College football has its way of teetering toward incredible chaos, giving everyone the roller coaster of their lives, then fully reasserting order at the last minute. We're still riding adrenaline from Week 7, a truly spectacular weekend and one of the best October Saturdays I can remember. We're entertaining thoughts of a Lane Kiffin vs. Tennessee SEC championship and College Football Playoff that runs by not only Ole Miss and the Vols but also UCLA, TCU, Syracuse or all of the above.
But even the 2007 season, the paragon of chaos and plot twists, ended with LSU-Ohio State. Per the Allstate Playoff Predictor, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama and Michigan -- teams that have snared 20 of the 32 CFP bids to date -- are the most likely ones to make the playoff. There's a non-zero chance we get a Bama-Georgia rematch in one semifinal and a Michigan-Ohio State rematch in the other, for instance.
If that happens, so be it. We'll deal. We'll put on our serious faces and business attire and do what we need to do. But for now, let's keep partying. Week 8 gives us our fourth unbeaten-versus-unbeaten matchup in two weeks (we had only three all of last season) and four other ranked-versus-ranked games. It gives us the biggest UCLA-Oregon game since the 2011 Pac-12 championship and could give us the biggest Syracuse win in 30 years. It gives us another round of impossibly good Big 12 matchups. It gives us Ole Miss-LSU.
The Death Star approaches, but college football is about the journey far more than the destination, and this has been one of the most enjoyable journeys in years. So we're going to keep the good vibes going. Here's everything you need to follow in Week 8.
The Pac-12's best hope vs. the Pac-12's best team?
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
The Pac-12 has been an absolute delight in 2022. Oregon, USC and Washington have all rebounded nicely under first-year coaches, and both Oregon State and Washington State have played decent and spirited ball as well. But the last unbeaten of the bunch is led by an old hand -- a couple of them, actually.
Fifth-year head coach Chip Kelly and fifth-year starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson took a while to get rolling together -- the Bruins went just 10-21 in Kelly's first three seasons in charge -- but the offense leaped to seventh in offensive SP+ during an 8-4 campaign in 2021, and it's third this season. Meanwhile, the defense, which hadn't topped 91st in any of Kelly's first four seasons, ranks 42nd. UCLA almost lost to South Alabama during a soft non-conference slate, but jumped from 30th to eighth overall in SP+ with excellent performances against Washington and Utah.
Now it's time to take the show on the road. Both Oregon and "College GameDay" await the Bruins in Eugene on Saturday. Like UCLA, Dan Lanning's Ducks boast a brilliantly efficient offense they rely on for both points and field position advantages; and like UCLA, the Oregon defense has decent moments but leaves something to be desired at times. The Ducks are 5-0 since a dreadful season debut against Georgia, and they've let only one opponent in that span stay within 18 points.