Week 8 • 2026
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I just try to stay right on a good middle ground throughout the entire game not get too high after a make, not get too low after a miss. Something we say is, ‘Birdie after bogey.’ If you miss a kick or if something happens, you step up and do your job next time.” - Northwestern kicker Jackson Kleather on bouncing back from a missed kick and hitting the game-winner against Michigan State
TEAM TO WATCH
TEAM OF THE WEEK
A clutch go-ahead drive followed by a defensive stand in the red zone helped BYU upset then-No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24, in the first-ever meeting between top 10 teams at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The win marked the highest-ranked opponent the Cougars have beaten since 1990, propelling them to replace Notre Dame as the No. 2-ranked team in this week’s AP poll.
With the scoreboard even at 24 and just over a minute to play and undefeated Georgia driving downfield toward a game-winning score, Auburn did the unthinkable – forced a fumble, then moved the ball 39 yards in 55 seconds to set up Alex McPherson’s 34-yard field goal as time expired. The Tigers delivered a stunning 27-24 upset over the then-No. 1 Bulldogs in Athens, marking the first time the No. 1 team lost back-to-back games since October 1990. Florida defeated then-No. 1 Texas last Saturday.
BYU
Quarterback Bear Bachmeier carried BYU with a historic performance, becoming the first FBS player in 30 years to record a rushing, passing and receiving touchdown against an AP top five team in the same game. Bachmeier completed 23-of-36 passes for 224 yards, notched 45 rushing yards and 15 receiving yards and accounted for all four of BYU’s touchdowns. BYU took a four-point lead with 1:57 remaining when Bachmeier connected with tight end Walker Lyons for a six-yard score. On the final play of the game, BYU cornerback Evan Johnson forced an incompletion in the end zone to secure an all-time victory for the Cougars. BYU travels to face UCF on Saturday, October 24, at 12:30 p.m. on FOX. COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
AUBURN
Auburn snapped a nine-game losing streak to Georgia and won its first game in Athens since 2005. The victory also gave the Tigers a 19-18 lead in the all-time series between the teams in Athens. Quarterback Byrum Brown led the Tigers in keeping pace with the Dawgs, completing 15-of-26 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown, while recording a team-high 115 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Brown is the only player to rush for 100 yards against Georgia’s defense this season. Auburn faces its third consecutive ranked opponent when it hosts No. 18 LSU on Saturday, October 24, at 9:00 a.m. PHX on ABC. Week 8
GAMES TO WATCH #18 LSU AT AUBURN
10.24 // 9:00 A.M. // ABC
#11 TENNESSEE AT SOUTH CAROLINA
AP WEEK 8 RANKINGS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Miami (+2) BYU (+6) Ohio State (+1) Notre Dame (-2) Georgia (-4)
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Indiana (-1) Ole Miss (+2) Texas Tech (+2) UCLA (+3) Utah (+1)
For a full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.
10.24 // 12:30 P.M. // ESPN
#15 IOWA AT MINNESOTA
10.24 // 12:30 P.M. // FS1
#7 OLE MISS AT #19 TEXAS
10.24 // 4:30 P.M. // ABC
#16 USC AT WISCONSIN
10.24 // 4:30 P.M. // NBC
For a full schedule of Week 8 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
2026 BOWL PREDICTIONS CFP QUARTERFINAL at Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
GAME OF THE WEEK #14 HOUSTON AT #10 UTAH
No. 10 Utah remains in the college football spotlight for the second week in a row as it hosts No. 14 Houston in Salt Lake City. The matchup carries major implications for both the Big 12 championship race and the College Football Playoff. Utah is riding a 12-game winning streak – the longest active streak in the FBS – and has won eight consecutive games against Big 12 opponents. Houston looks to end both winning streaks after earning a 35-32 win over No. 18 Oklahoma State. Quarterback Connor Weigman led the Cougars to victory and earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors after completing 24-of-33 passes for a career-high 343 yards and five touchdowns. The Utes are anticipating their 100th straight sellout game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, a streak that began 16 years ago. Kickoff in Salt Lake City is set for Saturday, October 24, at 7:15 p.m. PHX on ESPN.
CACTUS BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 5 Utah
ESPN Bonagura – Michigan vs. UCF
ESPN Schlabach – No. 1 BYU vs. No. 8 Indiana
ESPN Schlabach – Michigan vs. Cincinnati
Sports Illustrated – No. 1 BYU vs. No. 8 Notre Dame
Sports Illustrated – Northwestern vs. UCF
CBS Sports – No. 4 BYU vs. No. 5 Indiana/No. 12 Oregon State
CBS Sports – Michigan vs. Cincinnati
USA Today – No. 3 BYU vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
USA Today – Wisconsin vs. Baylor
Athlon Sports – No. 4 BYU vs. No. 5 Indiana
Athlon Sports – Penn State vs. Kansas State
Week 8
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
TREVOR LAWRENCE Trevor Lawrence delivered another outstanding performance overseas, this time against the Texans. He completed 24-of-41 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns against one of the league’s most respected defenses, marking the second consecutive week Lawrence passed for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns. The former No. 1 overall selection threw touchdown passes to running back Bhayshul Tuten on back-to-back drives in the second quarter to give the Jaguars their first lead. Lawrence later found tight end Nate Boerkircher for a score in the third and two-way player Travis Hunter Jr. for a touchdown in the fourth. In the 2019-20 Fiesta Bowl, Lawrence was named Offensive Player of the Game after leading No. 3 Clemson to a 29-23 victory over No. 2 Ohio State and a berth in the CFP National Championship. Lawrence completed 18-of-33 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. His 67-yard touchdown run helped spark Clemson’s comeback and remains one of the most memorable plays of the CFP era. Lawrence and the Jaguars host Indianapolis on Sunday, November 1, at 11:00 a.m. PHX on CBS.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
MICHAEL HAWKINS JR. WEST VIRGINIA
TORRANCE BURGESS JR. TEXAS STATE
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has put up video game numbers all season and continued his impressive play in West Virginia’s 45-42 win over Cincinnati. Hawkins completed 25-of-33 passes for 464 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 77 yards and two scores on the ground. He led the Mountaineers to four scoring drives for 24 points in the fourth quarter alone. Hawkins Jr. threw two touchdowns and led the game-winning drive that finished with a field goal as time expired to give West Virginia its first Big 12 win of the season. His 749 rushing yards ranks first nationally among quarterbacks and 10th overall.
Texas State dismantled Colorado State, 66-27, led by a dominant performance from running back Torrance Burgess Jr. The senior recorded 24 carries for 224 yards (9.3 ypc) and four touchdowns. He ranks second in FBS with 838 rushing yards this season. Burgess Jr. scored touchdowns on consecutive drives in the first quarter, including an explosive 51-yard score on the team’s third drive. He later broke off a 53-yard run in the third quarter that helped extend the Bobcats’ lead to 25. Burgess Jr. was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, helping Texas State become the first team to record at least 500 rushing yards against another FBS opponent since 2021.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
Week 8
BIG NEWS The Cactus Bowl enters an exciting new era with a fresh rebranding rooted in its Arizona heritage. The game will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup and is set for 5:30 p.m. MST on Saturday, December 26, in its grand return to Mountain America Stadium. As we eagerly await kickoff in Tempe, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news heading into Week 8:
BIG TEN •
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In a game decided by inches, Ohio State earned a 19-15 victory over then-No. 5 Indiana in Bloomington. Indiana wide receiver Nick Marsh stepped out of bounds while attempting catch a pass in the end zone, preventing a potential go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth. Ohio State’s victory came at a cost, as quarterback Julian Sayin is expected to miss several weeks after suffering a right arm injury during the game Northwestern escaped with a 24-21 win over Michigan State in quarterback Aidan Chiles’ return to East Lansing. Trailing by eight with 11:48 remaining, Chiles and the Wildcats scored 11 points to complete the comeback. Northwestern blocked a field goal with one minute remaining and drove 64 yards down the field to set up Jackson Kleather for a 34-yard game-winning field goal. The Wildcats moved up to No. 24 in this week’s AP poll Backup quarterbacks helped several Big Ten teams secure victories over the weekend. In his first start for the Bruins, Ty Dieffenbach helped UCLA remain undefeated with his 307 passing yards and one touchdown in a win over Wisconsin. Michigan’s Tommy Carr took over in the second half and rallied the Wolverines to a 21-18 victory over Penn State, while Oregon’s Dylan Raiola entered in the fourth quarter and threw the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds left to defeat his former team, Nebraska
BIG 12 •
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The Big 12 is tied with the Big Ten for the most AP top 10 teams this week. No. 2 BYU heads the list, along with No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 10 Utah. All three teams are undefeated through the first seven weeks of the season and make up half of FBS’ remaining unbeaten teams. The conference has five teams in the AP top 25, including No. 14 Houston and No. 25 Arizona, which makes its first appearance in the poll this season Utah left Boulder with a narrow 27-24 victory over Colorado in a week filled with upsets. The Utes were led by quarterback Devon Dampier who completed 24-of-41 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. Utah faces a challenging schedule moving forward, with five of its six remaining opponents at .500 or better and three currently in the AP top 25 The Big 12 has four teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in total offense, the most of any conference. Oklahoma State ranks fifth at 517.7 yards per game, followed by West Virginia in eighth at 497.1, Utah in ninth at 486.5 and Houston in 10th at 485.1. Defensively, TCU leads all Big 12 teams and ranks third in the country in scoring defense at 12.2 points allowed per game and seventh in total defense at 264.2 yards allowed per game
HOT TAKES “Jeremiah Smith will continue to prove he’s the best player in college football, but he won’t win the Heisman.” – Bryan Fischer, Sports Illustrated “UCLA has taken [Bob Chesney’s] defense-first mentality to heart and is one of the better-coached teams in the nation. We’re picking this team to finish 11-1 overall and earn a first-round home game in the CFP despite losing its starting quarterback to injury in early October.” – Brad Crawford, CBS Sports CLICK HERE to submit your hot takes for a chance to be featured in next week’s edition! Week 8
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
NEWS IN THE FOUNDATION CHARITY SPOTLIGHT FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION AND ARIZONA MILK PRODUCERS TEAM UP FOR “MOO & BOO” DAIRY DRIVE BENEFITING UNITED FOOD BANK
VISIT PHOENIX SPORTS & EVENTS COMMISSION AND FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION TO LAUNCH INAUGURAL PHOENIX CORPORATE GAMES
Fiesta Sports Foundation and Arizona Milk Producers are teaming up to help put milk on the tables of Arizona families facing food insecurity. The organizations are coming together to collect online donations through the “Moo & Boo” Dairy Drive, a Halloween-themed campaign benefiting United Food Bank that runs from October 1-30.
The Visit Phoenix Sports & Events Commission and Fiesta Sports Foundation are partnering to launch the inaugural Phoenix Corporate Games, a field day style event bringing Greater Phoenix businesses together through teamwork, wellness and community engagement.
During the monthlong Dairy Drive, community members are encouraged to give online at give.unitedfoodbank.org/dairy. Donations help United Food Bank provide milk and other highly requested dairy products to the 140,000+ individuals it serves every month.
This new event will take place on Friday, March 19, 2027, at Grand Canyon University, where friendly competitions will put company representatives through a gamut of activities designed to connect Greater Phoenix employees, celebrate workplace culture and give back to the community.
The drive concludes with a volunteer event on Friday, October 30, from 8:30-11:00 a.m. at the United Food Bank Volunteer Center (358 E. Javelina Ave., Mesa, AZ 85210). Volunteers will pack emergency food boxes and stock the center’s refrigerators with gallons of milk, which will be distributed along with the boxes and other donated dairy products.
To learn more or sign up for the inaugural Phoenix Corporate Games, please visit FiestaSportsFoundation.org/CorporateGames. Teams that register before Friday, December 4, receive 10% off team entry. The inaugural Phoenix Corporate Games brings together sports organizations, local businesses, community leaders and companies from across the region in a way that goes beyond the traditional business setting. That experience starts prior to event day as participants compete in pre-Games challenges. Designed to grow into an annual tradition, the Phoenix Corporate Games will create a shared experience that businesses and employees can look forward to each year.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
Week 8
CFP QUARTERFINAL AT THE Vrbo FIESTA BOWL DECEMBER 30, 2026
CACTUS BOWL
DECEMBER 26, 2026
F I E S TA S P O R T S F O U N D AT I O N . O R G /FIESTABOWL
Week 8
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@CACTUSBOWL
@THECACTUSBOWL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026