College Football Top 25: Recapping Week 8, previewing Week 9

13. Wake Forest (7-0)

Week 8 result: Defeated Army 70-56

I feel sorry if you bet the under in this game. This was one of the highest-scoring games I’ve ever seen and was truthfully one of the most fun to watch games all season long. That is if you like offense.

The over/under of this one was 54, per WynnBET, and both teams passed that mark individually. What’s most impressive about Wake Forest putting up 70 points, is that they did it in only 17 minutes. Army held the ball for 42 minutes with their triple-option offense. Wake Forest’s defense didn’t really have an answer for Army’s offense but it was also vice versa. Army couldn’t stop the Demon Deacons whatsoever and gave up big play after big play.

Sam Hartman and this team continue to impress me more every single week. He had one of the craziest stat lines you’ll ever see from a quarterback: 458 yards and five touchdowns on only 29 throws. That is truly remarkable and earned him an incredible PFF grade of 93.5.

The Demon Deacons remain undefeated and continue to showcase one of the best offenses in the entire country. But let’s face it, you’re not going to win many games giving up 56 points so that has got to change. Just hope that they don’t have to face another triple-option offense this season and they should be alright.

Next game: vs. Duke
My prediction: Win 45-21

14. Texas A&M (6-2)

Week 8 result: Defeated South Carolina 44-14

After casting them off a few short weeks ago, Texas A&M has come back to relevancy with three straight wins and is now one of the hottest teams in the country.

Jimbo Fisher has done a heck of a job with his team this year. They could have easily given up after those two rough losses, but instead, they rallied and are now dominating teams.

The Aggies destroyed South Carolina last weekend from the very start. The defense is playing better than ever and their first-stringers aren’t giving up anything right now. The Aggies were up 44-0 before allowing a few garbage-time touchdowns to make the score a little less dominant.

A&M technically is still playing for the SEC East crown as they would hold any tie-breaker over Alabama. But they’ll need to carry this momentum through their upcoming bye week before taking on Auburn and Ole Miss who are definitely going to be challenges.

Next game: Bye

15. Oklahoma State (6-1)

Week 8 result: Lost to Iowa State 24-21

The Cowboys were handed their first loss of the season on Saturday to Iowa State. This loss felt inevitable as it seemed like they were barely escaping every week and that it was only a matter of time before they let one slip. It was a good game for the most part, though, as the Cowboys did still cover the spread at least.

Quarterback Spencer Sanders actually had a pretty good game and was not the reason Oklahoma State lost. He threw a couple of absolute dimes to the end zone and still earned a PFF grade of 71.5 even with the loss.

Oklahoma State was in control of this game until letting the Cyclones take over in the third quarter. Then it literally came down to a fourth-down conversion that the Cowboys failed to pick up which turned the ball back over. I have to admit that I think they would’ve won the game if they picked up that first down. But I guess we’ll never know. Another undefeated goes down.

Next game: vs. Kansas
My prediction: Win 43-22