College football’s Week 8 delivered another Saturday of pure chaos, with five top-25 teams falling to unranked opponents and the playoff picture scrambled yet again. From Madison to Orlando to Austin, the upsets kept coming — and the Big 12’s dream of multiple playoff bids took a serious hit.
College football Week 8 (Credits: ESPN)
The headline act was Wisconsin’s 24-7 stunner over No. 16 USC at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers’ relentless run game overpowered the Trojans, who finished with minus-17 rushing yards after sacks on quarterback Jayden Maiava. Seven points is the fewest a Lincoln Riley-coached team has ever scored, and USC’s playoff hopes are now hanging by a thread with Ohio State up next.
Week 8 Upsets: Kentucky, UCF and Cincinnati Shake the Rankings
Kentucky kept its dream season rolling with a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt, improving to 7-1 for the first time since 2018. Quarterback Kenny Minchey, the Notre Dame transfer, threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns as the Wildcats continued one of the SEC’s biggest breakout stories.
The Big 12, meanwhile, entered Saturday holding three of the FBS’s five remaining unbeaten teams — No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 10 Utah. By nightfall, two of them were gone: UCF stunned BYU 39-31 in double overtime, and Cincinnati wiped out Texas Tech 37-24. The conference’s hopes of sending multiple teams to the 12-team playoff field suddenly look far shakier.
Texas Survives as College Football Week 8 Chaos Continues
Not every favorite fell. No. 19 Texas held off No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 after blowing a 21-point lead, keeping its own playoff hopes alive in a thriller. And Miami’s Malachi Toney set a program record with 16 receptions in a 52-23 win over Pittsburgh, reminding everyone why he belongs in the best-receiver conversation.
With ranked teams dropping left and right, Week 8 proved once again that in 2026, no lead — and no ranking — is safe. The playoff race heads into November wide open, and the chaos shows no sign of slowing down.
Also Read: No. 19 Texas Holds Off No. 7 Ole Miss Rally to Win 34-27 | UCF Stuns No. 2 BYU 39-31 in Double Overtime
Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
