Week seven of the college football season was a fantastic one, and we have another great slate for week eight. Now that conference play is in full swing, we are seeing numerous great matchups every weekend. We're into the best time of the year, and the second half of the season is sure to bring a lot of excitement. One matchup this weekend that features two top-25 teams will go down in Champaign, Illinois as the Illinois football team is hosting #24 Michigan. This is a crucial one for both teams.
These two teams are having very different seasons so far, and this is big contest for both. Illinois has surprised a lot of people with how good they have been through six games, and Michigan has surprised some people with their fall off. We knew that the Wolverines would take a step back after what they lost in the offseason, but they could be in for a tough second half of the year.
Before we get into predictions for this game, let's take a deeper look at both of these teams.
Illinois football has exceeded expectations so far
The Illinois football team is off to a great start as they are ranked #22 in the country and they are 5-1. Their only loss this season was on the road against #3 Penn State and it was a night game. That is arguably the toughest environment to play in in college football and it was against one of the best teams in the country. The Fighting Illini ended up losing 21-7, but they were in it until the very end.
Looking at this Illinois schedule, if they can win this game against Michigan, this team can absolutely finish with 10 regular season wins and flirt with a College Football Playoff spot. 10-2 in the Big Ten will give them a chance, and they end the year with four very winnable games after this week and a trip to #2 Oregon.
Michigan desperately needs a win
The Michigan football team needs to get a win against Illinois, and if it weren't for their most recent quarterback change, they probably wouldn't be favored in this game.
Michigan won the national championship last year, but they are now 4-2 on the season and barely clinging to a top-25 ranking. The Wolverines were handily beaten at home in week two against #1 Texas, but that's not a bad loss. However, their most recent defeat against Washington is one that stings.
The Wolverines made the change to Jack Tuttle at QB after going down 14-0 against the Huskies, and he gave the team life despite losing the game. Had he started, Michigan probably wins that one.
It's hard to tell what this Michigan team will do with Tuttle leading the way, but if he was healthy during the offseason, he would've won the starting job ahead of the season. Now, he is the guy, and he has a tricky first start against a talented Illinois squad.
This is a big game for both teams, and it should be a fun one. Here are three predictions for it:
Luke Altmyer will throw for 300 yards
The Michigan defense was expected to be the strength of the team this year, and while it's been better than the offense (not saying much), it hasn't been nearly as good as people were expecting. The pass defense is especially poor as it is one of the worst in the country, and Luke Altmyer will be able to exploit that.
Both teams will score 30+ points
This isn't very common because of the style of play from Michigan, but don't be shocked if we see a high-scoring game this weekend. The Wolverines finally have a QB that is capable of throwing the football, and Illinois should be able to find success against the Wolverines' pass defense. Illinois' last game was 43-43 after regulation, and we could see another one with a lot of points.
Michigan will win 35-31
The Illinois football team is the underdog at home in this one, and they will lose their second game of the season. If Michigan didn't have Jack Tuttle, they would probably lose this game, but it feels like he is going to make this offense significantly better than it was. The Wolverines quite literally had zero passing game. It's hard to establish the run when the threat of throwing the football isn't there. Michigan wins a close one, 35-31.
Michigan and Illinois will kick off from Memorial Stadium in Champaign at 3:30 ET/2:30 CT on Saturday, and the game will be airing on CBS. The Wolverines are currently favored by three points.
Other notable week eight games
ESPN's College GameDay goes to the biggest college football game every week, and they had an easy decision for where to go in week eight. The #1 Texas Longhorns are hosting #5 Georgia this weekend, and that is easily the biggest game of the week. These are the two highest-ranked teams in the SEC, and this is a huge game in terms of conference title implications. Georgia lost their last big road game, and they are hoping for a different result this time around.
This Georgia-Texas game is a huge one, but there are a lot of good games around college football this week. Let's go conference by conference and look at all the matchups that fans should be watching this weekend.
In the ACC, there are a couple big games to keep an eye on. #6 Miami is the favorite in this conference, but they have barely survived their last two games, and they probably should've lost them both. They play at Louisville this weekend, and it is going to be a tricky matchup.
Georgia Tech also has a huge opportunity in front of them this week as #12 Notre Dame is coming to town. The Yellow Jackets are 5-2, and a win over the Irish would be huge for their season.
There's not a lot going on in the Big 12 this weekend, but Friday night's matchup between #13 BYU and Oklahoma State is worth watching. The Cougars are currently in a spot that the Cowboys were expecting to be in, but Oklahoma State is 3-3 instead. Can they get a win and turn their season around?
Things are pretty quiet in the Big Ten outside of this top-25 matchup between Michigan and Illinois, but there is one other intriguing game. #16 Indiana is hosting 5-1 Nebraska for one of the biggest Hoosier home games in recent memory. Both teams are having big bounce back years, and the Hoosiers are hoping to stay perfect in front of their home crowd.
Lastly, we have some good ones in the SEC. There is obviously the top-five clash between Texas and Georgia, but #7 Alabama at #11 Tennessee is also going to be a great one. Both teams looked sluggish this past week after embarrassing upsets, so both need a win badly.
LSU at Arkansas is another one to keep an eye on. The Razorbacks are 4-2 and they took down Tennessee a couple weeks ago. Can they pull off another top-10 upset against LSU who is coming off of a huge win?
Buckle up, folks. It's going to be another exciting weekend of college football all around the country as this slate is loaded with good matchups. Sit back and enjoy.