Week 8 is where the undefeateds bit the dust. As early as Friday night, the fields were full of unbeatens. But by sundown on Saturday, the college football scythe had done its work. A bevy of teams that cruised through September finally met their maker, with the sport reminding everyone that perfection is hard to keep hold of once the leaves start to change.
No. 2 Miami fell flat against Louisville on Friday night. Memphis got bit by a Trent Dilfer-less UAB squad. Ole Miss lost a barn-burner against SEC heavyweight Georgia. And Texas Tech and UNLV ran out of good vibes and pixie dust.
All that to say: Weekends like this are what make college football the greatest sport in the world. With every passing week, the College Football Playoff picture (and national title race) gets murkier and murkier. Your guess is as good as mine as to how this thing will play out at year’s end.
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MONDAY SHOCKWAVES
Observations from the Boise State Gameday Experience
Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images
*Writer’s note: I did not watch a ton of college football this weekend, as my wife and I traveled to Boise, Idaho, for our first anniversary. I’m sure I missed a lot of stuff. I did, however, get a firsthand look at the Boise State gameday experience…
1⃣ Boise State fans are incredibly hospitable.
I know, I know, every fanbase is incredibly hospitable. But I say this as someone who lives in Midwest Nice territory (Omaha, Nebraska), that, for my money, Boise State fans have to be some of the most welcoming and down-to-earth people I’ve experienced in my 32 years of life.
My wife and I arrived at the surrounding Albertson’s Stadium area three or so hours before kickoff, with hopes of stumbling into some tailgating. And boy, did we.
We enjoyed free ice-cold beers, warm bowls of rice and teriyaki chicken, and made conversation with some of the nicest Bronco fans out there. A special shoutout and massive THANK YOU to Jordan and Derick, who both hosted us at their tailgate area as part of some Boise State Athletics fundraising efforts.
2⃣ Nebraska fans are everywhere
This might feel like a niche acknowledgement if you don’t live in Nebraska like I do, but I truly believe that you can find Nebraska Cornhuskers fans anywhere and everywhere. Upon arriving on the tailgate scene around Albertson Stadium, we met someone from McCook, Nebraska, who was handing out beers, a nice young lady who spent time in Nebraska for college, and later met a pair of Husker fans, one of whom was sporting a Husker purse.
I fully expected my wife and I to be the lone Nebraska folks in attendance for the game this weekend. Luckily, I was wrong.
3⃣ The Smurf Turf is 100% worth seeing in person
As someone who can now say that I’ve watched football games at Eastern Washington (red turf) and Boise State (blue turf), the blue turf is absolutely worth the hype.
Is it a bit disorienting at first? Absolutely.
Is it cool as hell, especially when paired with Boise State’s blue uniforms? You bet.
I’m a big believer that college football atmospheres are, in part, what make the sport so unique. Boise State’s atmosphere is no different. From the blue turf to the rowdy Bronco fans, everything about it was exceptional. I highly recommend making a trip up to Idaho and catching a game if you’re able.
4⃣ UNLV’s defense is a mess
Now, on to the actual football observations. I know this probably isn’t a surprise to anyone who has either watched the Runnin’ Rebels this season or to anyone who read Thursday’s edition of this newsletter, but good grief, is the UNLV defense painful to watch in person.
I’m not going to act like a coach or someone smarter than a coach. But I watch a lot of football. And when watching the Runnin’ Rebels live, it’s easy to see just how bad that unit is.
UNLV’s defense doesn’t do a great job of taking good angles. The defensive line and linebackers were getting covered up with ease in the run game. And on the off chance they did bottle up a Boise State runner, I didn’t think the tackling was great either. Giving up 200 rushing yards during the first half is just abysmal.
I’m a Dan Mullen believer and think he’s done some nice things for that program so far. But man, oh man, does that group need some work.
5⃣ Boise State running back Dylan Riley had himself a DAY
Boise State did a lot of things well in the 56-31 rout over previously undefeated UNLV. Chief among them was running the football. And running back Dylan Riley was the Main Man on Saturday.
It has to be an exceptionally tough act to follow, being the guy after Ashton Jeanty at Boise State. Jeanty was a man amongst boys. I’m not saying Riley is the next Jeanty or anything, but you can tell there’s a real player there.
Riley sliced through the first and second levels of the UNLV defense with ease on Saturday, finishing with 201 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Watching him live, he has a fun blend of speed, change of direction, and good eyes for open run lanes. Let’s all keep an eye on his development moving forward.
THE PODCAST
Our Week 8 Reaction Special is live!
We're still trying to process what just happened in Week 8 of college football. Over half the AP Top 25 was in serious peril, with nine ranked teams falling and four others barely escaping disaster. This wasn't just chaos – it was relentless, unforgiving madness from Tuesday through Saturday night.
We dive deep into the most significant results of the weekend, starting with Louisville's stunning upset of Miami on Friday night. Then there's Arizona State's win over Texas Tech, Vandy's home triumph over LSU, and a pair of impressive victories by Alabama and Georgia. Plus, Notre Dame ran over USC, Georgia Tech logged a workmanlike win over Duke and BYU won its third straight Holy War over Utah. We also dive into a handful of other honorable mentions across every conference and time slot.
And last but not least, we play your voice messages, answer the question that everyone is asking and pay sweet homage to the top performers of Week 8 with our Dude Alerts.
We’d love your feedback on the newsletter. Just reply back with your thoughts. Stay solid!