Three And Out, Week 8: Checking In At The Halfway Point Of The Season

It’s hard to believe, but we are halfway through the regular season and the national title race is as clear as mud.

Is Ohio State able to bounce back? Can Oregon keep the momentum going? What the hell is wrong with Alabama and Tennessee?

All of those questions remain unanswered as we head into Week 8 of the season, which features massive games across multiple conferences. What should you pay attention to this weekend? Let’s take a spin around the country in this week’s edition of Three and Out.

SEC Contenders and Pretenders

The race for the SEC Championship Game will come into focus on Saturday with two massive games on the docket.

No. 1 Texas will host No. 5 Georgia in what essentially is a must-win for the Bulldogs. Another loss will put them in head-to-head purgatory since they fell to No. 7 Alabama last month. The Bulldogs offense has been hit-and-miss this season, due in large part to a stagnant rushing attack that will have to punch way above its weight against a stout Longhorns defense.

DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 12: Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after throwing a pass for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at Cotton Bowl Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Speaking of those Longhorns, they are the only team in the country that have essentially been flawless. This despite massive injury issues that hit the running back room and quarterback position. No worries, though. Jaydon Blue has been rock solid all year and Quintrevion Wisner was a boss last week against Oklahoma when he put up a career-best 118 yards,

Elsewhere, the Crimson Tide will travel to Rocky Top to take on No. 11 Tennessee in the appetizer to the nighttime feast in Austin. The Crimson Tide have been as unpredictable as a Joe Biden press conference this season, especially on the offensive line. That doesn’t bode well against a Tennessee defensive front that pays a mortgage in opponent’s backfields.

The Evil Genius

Oregon coach Dan Lanning sent a proverbial earthquake through the world when he confirmed that he intentionally sent 12 men on to the field late in the win over Ohio State to drain a few precious seconds off the clock. The NCAA is scrambling to fix the loophole that, as far as we know, has never been used before.

EUGENE, OREGON - OCTOBER 12: Head coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks reacts after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks won 32-31. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Kudos to Lanning for scouting the rule book to find something that, as we know of, hadn’t been discovered by anybody. However, it does make me think if there’s some secret cabal of college football coaches who have held this rule as an ace their sleeves in anticipate of the right moment.

Either way, don’t hate on Lanning for being creative. It is odd, though, that the NCAA is willing to change the rule mid-season. If that doesn’t tell you how smart Lanning is, I’m not sure what can.

Don’t Sleep on Notre Dame

Remember in Week 2 when Notre Dame was down and out, and had no chance of making the College Football Playoff after losing to Northern Illinois? Don’t be so sure of that. The offense has caught fire since the loss to the Huskies and recently put up 7.23 yards per play against Stanford. What does it mean moving forward? The Fighting Irish can, and probably should, make the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

They play Georgia Tech this weekend in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and OutKick will be there to cover it live. Army and Navy are the only two tough games remaining on the docket. If the Fighting Irish can finish off the regular season with one loss, or drop another one along the way, the landscape of the season will almost certainly allow coach Marcus Freeman’s crew to slide into one of those at-large spots. The SEC is already cannibalizing itself, the Big 12 has BYU, Iowa State and … who the heck knows, the Irish can put the ACC to bed if it owns head-to-head wins over half the conference and the Big Ten is top-heavy.

Election Day is November 5, but the college football equivalent of the polarization that grips our country will take place in early December if the Irish are still alive.