Nashville.
There is also non-SEC action to monitor, including the USC-Notre Dame rivalry, which hopefully will extend long beyond Saturday, and the Holy War, featuring No. 15 BYU and No. 23 Utah. There are also sneaky-good matchups such as undefeated Georgia Tech visiting a surging Duke team.
Here's a look at what's on tap in Week 8. -- Adam Rittenberg
Jump to: Heisman contenders | Big 12 title race Baylor-TCU rivalry | Key matchups Quotes of the Week
Midseason Heisman Trophy contenders
1. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama: You know it's a wild Heisman race when a quarterback who lost his first career start to a now-floundering Florida State team sits atop the list. But Simpson and the Tide have bounced back nicely from their struggles in Tallahassee. Simpson is completing 70.9% of his passes for 1,678 yards with 16 touchdowns and only one interception. He's one of only four FBS quarterbacks to record multiple passing touchdowns in every game he has played, and has 200 or more passing yards in all six. Simpson completed all 17 of his attempts against UL Monroe and had only five incompletions the following week against Wisconsin. He showed toughness in a road win against Georgia, and then outplayed fellow Heisman candidate Diego Pavia the following week. Simpson has endured one of the tougher first-half schedules, especially for a first-time starter, and has spread the ball around nicely to his targets while showing strong leadership skills.
2. Carson Beck, QB, Miami: The biggest name in last year's quarterback transfer cycle entered the fall with a good degree of uncertainty, joining a new team with a new offense, and coming off of UCL surgery in December. But Beck has looked a lot more like the quarterback who propelled Georgia's offense in 2023, and projected as a top 2025 NFL draft pick. He has completed 73.4% of his passes for 1,213 yards and 11 touchdowns, and helped Miami to a 5-0 start despite facing three FBS opponents from within the state -- Florida State, Florida and South Florida -- as well as Notre Dame. Beck had four touchdown passes in a win at Florida State and has spread the ball around well in coordinator Shannon Dawson's offense to Malachi Toney, CJ Daniels and others. He has completed at least two-thirds of his passing attempts in all but one game and ranks sixth nationally in QBR.
3. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana: Another notable name in the quarterback transfer portal, Mendoza has been a fantastic addition to an Indiana team seeking a second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance, and a deeper postseason run. The Cal transfer has completed 71.2% of his passes for 1,423 yards with 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. After an uneven opening performance against Old Dominion, Mendoza put together one of the best three-game stretches by an Indiana quarterback. He recorded 782 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and no interceptions, while completing 58 of 68 passes in wins against Kennesaw State, Indiana State and then-No. 9 Illinois, which Indiana routed 63-10. Mendoza then helped Indiana grind out a road win against Iowa, before completing 20 of 31 attempts in a 30-20 win last week at No. 3 Oregon. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza is a bona fide NFL draft prospect and a main reason why Indiana could be an even better team than its 2024 version.
4. Jayden Maiava, QB, USC: He plays for the right coach (Lincoln Riley), in the right offense and at the right school, as USC has eight Heisman winners, more than any other program. Maiava became the starter late last season and didn't enter this fall with as much hype as other quarterbacks, but he has delivered consistently for the Trojans. The junior leads the nation in QBR (93.1) and has completed 71.9% of his passes for 1,852 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has connected on at least two-thirds of his attempts in five of six games, and showed remarkable accuracy in last week's win over Michigan, hitting on 25 of 32 attempts. Maiava has multiple touchdown passes in five of six games, leads the nation in yards per pass attempt (10.8) and leads the Big Ten in passing yards (1,852), passing average (308.7) and passing yards per completion (15.1). He has a big showcase opportunity ahead this week at No. 13 Notre Dame.
5. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State: The Heisman doesn't always go to the best player in the sport, for a multitude of reasons, especially when that player isn't a quarterback. Smith entered the season with the designation of being No. 1, and his established star power should help his contender status with a big second half. The true sophomore still has 40 receptions through Ohio State's first six games, and has a receiving touchdown in the past five, ranking second nationally with seven scoring catches. He has five or more receptions in every game and two 100-yard receiving performances. Smith ranks in the top 10 nationally in total receptions, receptions per game and touchdowns scored. He also isn't disappearing from the radar as the face of the nation's No. 1 team and the defending national champion. Smith needed only 19 games to reach 1,500 career receiving yards, and is the fastest Ohio State player to record 22 touchdown catches. -- Rittenberg
No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 15 BYU and No. 24 Cincinnati all enter the week 3-0 in conference play, but it's clear that Texas Tech has emerged as a heavy favorite to win the Big 12. The Red Raiders have what previously seemed like a difficult test this week at Arizona State, but after the Sun Devils fell 42-10 against Utah last week, some of the luster is gone. If quarterback Sam Leavitt is sidelined again, Texas Tech should be in good shape.
The most intriguing matchup of the week is, of course, the Holy War between BYU and Utah. Utah has been rolling since it fell apart late against Texas Tech a few weeks ago and will head to Provo needing a win to remain a serious contender to reach the conference title game. BYU, meanwhile, is 6-0, but those wins haven't exactly come with style points. The Cougars had a miraculous escape at Arizona last week to conclude the first half of their schedule, which was significantly easier than what they'll see the rest of the way (Utah, Iowa State, Texas Tech, TCU, Cincinnati, UCF).
Cincinnati has run off five straight wins since dropping its opener to Nebraska and gets reeling Oklahoma State this week. The Bearcats don't have Texas Tech on the schedule but will see both Utah and BYU later in the year. -- Kyle Bonagura
Going deep into the Baylor-TCU rivalryBaylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson might have a little extra on the line in the recently renamed Bluebonnet Battle against TCU.
It's a key Big 12 game for both teams. The teams are both 4-2, though Baylor is 2-1 in the conference and TCU is 1-2. They also have a deep history and have played 120 times. There's plenty at stake.
But then there's the matter of some paternal pride.
Robertson is from Lubbock, Texas, where TCU coach Sonny Dykes and Sawyer's dad, Stan, were both standout baseball players in the same corner of West Texas at the same time. Stan Robertson was drafted by the Montreal Expos out of high school and set off for the minor leagues, while Dykes went to Texas Tech on a baseball scholarship. After two years in the minors, Stan decided to return home, where he also went to Texas Tech -- on a football scholarship to play for Sonny's dad, Spike.
The Robertson and Dykes families have been close for decades. Sawyer grew up a Red Raiders fan, and even attended the same high school Sonny did. So when Sonny recruited Sawyer -- he offered him first a scholarship as a sophomore when Dykes was at SMU -- there was an easy rapport. Maybe too easy. During the process, a little family secret might have been unearthed.
"When I was getting recruited, Sonny would always tell me that he hit a home run off my dad, and my dad hated it so much," Sawyer said, laughing. "But that's Sonny."
"I did hear that," Stan said, about Sonny's claim. "I don't really remember that."
Dykes just smiled and said he wasn't sure where that story came from, which made Sawyer laugh when told of Dykes' memory.
"Well my dad wasn't the one who brought it up, I can promise you that," Sawyer responded.
Our independent investigation didn't turn up any box scores between the Coronado Thunderbirds and the Plainview Bulldogs to verify or dispute the claim. The truth might forever be lost to history.
Sawyer ended up picking Mississippi State to play for another Red Raiders legend, Mike Leach. Then when Leach died in 2022, Robertson entered the transfer portal and Dykes again recruited him, this time to TCU. But Robertson said both times, Dykes' quarterback situations were good and he was honest with him, and said the calls to let him know he was going somewhere else were the hardest. At TCU, he admired quarterback Josh Hoover and thought the Frogs had their guy. On Saturday (noon ET, ESPN2), he'll face off against Hoover and Dykes as he and Hoover rank No. 1 and 2 in the nation in passing yards.
Dykes said he has been incredibly impressed with Robertson's development and the way he's playing now, leading the country in all the major passing categories. And on Tuesday, during his news conference to discuss Baylor, he conceded that Stan was "a lot better [baseball] player than I was" and said Sawyer was a "first-class kid in every sense of the world" and he roots for him every Saturday -- except this one. The Robertson and Dykes families will stay friends no matter what happens Saturday.
But Robertson has one chance to make it all right for Stan.
"It's all right, Pops," he told him, "I'll avenge you." -- Dave Wilson
Biggest things that need to happen in each matchup
LSU-Vanderbilt: Can Vanderbilt's high-flying offense be effective against a high-level SEC opponent? Will LSU's offense ever take off in 2025? These are the central questions to an intriguing October matchup in Nashville on Saturday. The Diego Pavia-led Commodores are scoring more than all but six offenses across the country (43.3 PPG) and enter Week 8 ranked second nationally in third-down conversion percentage (57.9%). But Alabama provided the blueprint for slowing down Vanderbilt in its 30-14 win over the Commodores on Oct. 4; if LSU's 21st-ranked run defense can make Pavia one-dimensional and keep Vanderbilt out of short-yardage and third-down situations, the Tigers could find themselves in the kind of low-scoring game that has generally suited them this fall. Meanwhile, LSU's struggling offense -- which ranks 78th in yards per game and 86th in scoring -- remains an issue with a banged-up Garrett Nussmeier under center. Facing a Vanderbilt defense giving up only 90.7 rushing yards, this probably isn't the week for the Tigers to sort out their bottom-of-the-SEC rushing attack. That leaves the onus again on Nussmeier and top pass catchers Aaron Anderson and Barion Brown to spark things for LSU, especially if the home-favorite Commodores manage to make this a high-scoring game. -- Eli Lederman
Ole Miss-Georgia: Can Georgia's defense get off the field on third down to get the ball back to its offense? Can Ole Miss' offense keep moving the chains the way it has for much of the season? The Rebels are converting more than 50% of their third downs, and the Bulldogs have allowed opponents to convert about 40%. Mobile quarterbacks have given the Bulldogs fits over the past few seasons, and the Rebels have two of them in Trinidad Chambliss and Austin Simmons, who has been slowed by a sprained ankle. Georgia had three turnovers and couldn't run the ball in last season's 28-10 loss to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs couldn't protect quarterback Carson Beck in that game, and they'll have to do a better job with what has been a banged-up offensive line. If Georgia is going to win, it can't afford another slow start, which put it in big holes against Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn. The Bulldogs have made great adjustments at halftime, but getting off to a fast start might be imperative in this one. -- Mark Schlabach
USC-Notre Dame: Which defense will bend and which will break? Coming into this game, both USC and Notre Dame sport two of the best offenses in the country -- per SP+, the Trojans are ranked first and the Irish are ranked fourth and both are led by two of the most impressive quarterbacks in Jayden Maiava and CJ Carr. Their respective defenses (ranked 45th and 23rd) are less accomplished so far this season, giving Saturday's top-20 matchup the potential for a shootout. USC's defense has been more inconsistent and shaky than its counterpart, but it's coming off a game in which the Trojans were able to dominate Michigan in the trenches. The Trojans will need to do the same against a more talented Notre Dame front on the road. The running game, in particular, will be crucial. USC has two injuries to its top two backs (Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan) and will turn to walk-on King Miller -- who broke out for 158 rushing yards and three total touchdowns against Michigan -- while the Irish have the luxury of handing off the ball to Jeremiyah Love. Love has nine total touchdowns over the past four games; even with an improved defensive unit, USC might not be able to stop him. -- Paolo Uggetti
"I don't know, that's a good question. I walked by the TV and saw his press conference today, so I don't think he's burned too many calories. But he does have a lot of energy in games and he coaches really passionate. I've given him heat before about the weight loss part. He says he's too stressed to work out." -- Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, when asked if he or Georgia coach Kirby Smart burns more calories during a game.
"You know, I'm just going to focus on us this week. Our guys, our coaches. So I'm not going to give much thought on the opponent this week. So, really, you have to ask them what they think of Bear." -- Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, when asked what he has seen from BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier ahead of its Holy War rivalry game.
"Halt! No. We haven't tried it. Let's be real now. We have not tried it. I'm not going to get into what we do have. We have not tried it. All due respect to everybody who put forth their effort. We have not tried it. Not at a Division I level. Forget Big Ten level, we have not done it at the Division I level. Let's be clear on that." -- Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, on the school's efforts to be competitive in NIL.
"Look, there's three things you go through when you're a coach. You're in the honeymoon phase, you're in the 'please don't leave' phase and you're in the 'please leave now' phase." -- Duke coach Manny Diaz, reacting to the firing of his former boss, James Franklin, at Penn State.
"I don't know if I'm going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not, I think it is. I have an expectation it will. But if my car doesn't start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that's not my expectation at this point about our football program." -- Auburn athletic director John Cohen, when asked whether he expects Hugh Freeze to be the Tigers' head coach in 2026.
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