2025 Games of the Slot: Week 8
Breaking down which game to watch at each time slot this weekend
With just the blink of an eye, we’re past the halfway point on this college football season. By now, we’ve started to get a sense of who the contenders are in conference and playoff races. But this weekend should either clear or muddy that picture up a ton.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, I’m guessing it muddies everything further. After all, this is one of the most parity-filled seasons to date. There aren’t a ton of top-flight clear contenders, just a lot of teams with question marks that can - and will - slip up at a moment’s notice.
But that’s why we love college football, right? For the glorious unpredictability?
Let’s strap in for another unpredictable weekend filled with tight games, upsets and crazy moments that leave you asking how and why that’s even allowed.
As always with the Games of the Slot, all times are in Eastern.
Friday Night
Game of the Slot: Louisville at 2 Miami (7 p.m., ESPN)
This has all the makings of a trap game.
For one, Louisville is good. They rank 13th in success rate (11.1 percent) and 14th in Net EPA/play (+0.26). As a Jeff Brohm coached team, you’d assume that means the Cardinals are great on offense. You’d be wrong. This year’s Louisville has made their mark on the defensive side of the ball, posting the top defense in the nation by Net EPA/play (-0.24). They’re by far Miami’s toughest test on offense. But the Cardinals are no slouch on offense either. They have two studs at tailback in Isaac Brown and Duke Watson and Miller Moss is playing solid game-manager football. If he heats up, Louisville could turn this game into the types of wild, Friday night shootouts in the second half of the season that has defined Mario Cristobal’s time in Coral Gables.
To avoid that slip up, the well-rested Hurricanes have to come out eager and ready to play. They’ve played just one game - a close win over Florida State two weeks ago - this month. And while the Hurricanes seem to have fixed their defense, it hasn’t really been tested yet. Can they deal with the Louisville offense? And how does the Miami offense respond to a quality defense? The good news for Miami fans is that the Canes should dominate the trenches on both sides, which may be enough to quiet the upset calls.
Multi-Box Games: 25 Nebraska at Minnesota (8 p.m., FOX); North Carolina at California (10:30 p.m., ESPN); San Jose State at Utah State (9 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
If Nebraska is going to take a step, they have to get past Minnesota. Drake Lindsey has cooled off under center for the Gophers, so maybe Dylan Raiola and company can blow past Minnesota. North Carolina is looking to avoid a complete disaster and find a way to not lose to every Power Four opponent by 20 points, while California is starting hot, but has to get true freshman Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele back on track after two rough weeks. Finally, we get a Mountain West matchup with tons of up-tempo offenses and plenty of point potential for a great shooutout.
Saturday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 11 LSU at Vanderbilt (ABC)
There’s a lot at stake for both teams here.
LSU has a playoff-ready defense, but the injuries to quarterback Garrett Nussmeier - who I’m not convinced is fully healthy yet - have the Tigers firmly on the playoff bubble. Even though Vandy has fallen out of the rankings, the Commodores provide a tough out and a strong defense that will test LSU’s readiness. With no rushing game in sight, it’s all up to Nussmeier to get this offense on track. If they can, LSU firmly returns to contender status. If they don’t and Vandy leaves with a win, LSU may be sitting on their couch come January.
For Vandy, this is a chance to prove that they truly belong in SEC contention. I’m mostly watching quarterback Diego Pavia here. He played well for most of the matchup against Alabama, but costly turnovers by Pavia sunk the Commodores’ upset chances. Still, a win here keeps Vandy alive in the SEC and CFP races. As we’ve talked about, this isn’t just Pavia against the world this year, the Vanderbilt team has strong trench play and a plethora of lethal playmakers on both sides of the ball. Their defense is going to make life hard for Nussmeier and the LSU offense.
Multi-Box Games: 10 Georgia Tech at Duke (ESPN), Washington at Michigan (FOX), Army at 23 Tulane (ESPNU)
This ACC matchup is likely to determine one of the competitors in the conference title game. Plus, it’s interesting stylistically. Georgia Tech is going to pound the rock, Duke is going to air it out. Who wins? Washington and Michigan are an interesting watch, as well, as they can both start positioning for an at-large bid with a win. Finally in the American, Army’s trench play and ground-and-pound style could be the foil to what Tulane’s run this year. This game can get really ugly really quickly.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 5 Ole Miss at 12 Georgia (3:30 p.m., ABC)
It’s time to start wading through the SEC.
So far, Ole Miss may be the best team in the league. They’ve weathered the injury to quarterback Austin Simmons well as DII transfer Trinidad Chambliss has taken the league by storm. Chambliss did hit his first struggles last week, though, in a close win over Washington State. With Simmons’s status still up in the air, it’ll most likely be Chambliss again against Georgia. The good news is, aside from last week’s flare-up, Chambliss and the Ole Miss offense has played like one of the nation’s best, ranking 23rd in offensive EPA/play. The defense is posting similar ranks, too, giving Lane Kiffin his most balanced team in his time in Oxford.
For Georgia, Kirby Smart needs to stabilize his team. We’ve seen them play well on offense and bad on defense (loss to Tennessee), and poor on offense and good on defense (win over Auburn). Can Georgia put it all together like they should? To me, that variability has hurt the Dawgs and leaves them prone to losing a game like this. Still, the defense has stacked good weeks. The offense is more of the concern, ranking in the 40s in most advanced stats. If Gunner Stockton can get this rolling, Georgia could make Ole Miss look like light work. If not, we may be staring down a playoff-bound Lane Kiffin team.
Multi-Box Games: 7 Texas Tech at Arizona State (4 p.m., FOX); UNLV at Boise State (3:30 p.m., FS1); Old Dominion at James Madison (3:30 p.m., ESPNU)
Our Big 12 matchup really hinges on quarterback health. I think Texas Tech can weather the injury to Behren Morton, but Arizona State absolutely will not compete if Sam Leavitt is out. We get a likely Mountain West title game preview between Boise State and UNLV. Both are playoff sleepers and this is always a tight, close game. Over in the Sun Belt, we get the first life in a rivalry. Old Dominion runs a variant of that Tennessee veer and shoot that’s always given James Madison fits and now has the roster to compete with the Dukes. James Madison is still cycling quarterbacks like nobody’s business, but the Dukes have playoff on the mind too.
Wondering where these rankings are coming from? Check out this week’s SID Sports Top 25!
6-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 17 Tennessee at 6 Alabama (7:30 p.m., ABC)
It’s the Third Saturday in October and that means major SEC implications.
For Tennessee, Joey Aguilar has proved to be a solid add under center. When he’s on, he can orchestrate the nation’s most dangerous offensive attack. When he’s not, you see the most head scratching turnovers in the nation. Live by the sword, die by the sword, right? Either way, the Tennessee offense is humming like usual under Josh Heupel, ranking 8th in passing success rate and 15th in rushing success rate. They lit up Georgia’s defense a few weeks ago, so you know they can hang with anyone. Look for Joey Aguilar to try to get his young, breakout receivers going on those perfect long balls.
Alabama is probably the hottest team in the nation since their Week One loss. Ty Simpson has almost entirely cut out turnovers. Jam Miller’s return from injury has coincided with Alabama establishing a balanced attack and taking the pressure off of Simpson. Bad news is Miller is banged up once again and is questionable for Saturday’s tilt in concussion protocol. With Miller out, Simpson will have to rely on his elite receiving corps, who can run past anyone in the nation, but have serious drop concerns. At least Kalen DeBoer can rely on Kane Wommack to draw up a great defensive gameplan, as he has all year.
Multi-Box Games: 13 Utah at 21 BYU (8 p.m., FOX); 9 USC at 19 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock); 18 Missouri at Auburn (7:45 p.m., SEC Network)
The Holy War always delivers with fireworks and this year should be no different with both teams trying to ground and pound their way past their arch rivals. Lock in for a wonderfully toxic close game. Speaking of rivalries, the Battle for the Jeweled Shillegagh carries a lot of weight. Both teams’ CFP chances hinge on a win here. USC remains among the nation’s elite offenses, while Notre Dame is four points away from a perfect record and has a rapidly improving freshman quarterback. Finally, Auburn has a knack for winning games like this, with their backs against the wall and welcoming ranked Missouri at home. Missouri also plays well with their backs against the wall, but the chaos potential here is off the charts. Here’s your weird game of the week.
West Coast After Dark
Game of the Slot: Florida State at Stanford (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Oh, did I say that was you weird game of the week? How about this ACC matchup?
Florida State has fallen off a cliff since the win over Alabama. Mike Norvell’s seat is heating up again. Tommy Castellanos suddenly looks human. The defense hasn’t pulled their weight. Things are off in Tallahassee. This is your opportunity to get back on the right track. Stanford is clearly a tier below whatever the Seminoles are. A loss could be devastating to the Florida State program.
For Stanford, you’re just hoping for something to build off of. Micah Ford is the player to watch for the Cardinal, but Frank Reich is doing his best. This just isn’t a good team. They rank 123rd in success rate, while Florida State is 17th. You get the picture. The only reason this is here is because of body clock potential. It’s a 10:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff. If there’s any potential for chaos, it’s there, with a wildly inconsistent Florida State team traveling cross-country for a late night game that they should win.
Multi-Box Game: Nevada at New Mexico (9:45 p.m., FS1); Lafayette at Oregon State (9:45 p.m., The CW)
Nevada and New Mexico are two basic afterthoughts this year. I’d say New Mexico is the better of the two, but it could be a tight game. Nevada quarterback Chuba Purdy should at least make it entertaining. Finally, we close our night out seeing if Oregon State post coach firing can notch their first win. Even if it’s over an FCS team.
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