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Paul Myerberg and George Schroeder, university football insiders, are battling over who will win Saturday's game between Oregon and Washington State.
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Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke is attacked by defensive linemen Rashan Gary, left, and Maurice Hurst in their 2017 game.(Photo: Rick Osentoski, USA Today Sports)
The list of playoff impact games featured this week includes a caveat. We are aware that the # 1 Alabama (in Tennessee at 3:30 pm Eastern Time, CBS) and the number 2 in the state of Ohio (at Purdue at 7:30 pm from ABC, ABC) will participate in road conference games on Saturday.
Both have at least the potential to be delicate, but an improbable loss would not be a fatal blow to the team's aspirations in the playoffs. The teams in the remaining games on this list, however, are for all intents and purposes worth winning, even as we have just spent half of the campaign.
With all this out of the way, here are the games that have the biggest impact on the quest for college football playoffs in the eighth week.
No. 15 North Carolina to No. 3 Clemson
Saturday, 3:30 pm ET, ESPN
These are the last two classified teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference. That is why, for all practical purposes, each represents the last chance of the other for a quality victory. Given this reality, it is definitely a eliminator of the playoffs and the de facto match of the ACC Atlantic Championship.
In terms of QB experience, the state of NC really has the advantage with veteran Ryan Finley at the helm. He can spread the ball among a variety of reliable targets if he has time to find it, but it can be a very big "against" like DE Clelin Ferrell, DT Christian Wilkins and the rest of the D-rank of the Tigers "NFL ". -line. Clemson freshman Trevor Lawrence made a good start against Wake Forest for the last time, although RB Travis Etienne provided most of the game. The Wolfpack will attempt to first remove the main tracks, a task that will mainly fall to LB Germaine Pratt and SS Jarius Morehead.
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State of Mississippi at USS number 5
Saturday 19h ET, ESPN
Tigers fans chanting "We want 'Bama! After the great victory of LSU against Georgia will get their wish when the time comes. Meanwhile, the Bayou Bengals have a case to settle before the Crimson Tide comes to Baton Rouge on November 3rd. It starts this week with yet another group of Bulldogs, a dangerous team that has regained its balance after two days of skidding.
The state of Mississippi was released last week after entering the SEC's victory column against Auburn. The remainder of the training allowed quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, also the best running back of the team, time to recharge. But he is going to need some help to produce the distance against LB Devin White and the rest of the Tigers' salt defense that kept Georgia in the traffic jam. Miss State's caps are not bad either, especially with Johnathan Abram and Mark McLaurin patrolling high school for safety. LSU QB Joe Burrow may need to test the deep waters to keep them at home.
No. 7 Michigan at Michigan State
Saturday, noon ET, Fox
Thanks to a decisive win over Wisconsin and a lot of chaos, the Wolverines are back in the playoff conversation, not to mention the Big Ten race. But they still have a lot of work to do, starting with this always dangerous adventure in East Lansing. The Spartans have just spoiled the Penn State title hopes and have a new opportunity to blur the image of the conference.
Michigan QB Shea Patterson had a lot of help during his ground game in the person of Karan Higdon during the win in Wisconsin. He also took a shot with a 81-yard run, but Joe Bachie and Andrew Dowell of the Spartans LBs do not give up a lot of long-time winners. Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke led the winning race at State College, despite the continuing absence of RB LJ Scott (ankle), still questionable this week. The winner of the winning draw, WR Felton Davis, is sure to catch the attention of Wolverines S Josh Metellus.
Oklahoma N ° 10 at the TCU
Saturday, noon ET, ABC
The Sooners were last seen in Texas, during a clash in the heart of the Red River clash, which prompted head coach Lincoln Riley to shake his squad. 39, defensive coaches. After a week off, this will be our first chance to see the possible impact of these changes on the unit's performance. Even if it's a road match, the schedule still provides a little break from OU against the Horned Frogs. But if TCU can move the ball consistently, this could be a bad sign for the Sooners who are going from the front.
The good news for OU is quarterback Kyler Murray has almost overcome the defensive deficiencies and his presence will keep the team in most games. The Horned Frogs also had a few more days of preparation, but LB Garret Wallow and S Innis Gaines will still have their hands full with the many weapons of the Sooners. QB Shawn Robinson and Co. of the Horned Frogs only scored 14 points in the loss to Texas Tech on Thursday night. WR KaVontae Terpin is his main major threat, but S Kahlil Haughton and the high school of the OU will be aware of his situation at any time.
Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown scored a touchdown in the third quarter against TCU in the Big 12 championship game. (Photo: Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports)
No. 11 Oregon to No. 23 Washington State
Saturday, 7:30 pm ET, Fox
With nearly half of the season playing, the Pac-12's chances of sending a playoff team are low but not zero. The Ducks may well represent the league's best prospect at this point after their overtime triumph against Washington. All they can do now is try to get this win on the quality road to Pullman and hope for more chaos among contenders from across the country. Of course, cougars are not very interested in Oregon's position because they themselves have aspirations for a conference.
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Washington State suffered a blow a few weeks ago in southern California, but the Cougars also won an inter-divisional victory against Utah. They also come out an open date, while Oregon had to empty their tank to miss the Huskies. Cougars' Gardner Minshew quarterback has 19 assists and only four picks in the lead for the high attack attack for which Mike Leach's teams are well known. Ugochukwu Amadi, Oregon, and his friends will try to minimize the damage caused by big jets. But Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert has scored 17 times and is not worried about staying in a competition. He will however have to avoid the LB Cougars Dominick Silvels.
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