Week 8 College Football Review: USC Falters Again, Ohio State Wins, UNC Takes Crushing Loss

Dominick ranks the best games from Week 8 of the college football season. What were the best games from Week 8 of the 2023 CFB season?

While there were limited headliner games in Week 8, we still had some quality results from the overall college football slate.

No, we are not going to talk about the 12-10 Minnesota win over Iowa. They won the game despite not even scoring a touchdown. And no, we will not talk about the Mississippi State thrilling 7-3 victory over Arkansas. But we will talk about the defensive battle in Columbus and the USC Trojans losing for the second week in a row.

As the season passes the halfway point, many of these results will have a lasting impact on the programs on either side of the result. Whether USC can make the playoffs is now answered. But we are still a bit uncertain about Ohio State and its ability to win a National Championship. Either way, these were some fun games, and it is time to look at them to find out what to expect moving forward.

No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes: 20, No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions: 12

QB Drew Allar said it correctly in his post-game interview when he said: "I sucked.” He did play bad. But this loss was not all on the shoulders of the sophomore signal caller. James Franklin must take a lot of the blame for yet another loss to a good team.

Franklin is now 1-9 against Ohio State. Add this to his disappointing record against Michigan and he is a combined 4-15 against the two teams Penn State is competing against to win the Big Ten.

Est. 2017#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/fETzYFkGUx

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 21, 2023

The game, expected to be a defensive battle, was just that. Ohio State and Penn State both were forced to settle for field goals and punts for much of the game. Penn State’s offense was unable to score a touchdown until the final drive of the game.

With the Nittany Lions down by 14, Aller was able to throw a single touchdown pass -- a pass which came after an Ohio State penalty gave Penn State its only third down conversion on a day on 16 tries. According to ESPN stats and info, this was the worst third down conversion percentage for any top-10 team with at least 16 attempts in over a decade.

Both defenses came up strong. They must continue to remain elite if either of these teams wants to first, beat Michigan, and second, win a playoff game. This game showed the limitations of both offenses. Michigan was certainly watching, and it will use this tape, not just to steal signs, but to also figure out ways to defeat both squads in upcoming games.

Penn State will look to get back on track Saturday against Indiana while the Buckeyes will head to Wisconsin for another defensive game against the Badgers. Both teams have one game of consequence left in their season -- a game for each against Michigan. If either team loses a game moving forward, the season will be considered a bust.

Virginia Cavaliers: 31, No. 10 North Carolina: 27

While Drake May is still the favorite to be the No. 2 QB in the 2024 NFL Draft, this game will not be one he will want NFL scouts to focus on in the pre-draft workup.

Although May had 347 yards and two touchdowns, he finished only 24 of 48 passing and his last-minute interception was the final play in a North Carolina loss to a Virginia team that came in 1-5 and as a 24-point underdog.

This game was not supposed to be close. It was supposed to be another UNC win on the way to a showdown with Miami later in the season to decide if it would go to the ACC Championship Game undefeated. Now it must worry about missing out after yet another inexplicable loss to a lesser opponent. The best part, and the part of this game that should be talked about the most, is Virginia running back Mike Hollins.

Hollins finished with 15 carries for 66 yards and three touchdowns. But this is secondary to his strength. Hollins was a member of the Virginia football team who was on the trip to Washington D.C. near the end of the 2022 season. After returning to campus, a disgruntled, former member of the team opened fire killing three and wounding one. Hollins was that one. He spent time on a ventilator recovering and telling his family he no longer wanted to play football.

After recovering, Hollins changed his mind. Not for selfish reasons, but because he felt he owed it to his fallen teammates. Now, 11 months later, he scored three touchdowns in the Cavaliers' first top-10 win on the road. This is all I have to say about this game. Nothing else truly matters.

Mike Hollins is a cheat code! 🎮

Hollins sealed the WIN with 66 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 15 carries! ⚔️@UVAFootball | @MikeHollins7 pic.twitter.com/EIuM8ubn2N

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 22, 2023

No. 14 Utah Utes: 34, No. 22 USC Trojans: 32

Another game against a physical team and another loss for USC.

This does not bode well for USC as it heads to the Big Ten -- a league filled with teams who are more physical than the Trojans. If USC fans thought it would be an easy transition to the Big Ten, think again. You are moving to a league full of teams who play like Utah -- a team that has beaten USC 3 times in the past 12 months. Caleb Williams failed yet again in a big spot against a team that was able to overmatch the USC offensive line.

Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, might be the best player in college football, but he does not show it in key games. And this will, or at least should be, a bit concerning for NFL scouts.

While Williams threw for 256 yards and led the Trojans in rushing with 27 yards and one TD on 10 carries, he was unable to lead his team to a victory. The fact his coach Lincoln Riley had to shield him from the media by not allowing any of his players to speak after the game is also concerning. If these kids want to be treated like adults, and make money like adults, they need to face the questions an adult would face.

UTAH (+230 ML) UPSETS USC AND WINS IT WITH THE FIELD GOALpic.twitter.com/NqR6mmppJY

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 22, 2023

James Franklin did not hide his players behind the shadows of NIL. His players, and players for teams nationwide faced questions and answered them. Williams and his teammates should do the same.

For Utah, this was another game without Cam Rising. The QB, who has missed all the season was finally ruled out for the rest of the season by Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. This has a lot to do with the play of Bryson Barnes, a player who optimizes the tough, gritty nature of the Utah team.

Barnes, who grew up as a pig farmer, was working at Lowe’s as a walk-on. With injuries depleting the position, it came to Barnes to produce. And produce he did with 235 yards and three TDs on 14 of 23 passing. Barnes also ran the ball 10 times for 57 yards and one additional TD on the ground.

People consistently write off Utah. We did it again this season. After this victory, Utah can control its own destiny to get into the Pac-12 championship game. It plays Oregon and Washington in the coming weeks. These are difficult games. But if Utah wins them, it will punch its ticket into the game and possibly the playoffs. Do not count out Bryson Barnes. and do not count out the Utes.