College Football Week 8 scores, games, updates: Miami at Louisville, Nebraska at Indiana and more

Week 8 is a big week for the SEC.

Saturday features two games between top-11 opponents and could go a long way in deciding who plays for the conference title in Atlanta in December. Of the four, only No. 1 Texas is undefeated. No. 5 Georgia, No. 7 Alabama and No. 11 Tennessee each have a loss.

But there is also a lot to watch outside of the SEC.

Here’s what to keep an eye on in Week 8. All times are Eastern Time and all odds are from BetMGM.

Time: Noon | TV: ABC | Line: Miami -4.5 | Total: 61.5

Is Miami in danger of a third close game in a row? Louisville has won its last two games as an underdog at home, and both wins came against ranked opponents. No player in college football has more than Cam Ward’s 23 total touchdowns. If Miami can avoid Saturday’s upset and Ward has a fantastic game, its Heisman campaign will be in an even stronger position.

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: Alabama -3 | Overall: 56.5

The Crimson Tide are the away favorites in Knoxville as the Vols’ offense is coming off a difficult two weeks. UT has been plagued by penalties and sacks, but the Crimson Tide have their own issues. After the away defeat at Vanderbilt, Alabama was only able to defeat South Carolina in the last game with a 27:25 victory. Tennessee has one of the best defenses in the SEC. Will Alabama have answers right from the start?

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: Michigan -3 | Overall: 43.5

This has the makings of a slugfest; Just look at the over/under. Jack Tuttle replaced Alex Orji in UM’s Week 6 loss to Washington and will be Michigan’s third starting quarterback of the season in the Wolverines’ seventh game. Michigan will obviously try to run the ball as often as possible. And that could be a good strategy against Illinois.

Time: 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Line: LSU -3 | Overall: 55.5

This three-point line is no coincidence. The last four games of this series were decided by exactly three points. The Razorbacks are playing their third straight opponent after losing to Texas A&M and beating Tennessee. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier had his toughest game of the season in the Tigers’ OT win over Ole Miss in Week 7, but it was still a win thanks to the Tigers’ defense.

Time: 7:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: Texas -4.5 | Overall: 55.5

Georgia’s second big road test of the season is the most important game of the weekend. The top-ranked Longhorns earned a blowout win over Oklahoma in Quinn Ewers’ first start since Week 3. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Georgia needs Carson Beck’s best game of the season to get the win. Ewers became more comfortable as the Oklahoma game progressed, but Texas’ biggest strength was its running game.