College Football Week 8 Guide: Penn State Is Another Big Road Test For Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh has won 74% of his games at Michigan and yet it feels as if he has a lot to prove.

Maybe it's because he is 2-7 against ranked opponents away from Michigan Stadium. Maybe it's his unsightly 0-4 mark against hated rival Ohio State. Maybe it's that he consistently wins around 10 games, but has yet to reach the Big Ten championship game since returning to his alma mater in 2015.

With those numbers in mind, of course Harbaugh still has something to prove. When Harbaugh came home, Michigan fans envisioned championship celebrations, rivalry wins and a return to the glory days - most of which he has yet to deliver. If his 16th-ranked Wolverines (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) fail to pull an upset Saturday night at No. 7 Penn State (6-0, 3-0), it seems unlikely that 2019 will change the narrative about Harbaugh and his program.

They are still lurking, for now, in the Big Ten championship hunt, having survived a comeback by Illinois in a game Michigan once led 28-0. However, the Wolverines' offense still is not clicking, and that's a bad sign when they are about to face a Penn State defense that ranks among the nation's best.

Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson and Co. will need to find a rhythm they have been unable to sustain for any significant length of time if the Wolverines are to win Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in a College Football Playoff elimination game for Michigan. Because of the stakes involved, the Big Ten showdown - along with a pair of ranked-versus-ranked games in the Pac-12: No. 12 Oregon at No. 25 Washington (3:30 p.m., ABC) and No. 17 Arizona State at No. 13 Utah (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network) - ranks among the most important games in Week 8 of the 2019 college football season.

Here is a breakdown of what to watch this weekend:

No. 16 Michigan at No. 7 Penn State (Penn State -8): The last time Michigan visited Happy Valley for the Nittany Lions' "White-Out" game, the 2017 Wolverines - who came in as 7.5-point favorites - returned home with a humiliating 42-13 defeat, the biggest loss of the Harbaugh era.

That means nothing about this Saturday except that it provides additional evidence that, for whatever reason, Harbaugh's teams have not fared well in the biggest games away from home. And with ESPN's "College GameDay" on the scene, this most certainly counts as a big game.

James Franklin's team is favored this time around, thanks in large part to a defense that has surrendered just two touchdowns in the last three games. That Penn State defense - ranked second nationally in scoring defense (8.2 ppg) and fourth in total defense (259.7 ypg) - was stout in Saturday's 17-12 win at Iowa, holding the Hawkeyes out of the end zone until the game's closing minutes.

That said, Penn State's offense has not exactly been a juggernaut, either. Although quarterback Sean Clifford has a pair of gifted weapons in receiver KJ Hamler and running back Noah Cain, the offense gets bogged down more often than Franklin would prefer.

Because of the two inconsistent offenses, it seems unlikely that Saturday's game will follow a recent series trend and produce a blowout result. However the win comes, it will put the victor one massive step closer to a conference title and playoff appearance.

Group of Five showdowns: While much of the nation's attention will be on the results of key divisional games in the Power Five, this is also a huge weekend for several Group of Five teams. With a possible appearance in a New Year's Six bowl hanging in the balance, the stakes are high for programs like No. 14 Boise State, No. 19 SMU and unranked Temple, Tulane and Memphis.

Boise State - which visits rival BYU on Saturday (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2) - is accustomed to being in this position. The Broncos (6-0, 3-0 MWC) have carried the banner for the Group of Five for nearly two decades now, and they seem to have the best shot of landing in a top-tier bowl once again now that UCF's two early losses bumped the Knights out of the picture. However, Boise enters Saturday's game with quarterback uncertainty, having played most of Saturday's 59-37 win over Hawaii without injured starter Hank Bachmeier. Chase Cord performed well in Bachmeier's absence against Hawaii, but the star freshman's status bears watching as kickoff approaches.

Unlike Boise State, programs like SMU, Temple and Tulane are not at all accustomed to receiving national attention. And yet here they are, all vying for spots in prominent bowl games. Saturday's Temple at SMU game (3:30 p.m., ESPN2) could actually be one of the season's most compelling matchups of G5 teams. For the first time in program history, Temple (5-1, 2-0 AAC) has already beaten two ranked opponents (Maryland and Memphis) in one season. The Owls can make it three by handing SMU (6-0, 2-0 AAC) its first loss of the season on Saturday.

They will have to overcome Pony Magic to do so, however. SMU is one of the feel-good stories of the 2019 season, entering the top 25 for the first time in more than three decades with an unbeaten run that includes an incredible comeback win over Tulsa two weekends ago.

Finally, surging Tulane (5-1, 2-0 AAC) will visit Memphis (5-1, 1-1 AAC) on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN2), pitting a surprise AAC contender against a Memphis team that won the AAC Western Division in each of the last two years. The Green Wave's lone loss came at Auburn in Week 2, a 24-6 defeat where they were unexpectedly competitive. Willie Fritz's team still has road dates left with Memphis - which just lost for the first time this season, in controversial fashion against Temple - SMU and Temple, plus a home game against UCF. In other words, Tulane will have to earn it down the stretch if it is to remain in the AAC title race.

Jayden Daniels vs. Utah's defense: The legend of Jayden Daniels is rapidly growing after yet another game-winning drive by Arizona State's freshman quarterback. When Daniels helicoptered into the end zone with 34 seconds to play on Saturday against Washington State, delivering a 38-34 victory, it marked the third time in the first six games of Daniels' career that he executed a game-winning drive.

Up next might be the nastiest defense Daniels and the Sun Devils will face all season. Utah ranks second in the FBS in rushing defense (52.8 ypg), is tied for eighth in scoring defense (13.2 ppg) and sits 10th in total defense (271.5 ypg). If there is a place where the Utes have been surprisingly vulnerable, it's in the secondary. They rank 64th nationally in pass defense (218.7 ypg) and allowed USC quarterbacks Matt Fink and freshman Kedon Slovis to go 23-for-32 for 368 yards with three touchdown passes in the Trojans' 30-23 upset victory last month.

Daniels has been an effective passer, completing 63% of his attempts and averaging 268.3 passing yards per game. He ranks 13th nationally in total offense (301.3 ypg), best among freshmen.

Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts vs. West Virginia: Truthfully Hurts' entire 2019 season has been one long Heisman moment, but Saturday's win over rival Texas included one of those clips that will play repeatedly leading up to the trophy presentation. Under pressure from Texas' Joseph Ossai, Hurts transferred the ball from his right hand to his left - behind his back - changed directions, and then scrambled to complete a pass to CeeDee Lamb. Yet another remarkable moment for the Alabama grad transfer. Although a couple of early Hurts turnovers were temporarily costly against Texas, he was still outstanding (16-for-28, 235 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, plus 17 rushing attempts for 131 yards and another score) as the Sooners outgained Texas 511 yards to 310.

Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa vs. Tennessee: Alabama has not been tested, in large part because no opposing defense has figured out how to slow down Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide's high-scoring offense. Tagovailoa went 21-for-34 for 293 yards, 4 touchdowns and - gasp! - an interception in Saturday's 47-28 win at Texas A&M. That second-quarter pick by Demani Richardson halted Tagovailoa's string of pass attempts without an interception at 166. Now he has 27 touchdown passes this season against that lone interception. He is also Alabama's new touchdown pass leader after entering the A&M game tied with AJ McCarron at 77 apiece.

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne vs. Louisville: If Lawrence wasn't 100%, he sure didn't look it against Florida State. The sophomore played his best game of the season against the Seminoles, completing 17 of 25 passes for 170 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. He also rushed for 40 yards and another score. Meanwhile, Etienne rushed for more than 100 yards (he had 127 on 17 carries, plus a 3-yard TD catch and even completed a 23-yard pass) for the first time since the season-opening rout of Georgia Tech. These guys have slipped to the fringes of the Heisman conversation, but as long as Clemson keeps winning - and it will keep winning - it would be inadvisable to count them out entirely.

Ohio State QB Justin Fields vs. Northwestern: Fields was off over the weekend and he does not figure to face a serious challenge Friday against Northwestern. If there is a knock against Fields' candidacy, it's that he and the Buckeyes have not yet faced a strong team, having defeated their first six opponents by an average of 40.5 points per game. Fields has completed 69.5% of his passes for 1,298 yards, 18 TDs and 1 INT, in addition to having rushed for eight TDs. Check back in two weekends, when a date with Wisconsin's suffocating defense reveals whether Fields will remain among the Heisman frontrunners.

LSU QB Joe Burrow vs. Mississippi State: Nobody obliterates a Florida defense the way Burrow did on Saturday. His precision passing (21-for-24, 336 total yards, 3 TDs) in the 42-28 win was something to behold. After completing 79.6% of his passes for 2,157 yards, 25 TDs (three away from LSU's single-season record) and 3 INTs, Burrow has a couple stiff challenges ahead. After visiting Starkville this weekend, the Tigers' next two games are against Auburn and Alabama. As has been the case for most of the last decade, the ultimate test of LSU's legitimacy as a title contender - and Burrow's Heisman candidacy - will come Nov. 9 against Alabama.

Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor vs. Illinois: Against Michigan State, Taylor saw his string of 10 straight games with 100-plus rushing yards end (he ran 26 times for 80 yards) and averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry for the first time in a regular-season game. He still scored twice in a resounding 38-0 victory over the Spartans. The Badgers have three games remaining against ranked opponents (at Ohio State, Iowa, at Minnesota), but an unbeaten regular season will start to seem likely if they find a way to win at Ohio State next weekend. If the Badgers manage to hang around in the playoff conversation, Taylor (currently first in the FBS with 14 rushing TDs and third with 825 rushing yards) will at least become a Heisman finalist.

4: Georgia, Florida, Wake Forest and Memphis were all unbeaten entering the weekend, but all four teams now have a blemish on their records. Georgia was one of four ranked teams to lose to an unranked opponent, with its overtime loss to South Carolina dropping the Bulldogs from third to 10th in this week's Associated Press Top 25.

4.8: After posting yet another shutout Saturday against Michigan State, Wisconsin lowered its FBS-best scoring defense average to 4.8 points allowed per game. The Badgers shut out four teams - USF, Central Michigan, Kent State and Michigan State - in their first six games, becoming the first team since Florida in 1967 to post four shutouts in six games. They are the first Big Ten team to do it since Minnesota in 1962 and the first Big Ten defense to post four shutouts in a season since Michigan in 1978.

6-0: Minnesota is off to its best start since 2003, entering the AP Top 25 poll this week at No. 20. It's the first time the Gophers have been ranked since 2014.

8: South Carolina had lost eight straight games against top-five opponents prior to Saturday's 20-17 overtime win at Georgia. The Gamecocks used converted wide receiver Dakereon Joyner at quarterback following a knee injury that knocked starter Ryan Hilinski out of the game in the third quarter. Joyner went 6-for-12 for 39 yards and rushed for 28 yards on six attempts.

10.6: LSU averaged 10.6 yards per play (48 plays for 511 total yards) in Saturday's 42-28 win over Florida. According to the LSU sports information department, that was the highest average in LSU history against both a ranked opponent and an SEC opponent. It was the third-highest per-play average in any LSU game.

12: Twelve unbeaten teams remain entering Week 8: Alabama, Appalachian State, Baylor, Boise State, Clemson, LSU, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, SMU and Wisconsin.

15: By beating USC 30-27 on Saturday night, Notre Dame has won 15 consecutive home games, the third-longest home winning streak in school history.

24: Unbeaten Appalachian State (5-0) entered this week's AP Top 25, marking just the second time since joining the FBS in 2014 that the Mountaineers have been ranked. If they beat Louisiana-Monroe (3-3) on Saturday, they will earn their first win as a ranked team. App State lost 34-14 to Georgia Southern last season in its lone week as a ranked team and had not returned to the rankings since.

75: With Alabama and LSU occupying the top two spots in this week's AP poll, it marks the 75th time since the poll began in 1936 that programs from the same conference were ranked 1 and 2. The SEC is responsible for 29 of those 75 occurrences, the most of any conference. The Big Eight is next with 23.

230: Tagovailoa certainly has some dangerous weapons at his disposal. Alabama's foursome at wide receiver is as good as any team has had in recent memory. Against Texas A&M, DeVonta Smith (7-99, TD), Jerry Jeudy (4-50), Jaylen Waddle (3-48, TD) and Henry Ruggs III (1-33, TD) combined for 15 catches, 230 yards and three touchdowns.

2015: Bowling Green beat Toledo 20-7 on Saturday, notching its first win against an opponent with a winning record since 2015. Toledo came in as a 20.5-point favorite.

3 ranked-versus-ranked games this week: No. 12 Oregon at No. 25 Washington, No. 16 Michigan at No. 7 Penn State, No. 17 Arizona State at No. 13 Utah

31 Power Five conference games: ACC (Pitt at Syracuse, Clemson at Louisville, Georgia Tech at Miami, N.C. State at Boston College, Duke at Virginia, North Carolina at Virginia Tech, Florida State at Wake Forest), Big Ten (Ohio State at Northwestern, Wisconsin at Illinois, Purdue at Iowa, Minnesota at Rutgers, Indiana at Maryland, Michigan at Penn State), Big 12 (West Virginia at Oklahoma, Iowa State at Texas Tech, TCU at Kansas State, Baylor at Oklahoma State, Kansas at Texas), Pac-12 (UCLA at Stanford, Oregon State at Cal, Oregon at Washington, Arizona State at Utah, Colorado at Washington State, Arizona at USC), SEC (Florida at South Carolina, Auburn at Arkansas, LSU at Mississippi State, Missouri at Vanderbilt, Kentucky at Georgia, Texas A&M at Ole Miss, Tennessee at Alabama)

UCLA at Stanford (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Pitt at Syracuse (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 4 Ohio State at Northwestern (8:30 p.m., FS1)

No. 3 Clemson at Louisville (noon ET, ABC)

No. 9 Florida at South Carolina (noon, ESPN)

West Virginia at No. 5 Oklahoma (noon, FOX)

No. 6 Wisconsin at Illinois (noon, Big Ten Network)

No. 11 Auburn at Arkansas (noon, SEC Network)

Purdue at No. 23 Iowa (noon, ESPN2)

Iowa State at Texas Tech (noon, FS1)

Georgia Tech at Miami (noon, ACC Network)

N.C. State at Boston College (noon, ACCNX)

TCU at Kansas State (2:30 p.m., FSN)

Oregon State at Cal (2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network)

No. 12 Oregon at No. 25 Washington (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Duke at Virginia (3:30 p.m., ACC Network)

No. 2 LSU at Mississippi State (3:30 p.m. CBS)

No. 20 Minnesota at Rutgers (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Temple at No. 19 SMU (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)

Tulsa at No. 21 Cincinnati (3:30 p.m., ESPNU)

Louisiana-Monroe at No. 24 Appalachian State (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)

No. 18 Baylor at Oklahoma State (4 p.m., FOX)

No. 22 Missouri at Vanderbilt (4 p.m., SEC Network)

No. 17 Arizona State at No. 13 Utah (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network)

Kentucky at No. 10 Georgia (6 p.m., ESPN)

Kansas at No. 15 Texas (7 p.m., Longhorn Network)

Colorado at Washington State (7 p.m., ESPNU)

Tulane at Memphis (7 p.m., ESPN2)

No. 16 Michigan at No. 7 Penn State (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Florida State at Wake Forest (7:30 p.m., ACC Network)

Texas A&M at Ole Miss (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)

Tennessee at No. 1 Alabama (9 p.m., ESPN)

Arizona at USC (9:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network)

No. 14 Boise State at BYU (10:15 p.m., ESPN2)