Coming off a big Week 7 of College Football that was filled with anticipated matchups, we have much of the same in Week 8. #7 Alabama heads to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on #11 Tennessee, and #5 Georgia heads to Austin, Texas for their first SEC matchup with #1 Texas. This week is sure to bring high-stakes action that will further shape the playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
Alabama and Tennessee survived near losses at home after being upset on the road the week prior. They both have strong playoff hopes but have struggled the past two weeks to find their groove and assert dominance. Tennessee's offense has not been what we're used to seeing under Josh Heupel, and Nico Iamaleavea has not passed for over 200 yards in an SEC game. The common denominator between Vanderbilt and South Carolina against Alabama is their quarterbacks. Diego Pavia and LaNorris Sellers are both playmakers with their legs and can make plays off-script. Iamaleava can do the same, but the question is, will he be able to execute? Of course, Tennessee's pass0catchers will still need to step up and make plays, but Iamaleava is the key player in this game.
On defense, star edge rusher James Pearce has the opportunity to solidify his case as a top-10 NFL pick in this game. If he can disrupt Jalen Milroe's timing and somewhat contain him in the pocket, that could cause big problems for Alabama's offense.
Ryan Williams finally looked like a true freshman last week with 32 yards and did not score for the first time in his young career. I expect the Crimson Tide to get him involved and into a rhythm early in this game. Getting him going will keep the safeties at bay to open up the run game for the backs and give Milroe space to do what he does best: make plays.
The newcomer and current top dog in the nation vs. the old top dog in the SEC are the types of matchups the world wanted to see when Texas and Oklahoma moved to the conference. Georgia must get out of the starting block early to give themselves the best chance of winning this game. They were in a bad spot after starting slowly against Alabama. The offense will go as Carson Beck goes in this matchup. This is still a very good Georgia team, but I don't have them on the same level as the elite Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma is better at defending the run than Georgia, and the Longhorns ran all over them.
Hopefully, Quinn Ewers knocked off the rust last week. While the run game will likely set the tone for their offense, he must play a full game of solid and minimal-mistake football. WR Isaiah Bond left last week with a reported minor ankle injury and did not return to the game. His status is up in the air at this moment for this game. Not having Bond would be a blow to the offense, but freshman Ryan Wingo has made the most out of his playing time, showing he can be an explosive playmaker.
Tetairoa McMillan has had an up-and-down season so far; one week, he explodes for big numbers, and the next, not so much.
This week, he potentially faces off against Travis Hunter, pending how healthy Hunter is heading into Saturday. To this point, McMillan seems to be the WR1 in the 2025 class to most, but Luther Burden has been playing well the last couple of weeks and has the hype train back on the tracks. This is a big opportunity for him to create separation from Burden and Hunter with a good showing.
Love is a complete back who can get it done on the ground consistently (averaging 6.8 yards per carry) and has shown he is a more than capable pass-catching option out of the backfield. He has the chance to make himself more known by going against a top-25 rush defense at Georgia Tech on the road. I currently have him ranked as my RB4 in the 2026 class.
The top-five Heisman favorites after Week 7:
The biggest drop from the top five would have to be Travis Hunter, who went from second at +350 last week to +1700. Colorado losing to K-State is big for his hopes, and him leaving in the first half and not returning doesn't help either. Milroe narrowly escaped back-to-back losses, and his odds continue to drop. Dillon Gabriel leaped back into the second spot after a huge win over Ohio State, and Quinn Ewers re-entered the top five. I chalk both of those up to them being the QBs for the top-ranked teams.