NC/ACC Week Eight College Football Preview
(“This Week In College Football, with David Glenn” show = below)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
The 2024 college football season continues Saturday with an intriguing Week Eight schedule, highlighted by three Top 25-vs.-Top 25 contests and several important Atlantic Coast Conference matchups, while Charlotte, East Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest are all road underdogs as they try to take another step toward possible bowl eligibility.
On the national scene, the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten will provide all three clashes between nationally ranked opponents.
#1 Texas (6-0) is a three-point home favorite over #5 Georgia (5-1) on Saturday (7:30 pm, ABC) in the teams’ first matchup as SEC foes. Texas has absolutely mauled all six of its opponents so far this season (average score = 44-6), including nationally ranked Michigan and Oklahoma teams, on its way to the program’s first 6-0 start since a Mack Brown-coached Texas squad that ended up playing in the national championship game in 2009.
#7 Alabama (5-1) is a three-point road favorite over #11 Tennessee (5-1) on Saturday (3:30 pm, ABC) in an SEC rivalry the Crimson Tide absolutely dominated during the Nick Saban era. The Tide went 16-1 against the Volunteers under Saban, and fourth-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel hopes to reverse that trend against new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.
#24 Michigan (4-2) is a three-point road favorite over #22 Illinois (5-1) on Saturday (3:30 pm, CBS) in a Big Ten rivalry the Wolverines have ruled for decades. Since 1966, Michigan has a 38-6-2 advantage over the Illini, although the Wolverines don’t look nearly as dominant this season under first-year coach Sherrone Moore as they often did during the nine-year Jim Harbaugh era.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, the Week Eight action will get started early, when Florida State (1-5) visits Duke (5-1) on Friday (7 pm, ESPN2). The Blue Devils of first-year coach Manny Diaz are a three-point home favorite against the struggling Seminoles, who are 22-0 all-time against Duke on the gridiron, with 21 of those victories coming by double-digits and many by 30 points or more.
The other four in-state Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams that are in action this weekend are all road underdogs seeking another step toward the six victories required for automatic bowl eligibility.
Charlotte (3-3) is a 17-point underdog at #25 Navy (6-0) and coming off an impressive 55-24 domination of East Carolina. ECU (3-3) is a 16-point underdog at #23 Army (6-0), which leads the nation in rushing but whose shiny record has come against teams with a combined record of 8-22. Wake Forest (2-4) is a one-point underdog at UConn (4-2), which lost 50-7 at Maryland and 26-21 at Duke in its only previous games against Power Four opponents this season.
Finally, NC State (3-4) visits Cal (3-3) on Saturday (3:30 pm, ACCN) in a matchup of two teams still searching for their first ACC victory. The Bears are holding their opponents to only 17.8 points per game (third in the ACC) and have grabbed 13 interceptions (best in the nation) this season. Meanwhile, according to ESPN’s analytics, NC State is the worst offensive team and the third-worst (ahead of only UNC and Wake Forest) defensive team in the ACC, a combination that sometimes has made the Wolfpack particularly hard to watch.
NC Football Bowl Subdivision (Seven Teams)
(Games Saturday Unless Otherwise Indicated)
Florida State (1-5) at Duke (5-1), 7 pm (ESPN2) — (Fri.)
East Carolina (3-3) at #23 Army (6-0), noon (ESPN2)
Wake Forest (2-4) at UConn (4-2), noon (CBSSN)
Charlotte (3-3) at #25 Navy (6-0), 3:30 pm (CBSSN)
NC State (3-4) at California (3-3), 3:30 pm (ACCN)
Open Week: App State (2-4), UNC (3-4)
Atlantic Coast Conference (17 Teams)
Boston College (4-2) at Virginia Tech (3-3), 7:30 pm (ESPN) — (Thurs.)
Florida State (1-5) at Duke (5-1), 7 pm (ESPN2) — (Fri.)
#6 Miami (6-0) at Louisville (4-2), noon (ABC/ESPN+)
Virginia (4-2) at #10 Clemson (5-1), noon (ACCN)
Wake Forest (2-4) at UConn (4-2), noon (CBSSN)
#12 Notre Dame (5-1) at Georgia Tech (5-2), 3:30 pm (ESPN)
NC State (3-4) at California (3-3), 3:30 pm (ACCN)
#21 SMU (5-1) at Stanford (2-4), 8 pm (ACCN)
Open Week: Pittsburgh (6-0), Syracuse (5-1), UNC (3-4)
NC Football Championship Subdivision (Seven Teams)
Hampton (3-3) at North Carolina A&T (1-5), 1 pm (FloSports)
Stetson (2-3) at Davidson (4-2), 1 pm (ESPN+)
Lindenwood (3-4) at Gardner-Webb (1-5), 1:30 pm (ESPN+)
Western Carolina (3-3) at Furman (2-4), 2 pm (ESPN+)
Campbell (2-4) at #16 William & Mary (4-2), 3:30 pm (FloSports)
Elon (1-5) at Albany (3-3), 3:30 pm (FloSports)
Open Week: #21 NC Central (5-2)
NC Division Two (14 Teams)
Wingate (4-1) at Limestone (5-1), noon
UNC Pembroke (2-4) at Fairmont State (3-3), noon
Virginia State (3-3) at Elizabeth City State (2-4), 1 pm
#23 West Florida (3-2) at Chowan (2-3), 1 pm (FloSports)
Shaw (4-3) at #20 Johnson C Smith (6-0), 1 pm
#17 Lenoir-Rhyne (5-1) at Barton (2-4), 2 pm (FloSports)
Tusculum (0-5) at Mars Hill (1-3), 2:30 pm
Winston-Salem State (5-2) at Livingstone (5-2), 4 pm
Newberry (1-4) at Catawba (2-4), 6 pm
Open Week: Fayetteville State (3-3), St Augustine’s (program suspended for 2024)
NC Division Three (Five Teams)
Belhaven (2-4) at Greensboro (1-4), noon
Southern Virginia (0-6) at Methodist (1-5), 3 pm
LaGrange (2-3) at Brevard (3-1), 3:30 pm
Washington and Lee (3-2) at Guilford (3-2), 4 pm
Open Week: North Carolina Wesleyan (1-5)