College football teams still undefeated: Miami, Utah and more face big tests to stay perfect in Week 8 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Despite a wild Week 7 in college football that saw several top-10 teams tumble, five undefeated college football programs remain entering Week 8. Those include the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes, the BYU Cougars, Texas Tech, UCLA and the Utah Utes.
A vast majority of them face some big tests, including some road games that will threaten their chances at staying unbeaten.
Here's a look at each upcoming game for college football's unbeaten teams.
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Unbeaten college football teams face Week 8 tests
No. 1 Miami (6-0) vs. Pitt
This game wasn't expected to be on anyone's radar, but after Miami nearly lost in overtime against Florida State last week, anything feels possible.
Pitt lost starting quarterback Mason Heinstchel to an ACL tear earlier this season. Head coach Pat Narduzzi has been playing both quarterbacks in true freshman Corey Dailey and Holden Geriner, but they have each thrown two interceptions each in losses to UNC and Boston College.
The Canes defense has just four interceptions all season, and the unit will be looking to rebound after the FSU game. Against the Noles, Miami allowed the most points all season (35). Pitt comes into this game averaging 32.9 points per game.
The Panthers likely don't have enough with a backup quarterback to pull off the upset, and Miami will likely be looking to take out some frustration from last week's scare. But it'll be interesting to see if the new No. 1 rankings gives Miami some jitters.
No. 2 BYU (6-0) at UCF
BYU is coming off of an emotional home upset of Notre Dame but has to regroup in a hurry. Bear Bachmeier and the Cougars go on the road to face a 3-3 UCF team.
Cougar running back LJ Martin has been ruled out again, meaning the pressure will be once again on Bachmeier to carry the load of the offense. He doesn't play as well on the road as he does at home.
Against Colorado State in Week 3, he threw his first interception, but he did have two rushing scores. Two weeks later at TCU, he threw for a season-low 62 yards passing, adding another two scores on the ground. UCF's defense has surrendered eight rushing touchdowns all season.
This is also a Knights team that has yet to lose at home this season. If UCF can limit BYU's offense, it'd be quite the signature win for Scott Frost, who is in his second stint at UCF. It would also poke a big hole in BYU's Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes.
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No. 8 Texas Tech (6-0) at Cincinnati
In an offseason filled with all the drama surrounding Brendan Sorsby, his backup, Will Hammond has the Red Raiders off to an undefeated start. He has played well so far this season, throwing for 1,334 yards and six touchdowns. But he does have five interceptions this season. Hammon has taken seven sacks so far, and the Bearcat defense has 14 so far.
While the Bearcats are undefeated at home so far this season, I'm not sure Cincy's defense has what it takes to match up against the Red Raiders. The Bearcats rank 128th overall in total defense, and 136th in passing. Still, the Big 12 is as wide open as any conference in the country, so the Bearcats pulling off the upset might not be a huge shock.
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No. 9 UCLA (6-0) vs. Michigan State
Under first-year head coach Bob Chesney, the UCLA Bruins have become legitimate Big Ten contenders in just six short weeks. Chesney's team shouldn't have too much trouble against a Michigan State team that's 2-5 on the season.
First-year Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is also 0-4 in the Big Ten so far this season. But with starter Nico Iamaleava out for the season with a torn ACL, UCLA's offense hasn't been as automatic with Ty Dieffenbach. The Bruins beat Wisconsin 17-7 last week, but it was a three-point game until the fourth quarter.
No. 10 Utah (6-0) vs. No. 14 Houston
I mean you couldn't have asked for a more perfect Big-12-After-Dark matchup with a late-night kickoff (10:15 p.m.). Utah hasn't missed a beat with the departure of longtime head Kyle Whittingham.
His replacement, longtime Whittingham assistant Morgan Scalley, has the Utes rolling, winning games by an average margin of 25 points. For third-year Cougars head coach Willie Fritz, Houston looks like a legitimate Big 12 contender this season.
This one will be a fun quarterback battle between Utah's Devon Dampier and Houston's Conner Weigman. Dampier has thrown for 1,412 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions so far this season, including three scores on the ground. Weigman has added 1,771 yards passing with 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
You might want to take the over in this one, as both units are Top-15 in the country in scoring offense, averaging close to 40 points per game. This game might come down to which team has the better defense, and that would favor Utah. The Utes rank 27th in total defense, and are 13th in scoring defense.
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