UCLA vs Oregon Highlight Week 8 of The College Football Season

UCLA vs Oregon highlight Week 8 of the college football season.  ESPN's College Game Day is heading to Eugene this week for a pivotal Pac-12 matchup between 6-0 UCLA and 5-1 Oregon, the only two teams undefeated in conference play. This game could have a big impact on who reaches the conference championship game in December.

No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson, Noon ET on ABC
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon, 3:30 ET on Fox
No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State, 3:30 ET on ABC
No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama, 7 ET on ESPN
No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU, 8 ET

Lets look at 3 big games now and then I'll have the best of the rest posted on Friday.

UCLA-Oregon will be the first Top-10 matchup in the Pac-12 since 2016. There were two Top-10 matchups that season: No. 4 Washington beat No. 9 Colorado in the Pac-12 championship game after No. 10 Washington beat No. 7 Stanford during the regular season. Saturday will also mark the first meeting between UCLA and Oregon with both schools ranked in the AP Top-10.

After losing 49-3 to Georgia to open the season, Oregon has won five straight games, scoring 40+ points in each one. That is its longest streak scoring 40+ points within a season since a nine-game stretch during the 2014 season.

Chip Kelly is facing his former team, where he posted a .868 win percentage, the highest by any Oregon head coach in school history (min. 10 games). Since arriving to UCLA in 2018, Kelly is 0-3 against Oregon, but the last two losses have come by three points each. Expanding this further back, Oregon is 14-3 against UCLA since 2000.

Syracuse is 6-0 for the first time since 1987, but that perfect record will be put to the test on Saturday against Clemson. It’ll be the 4th matchup of ACC teams that are both 6-0 or better entering the game in conference history.  For the 2nd straight week, the Orange will play in an AP-ranked matchup. This is the first time Syracuse will be involved in an AP-ranked matchup in consecutive team games since 2001.

Syracuse will look to end Clemson’s 37-game home win streak, which is tied with Florida State from 1995-2001 for the longest in ACC history. In fact, only two FBS teams have longer home win streaks than Clemson since 1990.  The Tigers have also nine consecutive games at home vs AP-ranked opponents. The only teams with longer such streaks since 2000 are USC from 2001-08 (16) and Oklahoma from 2000-2010 (13).

After losing to Tennessee for the first time as Alabama head coach, Nick Saban looks to bounce back and extend another long winning streak. The Crimson Tide have won 14 straight games against Mississippi State since losing in Starkville in 2007.

This is the 15th time that the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have met with both teams ranked in the AP Poll.   Alabama has won the past 13 times with Mississippi State’s lone win coming in 1940, when the No. 11 Bulldogs shut out the No. 17 Crimson Tide 13-0.

Mike Leach has had a lot of success with his Air Raid offense in two-plus seasons in the SEC, but that has not extended to games against Alabama. Additionally, the Bulldogs have been outscored 90-9 in their two meetings against the
Crimson Tide under Leach.

It’s that time of the week again.  Shemon and Sheppard Wednesday Wisdom Fun Facts for 10/19 at 5:30pm.  Most of you know by now that this is one of our most fun segments of the week.  I try to find the most amusing and entertaining fun facts that you will enjoy.  They are not all family friendly at times I will admit but for the most part it’s fun for all ages.

These little tid-bits of information, sometimes useless information, can be very stimulating to the mind.  I have an expert research team of Minions who work on these Fun Facts 24/7.  And they work for free!  I try to give them certain themes from time to time but generally they do a great job on their own.

2008 – Behind seven 1-run, 9-K innings from Matt Garza and a four-out save from David Price with 3 K, the Rays defeat the Red Sox 3-1 in the decisive Game 7 of the ALCS to knock out the defending World Series champions and advance to the Fall Classic, winning their first pennant.  This was a painful one for me!

2014 – Peyton Manning becoming the NFL all-time leader in touchdown passes (a record now held by Tom Brady) when he hooked up with Demaryius Thomas in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. His 509th career touchdown pass broke the record held by Brett Favre.

2013 – Washington State’s Connor Halliday throws an FBS-record 89 passes in a single game in a 62-38 loss to then-No. 2 Oregon (he completed 58 of them, tying another FBS record).

2006 – The Cardinals defeat the Mets 3-1 at Shea Stadium in the decisive Game 7 of the NLCS. Oliver Perez goes six 1-run innings to Jeff Suppan’s seven 1-run innings, but Yadier Molina breaks a 1-1 tie with a 1-out, 2-run HR off Aaron Heilman in the top of the 9th inning to put the Cardinals ahead, and Adam Wainwright records the save, getting Carlos Beltran looking with the bases loaded to end it.

Here are a some other “fun facts” tidbits of of what’s to come today on Shemon and Sheppard: