Week 7 of college football saw several unlikely upsets as #2 Iowa lost at home to Purdue, #18 Arizona State lost to Utah, and #19 BYU lost to Baylor. Though the Week 8 slate of games may not look great on the surface, here are two intriguing games to watch once Saturday rolls around.
Tennessee at Alabama: 7:00 EST on ESPN
No, this isn’t the rivalry game that it used to be but this year’s game should be fun to watch. The Vols come into this game at 4-3 and lost a tough one at home to Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin last week. The Crimson Tide is 6-1 and made an example out of Mississippi State 49-9 after losing a shocker to Texas A&M the week before. There should be plenty of points scored in this game, as both offenses are clicking on all cylinders.
QB Hendon Hooker, a transfer from Virginia Tech, has done a great job for Tennessee as their new trigger man. Hooker has thrown for 1,296 yards and 14 TDs while only throwing one interception. Tiyon Evans leads the Vols in rushing with 486 yards and six TDs. Tennessee is averaging 473 yards of total offense per game.
Alabama QB Bryce Young continues to be the frontrunner for the Heisman, as he’s thrown for 2,082 yards and 24 TDs. Young’s favorite target so far this year has been Jameson Williams, who has racked up 587 receiving yards and six TDs. Brian Robinson leads the Tide’s rushing attack and has found the end zone 10 times this year (8 rushing).
Oklahoma State at Iowa State: 3:30 EST on FOX
Mike Gundy has quietly led Oklahoma State to a 6-0 record after the Pokes pulled off a nice road upset over the Texas Longhorns last week (ESPN). Iowa State is 4-2 on the season but hasn’t quite lived up to the high preseason expectations. Whichever team wins this game may have a chance to challenge Oklahoma for the Big 12 title this season. Points could be at a premium in this game, as both teams have elite defenses.
Junior QB Spencer Sanders struggled at times against Texas last week, but he made enough throws in the critical minutes to get the Cowboys over the hump. Sanders has six passing TDs on the year and three rushing scores as well. The key part of the Pokes offense is their running game. Jaylen Warren has been a pleasant surprise by running for 705 yards and six touchdowns so far this year.
Senior QB Brock Purdy has had an up and down season for the Cyclones so far. The Arizona native’s stat line is pretty decent though, as he’s thrown for 1,341 yards and nine TDs. Running back Breece Hall is nonchalantly having another fantastic season with 748 yards and 10 rushing TDs. The Cyclones’ best receiver is Xavier Hutchinson, who has caught 34 passes for 414 yards and three TDs.