Week 8 is in the books, and we have some movement in the rankings this week. With Georgia defeating Texas, Oregon is the new number one team in the country. Alabama dropped their second game of the season by losing to Tennessee on the road. In the final matchup of ranked teams, the Wolverines continue to fall as they fell to the Illini. The three games mentioned were my only losses in my Week 8 college football picks. My record was 5-3 and now my overall mark is 33-18. The winning percentage jumps down a little from 65.1% to 64.7%. Miami continues to remain undefeated after winning a close one in Louisville. Clemson continues to look great with their win over Virginia. Indiana blew out Nebraska to remain unbeaten also. I’ll be predicting another nine games this week. Check out Trav’s Week 9 college football picks below.

This critical matchup of two SEC teams that’s ranked in the top 15 highlights this weekend. The 8^th ranked LSU Tigers will head to College Station to face the 14^th ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Tigers have won six consecutive games after their opening season loss to USC. Garrett Nussmeier continues show he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country. The Tigers defense is starting to improve, and these next two games will say a lot. Can the Tigers continue their winning ways? Texas A&M have also won six in a row after dropping their opener this season. The Aggies defense continues to shine as their top 20 in scoring.  College Station is one of the toughest places to play a night game. If the Aggies can control the ball with their ground game it’ll be close. I’m riding with the home team for the win. Aggies Win 27-26

We head to the Big Ten for this key top 20 matchup. The 20^th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini head to Oregon to face the top ranked Ducks. Illinois is coming off their most impressive win of the season over Michigan. The Illini defense held the Wolverines to only seven points. Illinois has a weak schedule the remainder of the season, so if they can beat Oregon they could be in the playoff conversation. Can Luke Altmyer lead this team to a huge upset? Oregon is one of three Big Ten teams that haven’t suffered a conference loss. Penn State and Indiana are the other two teams, and the Ducks don’t play either of them. The offense and Dillon Gabriel continue to be one of the best in the nation. This could be close in the first half but expect Oregon to pull away. Ducks Win 31-20

We have an SEC battle between two top 25 teams. The 5^th ranked Texas Longhorns will travel to Nashville to battle the 25^th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. Texas is coming off their first loss of the season by losing to Georgia. We will see what kind of team the Longhorns are now they’ve dropped a game. Texas is still in the running for the SEC Championship game and a playoff berth. Can they bounce back from their first loss on the road? Vanderbilt is arguably the biggest surprise team this season. Diego Pavia has burst onto the scene and made a name for himself. Pavia leads Vanderbilt in passing and rushing and was the big reason they upset Alabama a few weeks ago. Can the Commodores pull off another huge upset? I’m picking Texas to rebound from their loss against Georgia. Longhorns Win 34-20

We stay in the SEC with this top 25 matchup as the 21^st ranked Missouri Tigers meet the 15^th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Missouri lingered around the top 10 for the early part of the season. They were blown out by Texas A&M and dropped in the rankings. Despite their ups and downs, the Tigers possess one of the better defenses in the country. How will they fare against Alabama who’s in need of a big win. The Crimson Tide haven’t looked right ever since their win over Georgia. They have dropped two of their last three games. The losses came against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, and they almost lost to South Carolina. Alabama can’t afford another loss, especially in the SEC. The Tide will need to run the table for an outside shot at the playoffs. I’m rolling with the Alabama to win a close one. Crimson Tide Win 27-20

This is the fifth and final game between teams ranked in the top 25. The 12^th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will travel to Jersey to face the 24^th ranked Navy Midshipmen. If Notre Dame didn’t get upset by Northern Illinois, they’d be a top 5 or 6 team. The defense is one of the best in the nation. They will need to win the rest of their games if they are going to make the playoffs. Can this defense slow down the Navy offense? The Navy come into this contest ranked and with one of the best offenses in the country. This will be their toughest contest of the season. The offense ranks in the top 5 in points and rushing. Can they pull off the upset? I’m going with Notre Dame in a close one. Fighting Irish Win 30-20

We have a Big Ten battle as the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Ohio to face the 4^th ranked Buckeyes. Nebraska is coming off an embarrassing loss against Indiana in a blowout. They managed to score only seven points while giving up 56. Dylan Raiola and the Cornhuskers offense have scored only 21 points in the last two games. How will the defense recover from giving up 56 points? Can Nebraska rebound in a major way? Ohio State is coming off their bye week after dropping their only game to Oregon. How will this Buckeyes team respond to the defeat? Will they be looking ahead to the Penn State game next weekend? How will the defense respond to giving up 32 points a couple weeks ago? I’m guessing Ohio State will play angry and beat down Nebraska. Buckeyes Win 41-21

We head back to the SEC as the Oklahoma Sooners head to Mississippi to face the 18^th ranked Rebels. Oklahoma has dropped three of their last four games heading into Mississippi. After scoring only 12 points in the last two games, the Sooners fired their offensive coordinator. In those two games, Oklahoma gave up a combined 69 points in those two games. Can the Sooners get back on track and possibly upset the Rebels? Ole Miss was a top 10 team about three weeks ago. The Rebels dropped two of their last three games. The Rebels must travel to Arkansas and at home for Georgia is their next two games. Can Ole Miss get their swag back at home against this struggling Sooners team? Jaxson Dart should get back on track and lead this team to the win. Rebels Win 31-17

We have a key ACC matchup between two of the top teams in the conference. The 22^nd ranked SMU Mustangs will travel to Duke to face the Blue Devils. SMU is having a successful first year in the ACC. The only defeat on their record is from the BYU Cougars in an 18-15 game. The schedule for the Mustangs set them up nicely to possibly play in the ACC title game. Can SMU continue to surprise the country and leave with the win? Duke only has one blemish on their record and that came against Georgia Tech. The offense only amasses a little under 330 yards per game. The defense allows a little over 17 points a game, which puts them in the top 20. I’m on the SMU bandwagon and think they’ll beat Duke at home. Mustangs Win 27-20

We head to the Big Ten Conference for this matchup. The 3^rd ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will head to Wisconsin to face the Badgers. Penn State is coming off their bye week following their close win at USC. The defense is great, and the offense continues to improve. Will Penn State overlook Wisconsin seeing them travel to Ohio State next weekend? Can Drew Allar maintain his composure against the Badgers defense? The Badgers have won three in a row after their two game losing streak. The defense allowed only 16 points during the 3-game winning streak. How will the defense do against the Nittany Lions offense? How about the Badgers offense against the tough Penn State defense? With Penn State having Ohio State next weekend, this will be a close game. I’m still going with Penn State to leave with the win. Nittany Lions Win 24-20

What do you think about my Week 8 college football picks? Any upsets happening? Leave some feedback below about anything related to my Week 8 college football picks. Below are my top 5 teams entering this weekend.

Trav’s Top 5 College Football Teams

1. Oregon Ducks
2. Penn State Nittany Lions (Still Undefeated)
3. Georgia Bulldogs (Beat the #1 Team on the Road)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (Still a Top 4 Team)
5. Miami Hurricanes (The Defense Scares Me)

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