2020 College Football Insider | Week 8

2020 - Week 8 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 8

Quote of the week “We’ve never been in this position before. For us to be able to come out with a victory, in a Wednesday night game on national television, there’s tone of excitement here.”

- Costal Carolina Head Coach Jamey Chadwell after upsetting No. 21 Louisiana-Lafayette, 30-27

TEAM TO WATCH:

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys jumped to No. 6 this week and look forward to their first ranked matchup of the year, hosting No. 17 Iowa State on Saturday. The matchup will be a battle for Big 12 supremacy with both teams being undefeated in conference play.

Last time out, Oklahoma State flexed its offense with a 47-7 victory over Kansas. Freshman quarterback Shane Illingworth threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns while star running back Chuba Hubbard rushed for 145 and added two scores on the ground.

The victory over Kansas was Oklahoma State’s best offensive performance of the season. The Cowboys defense has only allowed 9.0 points per game over their first three contests and will need to keep that momentum against Iowa State running back Breece Hall who has the third most rushing yards in the country and Gilbert Perry graduate Brock Purdy at quarterback.

Oklahoma State enters the gauntlet of its schedule with No. 17 Iowa State, followed by Texas, No. 20 Kansas State and rival Oklahoma.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

Florida State

First-year Head Coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles earned their first ACC victory by upsetting No. 5 UNC, 31-28, on Saturday. The victory was Florida State’s first Top 10 win since 2016.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jordan Travis completed 8-of-19 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown and ran 16 times for 107 yards.

His performance helped Florida State jump out to a 31-7 halftime lead. The Seminoles defense bent but would not break as they held off UNC’s comeback attempt. The Tar Heels were held to 2-of-11 on third-down conversions and went 0-for- 3 in fourth-down attempts.

The Seminoles dominated on the ground, rushing for a season-high 241 yards. Running back La’Damian Webb led the way with 109 yards on 12 carries.

Next up, Florida State will travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals this Saturday, October 24, at 9 am (AZ time).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 8

games of the week ILLINOIS AT #14 WISCONSIN 10.23 | 5 PM | BTN

NEBRASKA AT #5 OHIO STATE 10.24 | 9 AM | FOX

#17 IOWA STATE AT #6 OKLAHOMA STATE 10.24 | 12:30 PM | FOX

AP Week 8 Rankings 1. CLEMSON

6. OKLAHOMA STATE

2. ALABAMA

7. TEXAS A&M

3. NOTRE DAME

8. PENN STATE

4. GEORGIA

9. CINCINNATI

5. OHIO STATE

10. FLORIDA

For the full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.

WHERE IS COLLEGE GAMEDAY:

Minnesota

College Gameday heads to Minnesota for its first Big Ten matchup of the year as No. 18 Michigan travels to No. 21 Minnesota. It is opening weekend

#18 MICHIGAN AT #21 MINNESOTA 10.24 | 4:30 PM | ABC

for the Big Ten and five teams are in in the Top 25.

It is only the second time in College Gameday history that the show has traveled to the University of Minnesota, with the first appearance coming last year for Minnesota’s final home game against Wisconsin.

#9 CINCINNATI AT #16 SMU

Gameday has a different look this Fall, but fans

10.24 | 6 PM | ESPN2

collegegameday.com for a chance to rep their team.

For a full schedule of Week Eight games, click here. (All times in AZ)

are still able to participate online and send in their best Gameday Signs on Twitter by heading to

College Gameday airs Saturday, October 24, at 6 am AZ Time.

2020-21 Bowl PREDICTIONS: PLAYSTATION ® FIESTA BOWL

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – Penn State vs. Oregon

ESPN Bonagura – Purdue vs. Texas

ESPN Schlabach – Penn State vs. USC

ESPN Schlabach – Texas vs. Nebraska

CBS – Boise State vs. USC

CBS – Iowa vs. TCU

USA Today – BYU vs. Wisconsin

USA Today – Northwestern vs. Texas

247 Sports – BYU vs. USC

College Football News – Indiana vs. West Virginia

College Football News – Wisconsin vs. USC

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 8

GOLDEN HISTORY:

1996 – ANOTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP The 1996 Fiesta Bowl was the perfect match-up.

No. 1 Nebraska against No. 2 Florida. Both teams were undefeated. It was only the fifth time in college football history that two unbeatens faced off in a bowl game. It was January 2, prime time, under the lights and the entire world watching.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire Former LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire had

Within the blink of an eye, Nebraska flexed its muscles, showed its big game experience and rolled over Florida, 62-24, to claim its second consecutive national championship.

the best game of his NFL rookie season on Monday,

The Cornhuskers did it on both sides of the football.

rushing for 161 yards on 26 attempts as Kansas City

Offensively, they rushed for a then NCAA bowl record 524 yards. Defensively, they recorded seven sacks, forced four turnovers, had a safety and returned an interception for a touchdown.

defeated Buffalo, 26-17. It was Edwards-Helaire’s second 100+ yard rushing game this season and his first since Week 1. Edwards-Helaire is now second in the NFL in rushing with 505 yards, trailing only Tennessee’s Derrick Henry (588).

In 2018-19, Edwards was just getting his feet wet as a sophomore in the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl. The LSU tailback returned the opening kickoff 77 yards to set up a field goal, rushed for 32 yards and added three receptions for 25 yards. He helped the Tigers to a 40-32 victory over UCF. A year later, Edwards-Helaire put the football world on notice when he rushed for

In a game with several stars, it was Nebraska’s Tommie Frazier who owned the spotlight. Frazier threw for a touchdown and ran for two scores, including one of the most exciting runs in college football history, a 75-yard tackle-breaking rumble.

1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns as a starter. He was drafted in the first round by the Chiefs.

Welcome Back Big Ten! Big Ten football is back! The conference opens play this weekend with five of its teams ranked in the Top 25. Illinois and No. 14 Wisconsin kick things off on Friday with several premier matchups happening on Saturday, such as Nebraska at No. 5 Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan at No. 21 Minnesota.

Several experts predict an at-large Big Ten team will play in the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl with Penn State and Wisconsin being named most frequently.

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will definitely be BIG with the Big Ten taking on the Big 12 in the only bowl matchup between the two conferences.

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will be played in downtown Phoenix in December.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 8

MORE THAN JUST A GAME® TEACHER FEATURE:

MICHAEL SCHMIDT Michael Schmidt’s students were losing interest in class, they are eighth graders after all, and he needed to do something about it quickly.

Schmidt needed funding for IXL, a math learning program designed to create a more personal learning experience for students, to challenge them. He knew that the program worked well for his past students and wanted the same program for his current students.

After several grant submissions and meetings with his school board, Schmidt still did not receive funding for the IXL program. So, he decided to

GUARANTEED RATE JOINS WITH CACTUS BOWL FOR NEWLY-NAMED:

apply to the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers grant.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

With college football Bowl Season coming soon, Guaranteed Rate has joined with the Fiesta Bowl Organization to become title sponsor of the newly-named Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Formerly known as the Cactus Bowl, this is the only postseason matchup between members of the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences.

Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, will be the game’s exclusive financial partner, including mortgages, home loans and home buying categories.

Two of college football’s most successful conferences, the Big Ten and Big 12 faced off in the Bowl eight times from 2006-13. The Guaranteed Rate Bowl’s three most-attended games featured Big Ten/Big 12 pairings, including the 2011 contest when Iowa and Oklahoma played before a Bowl-record 54,247 fans.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 8

JAN. 2, 2021 S TATE FAR M STAD IUM

D ATE & TIME TBD C HASE FIE LD

F I E S TA B O W L . O R G /FIESTABOWL

@FIESTA_BOWL

GUARANTEEDRATEBOWL

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 8

@RATEBOWL