No. 6 Oklahoma (7-0, 4-0) breathed a sigh of relief as it escaped disaster and defeated UCF (3-4, 0-4) 31-29 Saturday in Norman, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The Sooners relief turned to excitement as they witnessed former OU head coach Lincoln Riley and No. 24 USC suffer its second defeat of the season to No. 13 Utah 34-32, likely eliminating the Trojans from playoff contention.
Here’s a look at how other College Football Playoff contenders performed in Week 8:
No. 1 Georgia: Bye week
No. 2 Michigan 49, Michigan State 0
The No. 2 Wolverines (8-0, 5-0 Big 10) easily took care of business against Michigan State (2-5, 0-4) to remain perfect on the season.
Michigan is seeking its third consecutive playoff appearance after suffering a 51-45 loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, the semifinals of the playoff, last season. The Wolverines have four games remaining including a trip to face No. 7 Penn State and a season-finale against No. 3 Ohio State.
No. 3 Ohio State 20, No. 10 Penn State 12
The only Top-10 matchup of the week featured the No. 3 Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 Big 10) defeating No. 7 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State narrowly escaped then-No. 9 Notre Dame 17-14 on a game-winning touchdown with less than 10 seconds left earlier in the season, and now finds themselves with four consecutive matchups against unranked opponents.
The Buckeyes biggest test will be traveling to face No. 2 Michigan, which, if both teams are undefeated heading into the matchup, will decide who makes the Big 10 Championship game out of the Big 10 East.
As for the Nittany Lions, their path to the Big 10 Championship and seemingly the playoff involves not only winning out, defeating Michigan in the process, but hoping the Wolverines take down the Buckeyes, making for a three-way tie at the top of the East standings.
No. 4 Florida State 38, No. 20 Duke 20
Florida State captured a 38-20 victory against No. 20 Duke on Saturday to remain 7-0 and fourth in the AP Poll. FSU’s resume is boosted by a ranked-win against then-No. 5 LSU in its season-opener. Florida State has five games remaining, all of which are against unranked opponents. Its biggest test will come on the road against Florida (5-2, 3-1 SEC) in its season finale.
No. 5 Washington 15, Arizona State 7
The Huskies escaped with a win against Arizona State (1-6, 0-4 Pac-12) at home despite not taking their first lead of the game until the 8:11 mark of the fourth quarter. Washington took down then-No. 8 Oregon 36-33 the previous week and currently sits in first place in a hotly-contested conference.
The Huskies still have to face No. 24 USC and No. 11 Oregon State on the road and No. 13 Utah at home. All three of those matchups will come on consecutive weeks.
No. 7 Texas 31, Houston 24
After taking an early 21-0 lead, Texas fought off a comeback effort by Houston to secure a crucial victory. Despite their loss to the Sooners in the Red River Rivalry, the Longhorns still appear to have a path to the College Football Playoff with a win over then-No. 3 Alabama boosting their resume. Texas has five games remaining, all of which are against unranked foes, before they hope to appear in the Big 12 Championship and seemingly get a chance at redemption against OU.
No. 8 Oregon 38, Washington State 24
The Ducks handled business against Washington State to remain a one-loss team heading into Week 9. Oregon will now travel to face No. 13 Utah in a game which should eliminate one Pac-12 team from playoff contention.
No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 21 Tennessee
The Crimson Tide got revenge from last season’s upset loss to Tennessee. Despite trailing 20-7 at halftime, Alabama held the Volunteers scoreless en route to putting up 27 unanswered second-half points. Aside from their early-season loss to Texas, the Crimson Tide are still clinging to playoff hopes and have a chance to boost their resume in their next contest against No. 15 LSU.
