Week 8 Recap: The Top 25

#23 Iowa @ #1 Michigan
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 20, Iowa 6
Same old, same old. Iowa only ran for 69 yards, and Drew Tate was held to a mostly ineffective 197. Henne only threw for 203 and a pick as well, but as usual, Mike Hart carried the day (and the ball!) with 126 and 2 TD. Rushing and defense, rushing and defense. Yep.

Indiana @ #2 Ohio State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 44, Indiana 3
Troy Smith: 15/23, 220, 4 TD. Actually Heismanworthy! And the defense actually stopped...well, I guess Indiana has a running game.

#4 West Virginia @ Connecticut
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 37, Connecticut 11
The defense actually played as well as you could expect, limiting WVU to only 3 or so big plays. However, the only showing worse than that of the UConn offense was that of the UConn student section. Only 2 rows left by halfway through the third quarter? Come on.

#5 Texas @ #18 Nebraska
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 22, Nebraska 20
And both teams were about as even as the score shows, although Texas featured a more balanced attack. Three Nebraska turnovers were probably the difference. Colt McCoy showed poise, going 25/39 for 220 and 2 TD, with most of those yards going to Limas Sweed (119, TD). Texas is the class of the Big 12, but probably closer to the pack than figured, while Nebraska pretty much solidified themselves as #2 in the wake of Adrian Peterson's injury.

Tulane @ #7 Auburn
My Pick: Auburn
Final Score: Auburn 38, Tulane 13
Backup RB Ben Tate had a big day (156 rushing yards, TD), with Kenny Irons sitting the game out. On the minus side, I know Tulane was probably passing and trying to play catch-up, but the Auburn D still allowed 412 yards. Meh.

#19 Georgia Tech @ #8 Clemson
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 31, Georgia Tech 7
Whoopin whoopin whoopin. I figured the GT defense would show up either way, but the Clemson running backs just shredded them to a horrifying degree. James Davis: 216 and 2 TD on 21 carries. C.J. Spiller: 116 and a TD on 16 carries, and a 50-yard TD reception. Oh, and for some reason Georgia Tech didn't really throw to Calvin Johnson all that much. So, yeah, Clemson looks like a scary machine hellbent on death amongst the ACC's mediocrity. Of course, since BC had that fluke win over the Tigers and the ACC is so weak, BC will probably run the table and keep Clemson out of the ACC title game. Sigh.

Washington @ #9 Cal
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 31, Washington 24 (OT)
Holy fuck that fucking touchdown catch! Wow, what a...weird game statwise. On the Washington end anyways. For Cal, Nate Longshore threw for 291 yards, but Marshawn Lynch was the offensive MVP with 150 yards and 2 TD. Meanwhile, Washington QB Carl Bonnell both simultaneously kept the Huskies in the game and lost it for them, throwing for 284 yards, 2 TD, and...5 INT. So, Washington looks far from dead, especially if they can keep the turnovers down. Meanwhile, Cal is the easy #2 in the Pac 10 with Oregon's loss, but this game suggests that USC could very well eat them alive.

Fresno State @ #10 LSU
My Pick: LSU
Final Score: LSU 38, Fresno State 6
JaMarcus Russell only threw for 210? I'm ashamed. Basically, an unspectacular but solid whoopin'.

#11 Louisville @ Syracuse
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 28, Syracuse 13
Brian Brohm still seems rusty, only throwing for 203 and a pick. He may have actually been outperformed by Perry Patterson's 303 and 1/1 TD/INT ratio. Fortunately for Louisville, they were the team with a running game, as Kolby Smith and Anthony Allen combined for 210 and 4 TDs, while Syracuse ran for...74. Louisville seems vulnerable, though that may be temporary.

Alabama @ #12 Tennessee
My Pick: Tennessee
Final Score: Tennessee 16, Alabama 13
Absolutely disgustingly ugly game statistically. The only player who put up any yardage of note was Erik Ainge, who threw for 302 but had 3 picks. Just...ugh. Both teams are about even, but their stock takes a bit of a hit with me.

#13 Oregon @ Washington State
My Pick: Oregon
Final Score: Washington State 34, Oregon 23
Backup Oregon QB Brady Leaf put up 262 and 2 TD, accounting for most of the Ducks' yardage, but unfortunately, Dennis Dixon started and threw 2 picks. WSU RB Dwight Tardy ran for 145 and a TD, so...so much for Oregon's defense. And Oregon, really. With this, the Ducks have fallen from "solid conference #3" to "most talented team in the pack."

UCLA @ #14 Notre Dame
My Pick: Notre Dame
Final Score: Notre Dame 20, UCLA 17
On the one hand, holy crap what a comeback pass. On the other hand, they needed a comeback pass against a team that only put up 277 yards. Same old, same old from UND. Big game for Brady Quinn, no real running game, defense can shut down a non-existent offense.

#15 Boise State @ Idaho
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 42, Idaho 26
WACTASTIC! Idaho QB Steven Wichman had 328 yards and 3 TD, but probably kept the Vandals out of it with 2 picks. Boise RB Ian Johnson remains a scary, scary man: 183 yards and, yes, 4 more TDs. Boise's defense looks really, really suspect, but the Broncos have the offense where they don't have to worry in that conference.

Colorado @ #16 Oklahoma
My Pick: Oklahoma
Final Score: Oklahoma 24, Colorado 3
OU RB Allen Patrick ran for 110 and a TD, whatever that means. Yep. All in all, the OU offense looked mediocre, but the Colorado offense was just...sad. Horrible. Awful. Very bad. Which may be an effect of the Oklahoma D being back to its usual self, but who knows. It's Colorado. They're not very good. So yeah, mediocre win for Oklahoma, skepticism abounds although there's optimism about the defense.

Mississippi @ #17 Arkansas
My Pick: Arkansas
Final Score: Arkansas 38, Mississippi 3
Arkansas's Felix Jones returned the opening kickoff for 100 yards, and it was all downhill from there. Yawn.

#22 Rutgers @ #20 Pittsburgh
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Rutgers 20, Pittsburgh 10
Whoops. Tyler Palko had a decent day (169, TD) but Rutgers stopped the Panthers' running game and established their own. Ray Rice: 225 and a TD. I guess Rutgers is legit, but...god. Rutgers? Really?

#21 Wisconsin @ Purdue
My Pick: Wisconsin
Final Score: Wisconsin 24, Purdue 3
Well, so much for that prolific Purdue offense. John Stocco only threw for 201 and a pick, but Badgers RB Pat Hill Jr. carried the day with 161 rushing yards and 2 TD. Rushing and defense, Big Ten-tastic! Wisconsin seems to have this "little Michigan" vibe to it, and it's adorable. Like a dog that thinks he's people! Awwwww.

#24 Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State
My Pick: Texas A&M
Final Score: Texas A&M 34, Oklahoma State 33 (OT)
TAMU QB Stephen McGee threw for 192 and 2 TD, and was the Aggies' leading rusher with 86 yards, so he continues to impress. Top RB Jovorskie Lane had 2 TD, but only 25 yards. Similar was backup OK State QB Zac Robinson's performance, with 3 TD but only 94 yards. Yep. A&M's pretty good, and OK State is probably better than any non-Huskers/Mizzou team in the North.

Mississippi State @ #25 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Georgia 27, Mississippi State 24
YAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN. UGA defense didn't impress, and the UGA offense is still the UGA offense. Sigh.