Florida State … gone. USC … out. Oklahoma … bye-bye. And now Clemson.
All of these teams were in the top four in the country at one point of this season and a big part of the national playoff discussion.
The Tigers are the latest to fall from the mountaintop when they were upset in Syracuse last weekend 27-24. Clemson, which was favored by more than three touchdowns against the Orange, still has an outside chance at the playoffs, but it must run the table in its schedule and it will need some help from other teams.
Alabama, Penn State, Georgia and TCU are the new top four in the rankings. Who’s next to fall? Let’s try and pick a two-game parlay for Week 8 and use one of those teams in the selections (odds provided by bovada.lv).
VGB’s college football Week 8 parlay pick — Take No. 4 TCU (-39) over Kansas and No. 13 Notre Dame (-4) over No. 11 USC for a $25 parlay. If both teams cover the spread, the payoff is $66.13. If either team loses, the ticket is void.
USC at Notre Dame — This game has all the makings of a classic between two longtime rivals that have won a combined 22 national championships. These two elite programs have met every year since 1926.
This is also the first time this season the No. 11 Trojans are not favored. That might be a good thing, considering USC has only covered the spread once in seven games. The No. 13 Fighting Irish have covered in every game but one this year. However, USC crushed Notre Dame 45-27 last November.
Sam Darnold leads the Trojans (6-1) into South Bend on Saturday night. He hasn’t quite lived up to the preseason Heisman hype, but neither has his team.
They’ve averaged more than two turnovers a game, with 16 this season. It may be the difference in this matchup as the Fighting Irish (5-1) have forced 14 takeaways.
While the Trojans like to do most of their damage in the air, the Irish love to control the ground game. Darnold has completed about 63 per cent of his passes for 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
Josh Adams is the leading rusher for Notre Dame, averaging nine yards a carry with five TDs.
This is the game of the week.
Kansas at TCU — This isn’t a record any team wants to break, but the Jayhawks (1-5) have been working on it for more than eight years. Kansas has lost 43 consecutive road games. Western (Colorado) State holds the NCAA mark of 44, set from 1926-36. The last time the Jayhawks won on the road was Sept. 12, 2009.
Can Kansas actually beat one of the best teams in the country on the road? Your prize if they do: The Jayhawks are +14000 on the money line. That means, if you are brave enough to bet $100 on Kansas to win the game, your ticket would return $14,100. Come on, you thought about it for a minute, didn’t you?
Oddsmakers and team statistics don’t look like it’s possible. TCU is 5-0 against Kansas since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
Last week against Iowa State, the Jayhawks gained just 40 yards on 30 plays in the first half. They lost 45-0. And now they meet up with one of the best defenses in the country. The Horned Frogs (6-0) average 464 yards on offense and 41 points per game.
Tennessee at No. 1 Alabama (-35) — The Crimson Tide (6-0) are favored by five touchdowns in this SEC matchup. The Volunteers (3-3) have lost three of their last four and they are 1-5 ATS.
No. 19 Michigan at No. 2 Penn State (-10) — The Wolverines (5-1) are struggling without their top quarterback. The Nittany Lions (6-0) face their first Top 25 team this season. Michigan is 2-3-1 ATS, Penn State is 4-2.
