Rooting Guide: Which week 8 games are most important for Penn State football?

Penn State football took down UMass 63-0 on Saturday to improve to 6-0. Now, the Nittany Lions will have their biggest test of the season with a trip to Columbus to take on No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday. The massive Big Ten matchup will headline another large slate of college football games that will impact Penn State. We’ve got you covered with a complete rooting guide for the Week 8 slate of college football that could impact Penn State’s push for the College Football Playoff.

A wild day of upsets in Week 7

Last week, Penn State football got a lot of help with 8 ranked teams losing, many of those being upsets. The biggest game of the day was a 36-33 win for No. 7 Washington over No. 8 Oregon, handing the Ducks their first loss of the year. While that game wasn’t an elimination game, it gave a clearer picture of who was the leading contender from the PAC 12.

There were five one-loss teams that were officially eliminated from the Playoff race. Oklahoma State outlasted No. 23 Kansas 39-32, Arizona crushed No. 19 Washington State 44-6, Missouri took down No. 24 Kentucky 38-21, No. 12 North Carolina beat No. 25 Miami 41-31, and No. 15 Oregon State defeated No. 18 UCLA 36-24.

Two undefeated teams went down last weekend as well. One of them wasn’t too much of a surprise with No. 21 Notre Dame taking down No. 10 USC 49-20 in South Bend. While the Irish were favorites, the final score was much more lopsided than anticipated. Even more shocking was that Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams threw 3 interceptions for the Trojans.

However, the most shocking upset of the entire weekend was 1-4 Pitt taking down No. 14 Louisville. The previously unbeaten Cardinals were coming off an emotional win over Notre Dame and were shut out in the second half against the Panthers. Former Penn State QB Christian Veilleux went 12-26 for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Penn State football fans’ rooting guide: College Football Week 8

This week features 4 ranked matchups, including the battle in Columbus, that could impact the College Football Playoff race. There are also multiple games that will have an influence on the Big Ten title race as we make the turn for the second half of the season. Here are the games to keep an eye on throughout the Week 8 slate.

No. 17 Tennessee (5-1) @ No. 11 Alabama (6-1) 3:30 pm ET CBS

This game was a thrilling walk-off field goal victory for Tennessee last season that broke the long Alabama winning streak in the series. Now, these two teams meet again in Tuscaloosa in what should be a de facto elimination game for the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee had to grind out a 20-13 win over Texas A&M at home last week. The Volunteers have struggled at times to score this season with Joe Milton at quarterback. Alabama held off Arkansas 24-21 at home last week to keep its Playoff hopes alive. The Crimson Tide are 9-point home favorites.

This game will eliminate someone from the College Football Playoff with a second loss. Tennessee still must play at No. 20 Missouri and host No. 1 Georgia. Alabama’s only remaining ranked game on the schedule is when it hosts No. 19 LSU.

Penn State football fans should be rooting for Tennessee to knock off Alabama. There is a good chance that Alabama runs the table and goes to the SEC Championship game with one loss, while Tennessee has some tricky games it needs to get over, including taking down the two-time defending champs.

South Carolina (2-4) @ No. 20 Missouri (6-1) 3:30 pm ET SECN

This game may seem strange to have on the rooting guide, but it has a similar feel to Pitt vs Louisville last week. South Carolina has underperformed this season and lost a tight one 41-39 to Florida at home last week.

On the other side, Missouri has been a pleasant surprise and is coming off a dominant 38-21 victory over Kentucky. The Tigers are a 7.5-point favorite this weekend which is close enough to make everyone raise their eyebrows.

Nittany Lions fans should be pulling for South Carolina to pull off the upset. While Missouri isn’t considered a Playoff team by many, an SEC team with one loss isn’t out of contention until it picks up that second loss.

Minnesota (3-3) @ No. 24 Iowa (6-1) 3:30 pm ET NBC

Iowa has one of the most disgusting offenses in college football. Penn State football shut out the Hawkeyes 31-0 in what is still their only loss of the season.

Last week Iowa picked up a 15-6 win over Wisconsin on the road. Now the Hawkeyes face Minnesota, who has been equally as bad and only has one win over a Power 5 program this season, which was the 2023 opener over Nebraska. The total for this game opened at an insanely low 32.5 points. Sadly, the line is moving down because even the public isn’t sure how points will be scored in this game. Iowa enters as a 5-point home favorite.

This game could have massive implications for Penn State football. We will know where the Nittany Lions sit by the time this game kicks off, but currently, Iowa is their best win. On top of that, Iowa needs to win to help Penn State in case of a three-way tie scenario in the Big Ten East.

Minnesota has already lost to Michigan and has Ohio State on the schedule as well. So having them lose as many games as possible would help lower both of their Big Ten West opponents’ win percentage.

Wisconsin (4-2) @ Illinois (3-4) 3:30 pm ET FS1

Illinois shocked the Big Ten world last week after picking up its first conference win over Maryland. The Badgers lost starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai in a 15-6 loss to Iowa. This will most likely be one of those classic Big Ten West slugfests. Wisconsin enters as a 2.5-point road favorite.

Penn State should be rooting for Illinois to pull off the home upset. The Illini could be a factor in the Big Ten West winning percentage tiebreaker if there were to be a three-way tie. Wisconsin is also on Ohio State’s schedule, so that would hurt them as well, thus potentially helping the Nittany Lions.

Northwestern (3-3) @ Nebraska (3-3) 3:30 pm ET BTN

The Wildcats weren’t expected to win many games after Pat Fitzgerald was fired before the season due to a hazing scandal. Yet somehow, they are 3-3 halfway through the year. Nebraska knew this would be a tough season in the first year under head coach Matt Rhule. Both teams desperately need this win if they want to have a chance to become bowl-eligible. Nebraska enters as a 12-point home favorite.

The third game of the weekend with potential Big Ten title game implications. In the three-way tie scenario, Penn State football fans are going to root for Northwestern, and Michigan fans will be rooting for Nebraska. Again, all of this probably won’t matter because someone will go undefeated, or another of the top 3 in the East takes two losses. Until that happens, though, the scenario always needs to be in the back of everyone’s mind.

No. 13 Ole Miss (5-1) @ Auburn (3-3) 7:00 pm ET ESPN

Ole Miss has quietly creeped back up in the rankings after its loss to Alabama a few weeks ago. The Rebels were off last week but had taken down both LSU and Arkansas at home in the prior two weeks. Auburn has struggled in SEC play, losing three games in a row to start the conference schedule.

Jordan-Hare is one of the most difficult places to play in the SEC and probably the main contributor to why this game is expected to be close. Ole Miss enters as a 6.5-point home favorite.

Penn State football fans need to root for Auburn to pull off the home upset in this one. A loss by Ole Miss would officially eliminate them from Playoff contention and could open up things for Penn State should it pick up a loss to either Ohio State or Michigan.

No. 16 Duke (5-1) @ No. 4 Florida State (6-0) 7:30 pm ET ABC

This game has less juice than a few weeks ago with the uncertainty around injured Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. Without Leonard, the Blue Devils were able to get a 24-3 win over NC State last week. Florida State is coming off a dominant 41-3 win over Syracuse.

The Seminoles are the frontrunner in the ACC this season, and many expect them to run the table the rest of the way. Duke has had another good season under Mike Elko with its only loss a 7-point defeat to Notre Dame. Florida State enters as a 14-point home favorite.

Penn State football fans should pull for Duke to get the upset this week. If the Nittany Lions take down the Buckeyes, this week there is a chance they would jump the Seminoles in the rankings regardless of the outcome in this game. If the Nittany Lions lose, though, they will need some help with some undefeated teams dropping and giving them a chance to sneak in as an 11-1 team at the end of the season.

No. 14 Utah (5-1) @ No. 18 USC (6-1) 8:00 pm ET FOX

Last week, USC was exposed 48-20 by Notre Dame in South Bend. The Trojans Heisman quarterback Caleb Williams threw 3 interceptions, and the defense was once again gashed. Utah quietly took care of California 34-14 and is 5-1 and in the mix for the PAC 12 title race.

This game will showcase some contrasting styles with a grind-it-out good defensive team in Utah against the high-flying offensive team of USC. The Trojans enter as a 6.5-point favorite.

This game is another regular-season Playoff game. The loser will pick up their

second loss and effectively end their College Football Playoff hopes. Both teams still have both Oregon and Washington left on the schedule. USC does have the game against UCLA to end the year as well. So, while both probably have more losses on the schedule upcoming, a Utah loss may be the best option.

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