College football predictions: Week 8

Showdowns in the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten highlight college football’s eighth week.

Kansas at OU: Sooners 37-10. There have been stretches when Kansas football was decent. This is not those times.

Iowa State at OSU: Cyclones 27-25. Upset special. The Cowboys are beat up, haven’t beaten a representative team yet and now face a blue-collar opponent that can ugly up the game. If Wes Lunt doesn’t play, OSU is in trouble.

Texas Tech at TCU: Red Raiders 30-21. What a good matchup. A couple of resilient teams. The winner could be tied for first place in the Big 12.

Baylor at Texas: Longhorns 40-30. Hard to get excited about either team after their no-shows last Saturday. But at least the ‘Horns are at home.

Kansas State at West Virginia: Mountaineers 33-31. All the Big 12 is pulling for the Mountaineers. If K-State wins, the league race is turning purple very quickly.

Rice at Tulsa: Golden Hurricane 41-19. Tulsa seems on a collision course with the Liberty Bowl.

Florida State at Miami: Seminoles 34-25. What if the ACC doesn’t have a single good team? FSU and Clemson probably are good, but man, sometimes it’s hard to tell.

Virginia Tech at Clemson: Tigers 38-20. Even with a loss, the Hokies won’t be out of the ACC race. V-Tech is 4-3 overall, 2-1 in the ACC.

North Carolina at Duke: Tar Heels 38-34. If Florida State beats Miami, the UNC-Duke winner leads the ACC Coastal Division. Amazing.

Wake Forest at Virginia: Cavaliers 31-24. Virginia makes its case that it’s NOT the ACC’s worst team.

Boston College at Georgia Tech: Yellowjackets 37-20. Firing Al Groh as defensive coordinator was a low-class move, Paul Johnson. Not in mid-season.

North Carolina State at Maryland: Wolfpack 28-23. Tom O’Brien is turning N.C. State into a solid program.

Penn State at Iowa: Nittany Lions 21-12. Don’t ask how, but the Hawkeyes are unbeaten in Big Ten play. That won’t stick.

Michigan State at Michigan: Wolverines 27-7. This is usually a great game, but the Spartans stink. I’m not optimistic.

Nebraska at Northwestern: Wildcats 28-27. This game ultimately could decide the Legends Division of the Big Ten.

Purdue at Ohio State: Buckeyes 51-31. Boilermakers have become a big disappointment. Ohio State should be kicking itself for taking post-season penalty in 2012 instead of 2011.

Minnesota at Wisconsin: Badgers 34-19. Wisconsin starting to find its stride after a woeful start.

Indiana at Navy: Hoosiers 39-24. After a couple of close calls, against Michigan State and Ohio State, Kevin Wilson gets a much-needed victory.

LSU at Texas A&M: Bayou Bengals 20-16. I had it all wrong. I thought Missouri would play well in its maiden SEC season, while the Aggies would struggle. The opposite is true.

Alabama at Tennessee: Crimson Tide 31-19. Grand old rivalry could use a big upset.

Auburn at Vanderbilt: Commodores 25-17. The news just keeps getting worse for Gene Chizik, who seems to have the worst team in the SEC.

South Carolina at Florida: Gators 26-17. Steve Spurrier’s homecoming is more showdown than reunion. Gamecocks conclude a murderous three-game stretch.

Georgia at Kentucky: Bulldogs 42-12. Can Auburn play Kentucky?

Oregon at Arizona State: Ducks 44-28. Thursday Night Football. The Ducks’ 2007 national title hopes ended on a Thursday night, with a 34-24 loss at Arizona.