Home · Sports · Oct 25 archive

Week 8 Upsets Shake Up College Football Playoffs

Updated 5:03 AM ET · 4:05 AM ETConfirmed

Sports Desk

In Short: Week 8 of the college football season brought more surprises, with upsets continuing to reshape the College Football Playoff and conference championship races, particularly in the Big 12.

Week 8 of the college football season brought more surprises, with upsets continuing to reshape the College Football Playoff and conference championship races, particularly in the Big 12.

Quarterback Noah Fifita of Kansas State is playing the best football of his career, recording his fifth straight game with at least 275 yards and two touchdowns.

BYU, which had stunned Notre Dame the previous week, struggled to maintain its momentum, losing 39-31 to UCF in double overtime.

The Big 12's momentum was halted by these upsets, significantly altering the playoff and championship races.

The chaotic season continued as Week 8 delivered even more upsets, with five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 losing on the same day for the first time in the history of the poll.

The Big 12 had a realistic shot at three College Football Playoff teams if its teams had performed better, but the upsets have shaken up the race.

Saturday’s game between Tennessee and Texas will be the ninth college football game that former President Trump has attended since his two terms in office.

Knox County officials expressed excitement about Trump’s visit, welcoming him to experience what they consider the best venue in college football.

The University of Miami continued its undefeated season with a 43-35 double-overtime victory over Florida State, keeping its playoff hopes alive.

Kansas State blocked a potential game-winning field goal to clinch a win over Baylor, while Texas Tech fell to Cincinnati, 37-24.

Oregon, which started the season as the preseason No. 2 team, fell to 4-3 after a stunning 21-10 loss to Illinois.

The SEC giants are close to facing their biggest test yet in the early portion of the 2026 college football season, with LSU heading into its third game of the season humming on offense.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Week 8 of the college football season brought more surprises, with upsets continuing to reshape the College Football Playoff and conference championship races, particularly in the Big 12.
• Quarterback Noah Fifita of Kansas State is playing the best football of his career, recording his fifth straight game with at least 275 yards and two touchdowns.
• BYU, which had stunned Notre Dame the previous week, struggled to maintain its momentum, losing 39-31 to UCF in double overtime.
• The Big 12's momentum was halted by these upsets, significantly altering the playoff and championship races.
• The chaotic season continued as Week 8 delivered even more upsets, with five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 losing on the same day for the first time in the history of the poll.
• The Big 12 had a realistic shot at three College Football Playoff teams if its teams had performed better, but the upsets have shaken up the race.
• Saturday’s game between Tennessee and Texas will be the ninth college football game that former President Trump has attended since his two terms in office.
• Knox County officials expressed excitement about Trump’s visit, welcoming him to experience what they consider the best venue in college football.
• The University of Miami continued its undefeated season with a 43-35 double-overtime victory over Florida State, keeping its playoff hopes alive.
• Kansas State blocked a potential game-winning field goal to clinch a win over Baylor, while Texas Tech fell to Cincinnati, 37-24.
• Oregon, which started the season as the preseason No. 2 team, fell to 4-3 after a stunning 21-10 loss to Illinois.
• The SEC giants are close to facing their biggest test yet in the early portion of the 2026 college football season, with LSU heading into its third game of the season humming on offense.

What's still developing

• Here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 8 heading into primetime.
• College football's Week 3 slate looked like it had a few memorable matchups, but it delivered a weekend that we'll remember for a while.
• With so many top teams returning experienced and high-caliber quarterbacks, we knew the most important position in football would be a particularly big storyline in the 2026 college season.
• Still, there’s plenty enough football in the books to start looking at who the top transfers through the first half of the season have been.
• MORE: College football analyst says all the pressure is on Lane Kiffin ahead of LSU-Ole Miss battle LSU must shift its focus on offense in the event Leavitt is unavailable on Saturday night.
• Saturday’s Week 5 college football schedule kicks off with a must-see SEC matchup from Davis Wade Stadium between the No.
• Let’s take a look at Week 5 college football schedule today.
• Frankly, projecting the AP Top 25 college football rankings this week might be the most difficult single time we've ever had to do this.
• BYU coach Kalani Sitake told me in July that he’s not into politicking for College Football Playoff spots.
• Back by popular demand, this is your more comprehensive look at the upcoming college football schedule.
• If you want to watch college football on TV, I have bad news.
• Action starts at 11:00 AM ET with Memphis vs Charlotte (ESPN+) and wraps up at nearly midnight with the San Jose State Spartans vs Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (11:59 PM ET).

Sources

• Andthevalleyshooklink
• CBS Sportslink
• Sportsnautlink
• CBS Sportslink
• Wvltlink
• Espnlink
• On3link
• Bleacherreportlink
• Thebigleadlink
• Wtoclink
• Fansidedlink
• Nbcsportslink
• Complexlink
• WarpBeat — background on Week 8 Upsets Shake Up College Football Playoffs link
• WarpBeat — background on Week 8 Upsets Shake Up College Football Playoff Race link
• CBS Sports — video link