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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 intriguing matchup this weekend that features a top-25 team is the Indiana football team hosting Nebraska for what should be a great environment in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are looking to improve to 7-0.
Indiana is currently 6-0 and ranked #16 in the country. Nobody saw the Hoosiers getting off to a start like this, but this weekend's contest against Nebraska will be their toughest yet. The Cornhuskers are also having a great bounce back season so far as they are currently 5-1 and just outside of the top-25 rankings. A win this weekend would put them back in. Before we get into predictions, let's take a deeper look at both teams.
Nebraska football is close to ending their bowl drought
The Nebraska football team is on a horrendous bowl game drought as they haven't played in the postseason since the 2016 season. However, the Cornhuskers are currently 5-1 and they are just one win away from becoming bowl eligible. That would be a big step in the right direction, but with how this season has gone so far, Nebraska should end up with more than just six wins.
Nebraska has one loss on the year and it was against a solid Illinois team. The Cornhuskers missed a big opportunity in that one late and they probably should've won the game, but they couldn't get it done. However, a win against Indiana would make them 6-1 and the Cornhuskers would still have hopes for the College Football Playoff. This is a big one.
This is the biggest Indiana football home game in a long time
It took just six games for the Indiana football team to become bowl eligible, and now that they are 6-0, they have their sights set on the College Football Playoff. That would be a pretty impressive first year for Curt Cignetti, huh? He has won everywhere he has gone, and so far, he has only won with the Hoosiers.
The one concern about Indiana is that they haven't played anyone with a pulse. Their toughest game so far was against Northwestern, one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. That is not an exaggeration. People thought it was Maryland, but the Terps just got blown out by the Wildcats, so, gotta go with Northwestern as their toughest game.
We should find out a lot about Indiana this weekend. Here are three predictions for this big game.
Kurtis Rourke will throw at least one interception
Indiana football quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been extremely impressive this year, and it's hard to find a lot of QBs with better numbers than him. Through six games, Rourke is 118/160 for 1,752 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He is completing passes at a high clip, he is racking up yards, he is throwing touchdowns and he is taking care of the football. However, this Nebraska defense is the best that the Hoosiers will have faced this year, and they will face Rourke into a mistake or two.
Indiana will have at least three total turnovers
The story of this football game is going to be the Indiana football team turning the ball over. The Hoosiers have had some trouble in that department already this season, and they haven't seen a defense even close to as good as Nebraska's. The Cornhuskers are going to force this offense into some mistakes.
Nebraska will win 31-21
After playing six cupcakes to start the season, Indiana is going to be caught off guard a bit playing a solid Nebraska team. Expect a slow start from the Hoosiers, but they will settle in and this will be a competitive game. However, the Cornhuskers will pull away for a good, comfortable road win.
Nebraska and Indiana will kick off at noon ET from Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Saturday, and the game will be airing on Fox. The Hoosiers are currently favored by 6.5.
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 intriguing game between Indiana and Nebraska. However, there is one top-25 matchup in the conference that will be a good one. #24 Michigan is hitting the road to take on #22 Illinois. That's a big one for both teams, but especially the Wolverines as they can't fall to 4-3.
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.
