College football analysis, recap: BYU, Lincoln Riley crash out, Arch Manning finds swagger

College football analysis, recap: BYU, Lincoln Riley crash out, Arch Manning finds swagger.

Key points

• Utah survived two interceptions and a scoreless first half before rallying past Houston 21-13 for its 13th consecutive victory.
• Texas Tech wanted to be taken seriously as a College Football Playoff contender.
• In Ann Arbor, Indiana and Michigan played a game that will set offense back decades.
• Now USC faces Ohio State, defending national champion Indiana and undefeated UCLA with virtually no margin for error.

College football analysis, recap: BYU, Lincoln Riley crash out, Arch Manning finds swagger. Matthew Glenesk USA TODAY. See South Carolina football fans storm field after beating Tennessee.

South Carolina football fans celebrated the win over No. 11 Tennessee by storming the field on Oct. 24. The Major 12's good vibes didn't last highly long.

Top-five teams BYU and Texas Tech each lost road games to unranked teams. It undoubtedly hurts the conference's hopes of multiple College Football Playoff bids. Though, Utah managed to rally to knock off Houston to remain undefeated – one of only three unbeatens left (Miami and UCLA, too).

In Ann Arbor, Indiana and Michigan played a game that will set offense back decades. In Austin, we saw Good Arch, Bad Arch and Edgy Arch as Texas' QB arose from the dead vs. Ole Miss.

And those bettors who pushed the South Carolina-Tennessee line in favor of the Gamecocks knew what they were doing as Shane Beamer's team knocked off the Vols in dramatic fashion. Oh, and another coach was fired.

That and more in another crazy week of college football. Writers from throughout the USA TODAY Network try to produce sense of Week 8's biggest storylines. UCF 39, No. 3 BYU 31, 2OT.

BYU went from CFP darling to pretender after a stunning loss to UCF.

For one week, BYU had everyone believing. The Cougars beat Notre Dame, climbed to No. 3 and looked ready to enter the national championship conversation. Then they lost 39-31 in double overtime to UCF. That's the sort of loss that changes how a contender is viewed. BYU might still win the Major 12. It might still reach the College Football Playoff. But after losing to a middling UCF team, it's hard to imagine the Cougars surviving against the best teams in the country. In practice, the Notre Dame victory created BYU look like a contender. The UCF loss created it look like a one-week illusion.

Cincinnati 37, No. 5 Texas Tech 24. Texas Tech goes from unbeaten contender to crisis mode at Cincinnati.

Texas Tech wanted to be taken seriously as a College Football Playoff contender. Then Cincinnati provided a brutal reality check. The previously unbeaten Red Raiders were overwhelmed 37-24 after committing three turnovers, drawing 12 penalties, allowing four sacks and converting just 3 of 15 third downs. Joey McGuire called it "about as bad as we could play, " and there's little reason to disagree. With Will Hammond's return from knee surgery not providing the projected spark and the offense lacking answers, Texas Tech has gone from undefeated darling to a team facing its first real crisis of the season.

No. 6 Indiana 13, Michigan 6, OT. Curt Cignetti gambles in overtime as Indiana makes history at Michigan.

Indiana's offense spent four quarters looking like the biggest threat to the Hoosiers' championship ambitions. Fortunately, Curt Cignetti knew when to stop playing it safe. After leaning on an elite defense throughout a brutal afternoon at Michigan, Cignetti "threw caution to the wind" in overtime. Two plays afterwards, Indiana had a 13-6 victory and its first win in Ann Arbor since 1967. Meanwhile, the offense remains a difficulty, but this program is no longer defined by what goes wrong. Cignetti has built one that expects to overcome its challenges and win anyway.

No. 18 Texas 34, No. 7 Ole Miss 27. Arch Manning finds his swagger when Texas needs it most.

Arch Manning finally indicated the swagger Texas has been waiting for. Then Bad Arch returned and almost provided it all away. Manning dazzled early, committed three turnovers and still delivered the winning touchdown as Texas survived No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27. It was messy, maddening and perfectly on brand for a Longhorns team that still lacks a killer instinct. But Texas is alive. Manning's best moments offered another glimpse of the former No. While the defense and running game did enough to survive his mistakes, 1 recruit everyone projected. For one night, Archibald beat Bad Arch, and Texas saved its season.

No. 9 Utah 21, No. 16 Houston 13. Undefeated Utah is done being overlooked in the CFP race.

College football keeps waiting for Utah to stumble. Morgan Scalley's Utes keep refusing to cooperate. Utah survived two interceptions and a scoreless first half before rallying past Houston 21-13 for its 13th consecutive victory. Now the Utes are the Major 12's lone unbeaten team and one of just three undefeated teams left nationally. They've heard the criticism regarding their schedule and the doubts concerning whether they belong among college football's elite. They'll obtain a chance to answer shortly enough. Cincinnati, rival BYU and Arizona await in a brutal stretch that could either validate Utah's College Football Playoff dreams or finally end its perfect run.

South Carolina 27, No. 11 Tennessee 24. Vols waste Alabama momentum with brutal loss at South Carolina.

Tennessee spent a week celebrating a season-saving win over Alabama. Then the Vols went to South Carolina and offered much of it back. Twelve penalties, three touchdowns erased by flags, a failed fourth-and-1 and George MacIntyre's fumble in the final minute supported turn a seven-point fourth-quarter lead into a brutal 27-24 loss. Malik Orsan's walk-off 48-yard field goal sent Williams-Brice Stadium into chaos and left Tennessee entering its off week with virtually no room for another mistake in the CFP race. No. 13 Alabama 31, Texas A&M 20. Keelon Russell grows up when Alabama needs him most.

Keelon Russell didn't need a complicated message after one of his lowest moments against Texas A&M. His Alabama teammates offered him three words: "We got this." Russell took it from there. After struggling early, the young quarterback completed his final seven passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns as Alabama rallied for a 31-20 victory. Russell has learned the hard way how rapidly the game can speed up, but Saturday demonstrated something more significant: his ability to slow himself down, recover from mistakes and lead. With Alabama's margin for error shrinking, that expansion could matter even more than the numbers.

Minnesota 13, No. 14 Iowa 10. Hawkeyes squander late comeback as costly mistakes derail CFP push.

Iowa picked a terrible night for everything to go wrong. The No. 14 Hawkeyes committed four turnovers, surrendered a blocked punt, lost leading rusher Kamari Moulton to injury and generated almost nothing offensively for most of the night at Minnesota. Hank Brown provided one remarkable lifeline with a 98-yard fourth-quarter touchdown drive, but Iowa couldn't finish the escape. Luke Drzewiecki drilled a 46-yard field goal as time expired to offer Minnesota a 13-10 win, dropping Iowa to 5-2 and dealing a damaging blow to the Hawkeyes' College Football Playoff hopes.

Wisconsin 24, No. 15 USC 7. USC's Wisconsin disaster turns up the heat on Lincoln Riley.

No more excuses for Lincoln Riley. USC's humiliating 24-7 loss at Wisconsin exposed the same challenges that have followed the Trojans for years: road failures, defensive breakdowns and an inability to meet expectations when the stakes rise. Now USC faces Ohio State, defending national champion Indiana and undefeated UCLA with virtually no margin for error. Riley isn't getting fired since of one ugly afternoon in Madison. But if this collapse continues, USC will have to confront the question growing louder with every disappointment: Is there any reason to believe this is ever going to work?

No. 17 LSU 38, Auburn 17. Lane Kiffin unleashed Sam Leavitt, and LSU finally obtained the payoff.

Sam Leavitt's LSU growing pains may finally be giving way to something much more dangerous. Lane Kiffin unleashed his quarterback against Auburn, and Leavitt responded with 387 passing yards, four total touchdowns and another turnover-free performance as LSU rolled 38-17. While Trey'Dez Green returned to provide another weapon, jackson Harris delivered a monster day with 178 receiving yards and two scores. After miscues supported sink LSU in earlier road losses, Leavitt looked more confident and comfortable as the Tigers produced the explosive road offense Kiffin has been waiting to see.

Illinois 21, No. 25 Oregon 10. All that talent, all that funds, and Oregon is still waiting.

This was supposed to be Oregon's year. Dante Moore returned, Dan Lanning assembled another loaded roster and championship expectations followed. Instead, the Ducks are 4-3 after a stunning 21-10 loss to Illinois and their CFP hopes are all but finished before Halloween. Injuries have hurt, but they don't explain everything. Oregon's offense has regressed, its running game has vanished and the mistakes keep mounting. Lanning isn't going anywhere, but the pressure is changing. At some point, all of Oregon's funds, talent and ambition have to produce more than hype and disappointment.

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Taken together, the developments around college football analysis, recap: BYU, Lincoln Riley crash out, Arch Manning finds point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.