10 takeaways from Week 8 of the college football season

It’s with a heavy heart that we examine the top stories from Week 8 of the college football season.

Here are the top 10 takeaways from the action, followed by a sad reminder that life is precious and sometimes all too short.

1. The college football gods were at it again

Last weekend we were treated to a play that will be talked about for years, as a punt-gone-bad for Michigan resulted in a walk-off touchdown for rival Michigan State. Then on Saturday, the football gods decided it was time for another last-second miracle.

With the game tied at 16-16, Florida State (No. 9) was lined up to try a 56-yard field goal with just six seconds remaining in the game, which would have secured a win over Georgia Tech.

Instead of walking off the field with a victory, kicker Roberto Aguayo had his attempt blocked at the line of scrimmage. Yellow Jackets defensive back Lance Austin scooped up the bouncing ball and ran it back 78 yards for the game-winning score.

The stunning victory for Georgia Tech stopped a five-game losing streak, which head coach Paul Johnson was all to happy to leave behind.

“It was our turn,” head coach Paul Johnson said with a huge smile on his face, via the ESPN2 broadcast. “We’ve had so many this year that have gone the other way. I’m just so proud of our guys. They fought, and fought and fought.”

As for FSU, this loss is going to hurt. Playing in the ACC, it seems extremely unlikely the Seminoles will have any chance at all to make it into the final four at the end of the season.

2. USC finally shows its full strength at home, much to the chagrin of Utah

As we predicted, USC shrugged off its many burdens and unleashed a torrent of offense against No. 3-ranked Utah at home, winning 42-24.

The Trojans finally showed what they are capable of doing when playing together, and they dominated both sides of the ball. Quarterback Cody Kessler was efficient and didn’t make any costly mistakes, tossing a touchdown pass along the way to superstar JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had a monster game. USC’s running backs had trouble finding many holes but still managed to punch it in four times for touchdowns.

The defense was outstanding, forcing four interceptions out of Travis Wilson and holding Utah’s normally dominant rushing attack to just 99 total yards.

It was the kind of performance most experts expected out of USC all year, but unfortunately off-field issues with former head coach Steve Sarkisian threw a big monkey wrench into those expectations. After putting on a good show on the road against Notre Dame last weekend and then seeing what they did on Saturday, it appears the Trojans are once again a team to be feared.

For Utah, the loss likely drops them out of consideration for one of the final four playoff spots at the end of the year, and it opens up the Pac-12 South for what should be a fantastic finish.

3. Clemson’s vicious takedown of Miami should be last straw for Al Golden

The calls for Miami to fire Al Golden have been heard since Week 1 of the season. Every weekend we’ve seen small airplanes flying over stadiums with “#FireAlGolden” banners. A few early wins didn’t do much to squelch the discontent rising from Hurricanes fans who just can’t wait for Golden to be fired.

Losses to Cincinnati and then hated rival Florida State — winners of six straight now over Miami — gave those fans plenty of motivation to continue sending banners and lighting up social media with their thoughts on the coach who can’t seem to raise the program out of the mire of mediocrity.

Then, Clemson happened.

58-0. The worst loss in school history.

The Tigers were so hot at the halfway mark that head coach Dabo Swinney wasted no time to praise his players for their outstanding effort as they gathered around him on the playing field they owned on Saturday.

What Clemson did to Miami on Saturday what is known in the gaming world as “pwnage.”

Golden didn’t have his team ready to take on undefeated Clemson, and from the opening whistle until the thank-god-it’s-finally-here final whistle, the Hurricanes were embarrassed.

Former players were livid, as were the thousands of fans who paid good money to watch their favorite team. Clemson deserves plenty of credit, but the way Miami came out flat and stayed flat is simply inexcusable.

Golden should be fired, and at this point waiting until the end of the season would to more harm than good.

4. Baylor suddenly vulnerable after losing Seth Russell to neck injury

Man, talk about a sucker-punch to the gut.

Baylor quarterback Seth Russell, who has put up ungodly numbers for the Bears, suffered a scary neck injury on Saturday. Per Chuck Carlton of The Dallas Morning News, “X-rays and a CT scan revealed a fracture in one of the bones of his neck.”

At this point, it isn’t known if the injury will keep Russell from playing on Nov. 5 when the team hits the road to face Kansas State. However, neck fractures are nothing to take lightly. With that in mind it seems likely Russell will be out of action for a while.

Assuming he can’t play, then it will fall to freshman Jarrett Stidham to fill the humungous shoes of Russell. Thankfully for Baylor and its fans, Stidham has been brilliant in limited action, passing for six touchdowns with no interceptions.

It’s one thing to perform well in mop-up duty, though, and quite another to start and finish an entire game. As a freshman, Stidham could be entering deep waters that he may or may not be ready to navigate.

Oh, by the way, Baylor did win by a few scores, 45-27, over Iowa State, which actually held the Bears to zero points in the third quarter.

5. Jared Goff and Josh Rosen could both become stars in the NFL

The UCLA Bruins had little trouble dispatching Pac-12 rival Cal at home on Thursday night, 40-24, but Bears quarterback Jared Goff still managed to put on a terrific show. Josh Rosen out-shined his counterpart, but in the end both quarterbacks look like they’ll find plenty of success in the NFL.

For Goff, it was important to respond with a big game after getting abused by Utah last weekend.

The junior showed tremendous resilience coming back from his four-interception game to throw for 295 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. And, as many scouts have pointed out, he’s truly making the most of his opportunities playing with receivers who struggle to consistently get open.

Rosen is a freshman who has taken some lumps this season, but he thrived against a sub-par Cal defense, totaling 399 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

For those who love watching quarterbacks pick apart defensive secondaries, the game was a delight. Both young men look like they will develop into potential stars at the next level.

6. Connor Cook is putting it all together for Michigan State 

Speaking of young men who look like pros, Cook fits this description. The senior Michigan State quarterback has been outstanding this season, showing unflappable poise and a knack for giving the Spartans a shot in the arm when they need it the most.

Up by just two entering the fourth quarter, Michigan State was having trouble with the feisty Hoosiers. Then, Cook, who was strong all night while the running game struggled, took the game over in the final stanza, leading the Spartans to a 52-26 blowout at home.

Finishing with 398 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, Cook is on a serious roll. In his last three games, he has passed for 1,093 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception.

“Connor was hot, so let him sling it, that’s how we were feeling,” MSU wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr. said (h/t Mark Griffith of MLive.com). “We see Connor play like this every day. He’s a great quarterback, and some of the throws he makes in practice are incredible, too.

The Spartans are now 8-0, and the only big test left on the schedule is the road game against Ohio State on Nov. 21. If Cook continues to stay hot, then there is no reason Michigan State can’t win out to finish undefeated, provided his defense can shut down the suddenly surging Buckeyes offense.

7. Duke just couldn’t get enough of Virginia Tech

Overtime can be dramatic, but No. 23-ranked Duke and Virginia Tech took it to another level on Saturday evening. It took four overtimes to decide the winner, and finally quarterback Thomas Sirk had enough on the final two-point conversion and just tunneled his way into the end zone to end the darn thing.

Sirk was brilliant when it counted. Using his arm and leg, the dual-threat quarterback accounted for 379 total yards and four touchdowns.

The Hokies put up a valiant fight, thanks in large part to tremendous performances by quarterback Michael Brewer (three touchdown passes), receiver Bucky Hodges (101 receiving yards and all three scores) and running back Travon McMillian (142 rushing yards and two touchdowns).

After the two squads couldn’t decide the battle at the end of overtime, they kicked the offense into overdrive, scoring 21 and 19 points, respectively.

The victory was huge for the Blue Devils, who are still undefeated in the ACC with an overall record of 6-1. The win keeps them tied at the top of the ACC Coastal with North Carolina and Pittsburgh, which also won in a tight battle Saturday against Syracuse.

8. Derrick Henry emerging as legit Heisman candidate 

Alabama (No. 8) evaded a huge upset by a narrow margin, beating Tennessee 19-14 at home.

The Volunteers led by a point late in the fourth quarter, and then Henry sealed the win with a timely 14-yard score, his second on the day. All in all, the junior running back piled up 143 yards, and he kept the offense alive on a day in which quarterback Jake Coker was getting harassed on a regular basis.

With the two touchdown runs, Henry has now scored a rushing touchdown in 13 straight contests.

The Crimson Tide would have lost without the fine play of Henry. And, another loss would have sunk ‘Bama’s chances at getting back into the playoffs.

When everyone else on offense struggled he rose to the occasion and carried his team to victory, and his performances the past two weeks have propelled him into the conversation as a true Heisman contender.

9. J.T. Barrett was the right man all along for Ohio State

It took Urban Meyer half a season to work it out, but there can be no doubt that Barrett will remain the starting quarterback for Ohio State the rest of the way.

Thanks to his dynamic athleticism and quickness, Barrett can do things in the running game that Cardale Jones could never do. Since Meyer inserted him into the lineup last weekend, midway through the game against Penn State, all Barrett has done is total 456 yards and nine touchdowns.

Let’s repeat that again. Nine. Touchdowns. In a game-and-a-half.

The Buckeyes had no trouble at all with Rutgers on Saturday night, taking down the Scarlett Knights 49-7. For the first time since Week 1, the offense purred like a kitten.

Ezekiel Elliott benefitted from Barrett’s mobility, finding wide-open spaces to run to as the Rutgers defense keyed in on the quarterback. He finished with 142 yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries.

Barrett got his big-play receivers involved in the game, too. He connected five times with Michael Thomas for 103 yards and a touchdown, and Braxton Miller had two catches for 55 yards. Curtis Samuel and Jalin Marshall both caught touchdowns as well.

All season long, I’ve been harping on the Buckeyes, saying they haven’t been playing like a No. 1 team. For the first weekend since the opener, that’s changed. The offense is finally clicking, and that spells bad news for the rest of the Big Ten.

10. Christian McCaffrey might carry Stanford to Pac-12 championship

Stanford rolled right over Washington in the late game Saturday night, 31-14, and not surprisingly running back Christian McCaffrey was the catalyst for the team’s offensive success.

Adding to his ridiculous all-purpose yards total, he totaled 221 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 109 yards and catching five passes for 112 yards.

Stanford’s offense is really starting to catch fire, and it could be happening at just the right time of year to make a late-season push for the Pac-12 championship, or better. With just one loss on the season, which occurred in Week 1 on the road to Northwestern, the Cardinal could really make some postseason noise by winning out.

This is especially true in light of Utah’s loss earlier in the evening to USC.

McCaffrey is also starting to develop some serious Heisman hype. Before the game he was on pace to break Barry Sanders’ single-season all-purpose yards record, and he did nothing to get off course in Week 8.

Final thoughts: Our hearts break with Oklahoma State University

Sometimes events happen that make sports irrelevant. Such was the case on Saturday when tragedy struck at Oklahoma State’s homecoming parade, via the Associated Press:

“A woman suspected of driving under the influence plowed into a crowd Saturday during the Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, killing three people and injuring dozens more after a collision that sent some spectators flying through the air.”

There are no words that can convey the deep loss felt by everyone affected. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them as they mourn.