2021 College Football Insider | Week 8

2021 · Week 8 COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 8

Quote of the week “We say all the time, ‘nobody in our end zone.’

We don’t care if it’s the Patriots, we are not letting anyone in there.”

- Georgia LB Adam Anderson on the Bulldogs’ nation-leading defense

TEAM TO WATCH:

Oklahoma State

No. 8 Oklahoma State has beaten three Top 25 opponents in a row – Texas, Baylor and Kansas State – for the first time in program history. The Cowboys came back from a 14-point deficit in the second quarter to defeat then-No. 25 Texas, 32-24, on Saturday. The win pushed the Cowboys up four spots in the rankings and possibly into playoff contention with more such victories.

Oklahoma State’s defense was the star, holding the Longhorns to just 92 total yards. The deciding defensive plays came in the fourth quarter. Leading by just one point, the Cowboys forced a Texas turnover at the 35-yard line. Then, after an Oklahoma State touchdown, cornerback Tanner McCalister intercepted Texas QB Casey Thompson to end the Longhorns’ chances.

The Cowboys now hit the road to face last year’s PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl Champion Iowa State on Saturday, Oct. 23. The game will be broadcast on FOX and begins at 12:30 p.m. (AZ Time).

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

Purdue

The upset of the week, in a season full of upsets, belongs to previously unranked, now No. 25 Purdue.

The Boilermakers defeated then-No. 2 Iowa, 24-7, on Saturday, knocking the Hawkeyes down nine spots in the rankings and pulling themselves into the Top 25 for the first time in 15 years. The Boilermakers were last ranked in 2007.

Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell put the Boilermakers on the board late in the first quarter when he scrambled for a 6-yard touchdown. O’Connell threw two more touchdowns and went 30-of-40 for 375 yards. The Hawkeyes only touchdown came in the second quarter, when they tied the game with a 3-yard rushing touchdown.

From there, the Boilermakers defense kept Iowa out of the end zone thanks to four interceptions, two of which came in the fourth quarter from Purdue safety Cam Allen, who was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

Purdue hosts Wisconsin at 12:00 p.m. (AZ Time) on Saturday, Oct. 23, on the Big Ten Network.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 8

games of the week

AP Week 8 Rankings

NORTHWESTERN AT #6 MICHIGAN 10.23 | 9:00 AM | FOX

LSU AT #12 OLE MISS

6. MICHIGAN

2. CINCINNATI

7. PENN STATE

3. OKLAHOMA

8. OKLAHOMA STATE

4. ALABAMA

9. MICHIGAN STATE

5. OHIO STATE

10. OREGON

For the full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.

10.23 | 12:30 PM | CBS

#8 OKLAHOMA STATE IOWA STATE

AT

game of the week #10 OREGON AT UCLA

10.23 | 12:30 PM | FOX

USC AT #13 NOTRE DAME 10.23 | 4:30 PM | NBC

#5 OHIO STATE INDIANA

1. GEORGIA

AT

10.23 | 4:30 PM | ABC For a full schedule of Week Eight games, click here. (All times in AZ time)

ESPN’s College Gameday is traveling to the West Coast for the first time this season in anticipation of this big Pac-12 matchup.

No. 10 Oregon and UCLA will battle for the conference lead in what is predicted to be a close game. UCLA is favored by 2.5 points with the over/under open at 59.

UCLA has been in and out of the rankings this season, rising to No. 13 in week three. The Bruins dropped out of the Top 25 after a 42-23 loss to ASU in week six but a win this week against a Top 10 opponent could put them back in the hunt for a Rose Bowl berth.

Oregon, on the other hand, can’t afford a second loss to an unranked team if it wants to stay in College Football Playoff contention. The Ducks vaulted into consideration when they defeated then-No. 3 Ohio State 35-28 in one of the biggest non-conference wins of the season. Oregon has remained in the Top 10 ever since but its position has been in decline, due in part to a 31-24 defeat by unranked Stanford in week six.

A win by the Ducks this week could give them the boost they need to climb back to the top.

The game airs on ABC on Saturday, Oct. 23, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. (AZ Time).

2021-22 Bowl PREDICTIONS: PLAYSTATION ® FIESTA BOWL

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – Coastal Carolina vs. Oklahoma State

ESPN Bonagura – TCU vs. Maryland

ESPN Schlabach – Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame

ESPN Schlabach – TCU vs. Maryland

CBS – Notre Dame vs. Michigan

CBS – Air Force vs. UTEP

USA Today – Cincinnati vs. North Carolina State

USA Today – Texas Tech vs. Central Michigan

Action Network – Michigan vs. Cincinnati

Action Network – TCU vs. Maryland

The Athletic – Michigan vs. Kentucky

The Athletic – Texas Tech vs. San Diego State

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 8

SEASON TICKET MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

KEENAN EVANS

First year as Season Ticket Member: 2007 Why did you become a Season Ticket Member: I love college football and the Fiesta Bowl provides a premier matchup every single year! The fans are terrific and the atmosphere is electric, it’s great fun! The Season Ticket Membership guarantees me and my wife with an annual opportunity to witness the spectacle and enjoy a great game.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT:

Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow has thrown at least two touchdown passes in all of the Bengals’ six games this season.

By doing so, he joins the legendary Dan Marino, who is the only other QB in NFL history to achieve this feat in his first or second season. Burrow led his team to a 34-11 win over the Lions on Sunday, completing 19-of-29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

What’s your favorite Fiesta Bowl Memory: Watching Boise State tailback Ian Johnson propose to his girlfriend, cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, after Boise State beat Oklahoma, 43-42. That was pretty cool to see and it was a great game as well!

Who do you think will play in the 2021 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl?

Ohio State vs. Alabama Dream PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl matchup: ASU vs. Alabama

In the 48th Annual PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl, Burrow was named Offensive Player of the Game after throwing for 394 yards and tossing four touchdowns.

Burrow’s No. 11 LSU upset No. 9 UCF in a 40-32 victory. For his performance in the 2019 game, Burrow was selected to the Fiesta Bowl’s All-Decade team – for games between 2012-19 – as part of the Fiesta Bowl’s 50th Anniversary.

Helmet Giveaway!

Be sure you follow the Fiesta Bowl on Twitter (@Fiesta_Bowl) for your chance to win an authentic Oregon helmet signed by Head Coach Mario Cristobal! You just have to follow the Fiesta Bowl on Twitter, retweet the post and wait for the random selection. It couldn’t be easier!

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl and Fiesta Bowl social media accounts will be doing giveaways all season, so be sure to follow on all platforms for your chance at one-of-a-kind prizes!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 8

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT:

BORDER YOUTH TENNIS EXCHANGE For over six years, Border Youth Tennis Exchange (BYTE) has promoted positive cross-border collaboration by bringing the joy of sports and arts to children in Nogales, Mexico and Nogales, Arizona.

Founded by Charlie Cutler, the organization received a $25,000 grant from Fiesta Bowl Charities during the 2020-21 grant cycle.

Cutler used part of the grant to invest in technology for BYTE, so that kids in the program could continue to connect during the pandemic. BYTE is also using the grant money to forge new partnerships with Nogales Parks & Recreation and a local art studio in Nogales, Arizona and to develop a program that will provide BYTE instructors with trauma-informed training.

To read more about this program and the amazing work that Border Youth Tennis Exchange is doing, click here.

BIG NEWS The Guaranteed Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 28 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news from week seven:

BIG TEN • Michigan and Michigan State are the only undefeated teams in the conference after Iowa’s loss to Purdue • Four teams remain in the Top 10 – No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Penn State, No. 9 Michigan State • Two Boilermakers earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors – Cam Allen on defense and David Bell, who was named Offensive Player of the Week for his 11 receptions and career-high 240 yards against Iowa • Michigan State Kicker Matt Coghlin was named Special Teams Player of the Week and Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen earned Freshman of the Week honors

BIG 12 • Oklahoma moved to No. 3 in the rankings after its nation-leading 15th straight victory against TCU, 52-31 • Oklahoma is joined in the Top 10 by No. 8 Oklahoma State. Baylor re-joined the Top 25 and sits at No. 20 • QB Caleb Williams became the first Oklahoma true freshman to start a game since 1990. He is just the fifth overall. He was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after throwing 18-of-23 for 295 yards and rushing for 66 yards with a 41-yard touchdown • Safety Jason Taylor and RB Jalen Warren of Oklahoma State were named Defensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week respectively. Kicker Andrew Mevis of Iowa State joins them as Special Teams Player of the Week

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 8

JA NUA RY 1 , 2022

DE CE M B E R 28, 2021

F I E S TA B O W L . O R G /FIESTABOWL

@FIESTA_BOWL

GUARANTEEDRATEBOWL

@RATEBOWL

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 8