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College football preview: What to watch for in Week 8

ESPN's College GameDay travels to Pullman, Washington, as Washington State hosts Oregon.
Credit: Gene Sweeney Jr., Getty Images
Washington State Cougars head coach Mike Leach talks with his players on the sideline during the second half of their 33-25 win over the Utah Utes on Nov. 11, 2017, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The eighth week of the college football season has many questions. Journalists/wannabe college football insiders Mark Bergin and Lara Saavedra try to answer some of them.

What’s your tweet-length reaction to Week 7 of the college football season?

Mark Bergin: I feel like a broken record. Alabama is still dominating, and everyone else is playing for second place.

Lara Saavedra: It was a good week to have a bye week - four of the top eight ranked teams lost.

Which Week 8 game are you most looking forward to?

Bergin: No. 16 North Carolina State at No. 3 Clemson: It’s a battle of undefeated ACC teams! That’s not a typo!

The Wolfpack are undefeated, in part, because Hurricane Florence canceled their Sept. 15 game against West Virginia. Instead, the Wolfpack will play East Carolina on Dec. 1 to make up for the canceled game.

If N.C. State somehow beat Clemson next weekend, I can already envision how pundits will be outraged to even consider the Wolfpack as a legitimate contender.

Hurricane Florence having a potential, although unlikely, impact on the College Football Playoff is an underrated storyline.

I know ESPN’s College GameDay has never been to the Washington State campus before, but I’m still at a loss for why they didn’t pick Clemson for this weekend’s pregame show.

Saavedra: No. 9 Oklahoma at TCU: Oklahoma is only a one-touchdown favorite this week after losing to Texas thanks to Mike Stoops’ defensive struggles. Oklahoma is ranked 98th in total defense allowing 421.2 yards per game.

Stoops got fired as a result, so now it’s up to interim defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill to pick up the pieces and still make this team relevant come playoff time.

There’s never been a fanbase that wanted an assistant coach out more than OU fans wanted Stoops gone. So, when the news broke that that day was here, I imagine Sooner fans were shouting from the mountaintop.

TCU will be a good test to see how good Oklahoma’s defense is in the post-Stoops era.

Will Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa play in the fourth quarter this week?

Bergin: The Third Saturday in October used to be a premiere rivalry in college football, but not in recent history.

Alabama will improve to 8-0 with a win over Tennessee. The Crimson Tide can become the first team ever to defeat the Volunteers 12 consecutive times when the two square off Saturday afternoon.

Saavedra: Against Tennessee? Absolutely not.

ESPN’s College GameDay heads to Pullman, Washington, this weekend as Washington State hosts Oregon. Which team will Lee Corso pick?

Bergin: Corso loves the Oregon Ducks. He picks the Ducks for the second time this season.

Saavedra: I must go with the home team. America’s national treasure Mike Leach will come up with a trick play that will be studied in the coaching world for years to come.

What will Sunday’s headline be?

Bergin: Certainties in life: Death, taxes and the Michigan State Spartans getting the cover against the Michigan Wolverines.

Saavedra: Michigan State thrashes Michigan and the Wolverines become America’s dumpster fire once again.

Note: The AP Top 25 Poll is used for the team rankings throughout this story. USA Today contributed to this story.

Mark Bergin is a journalist with 10News WTSP. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Instagram. You can also email him at mbergin@wtsp.com. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri.

Lara Saavedra is a journalist with 10News WTSP. Follow her on Twitter or email her at lsaavedra@wtsp.com. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma.

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