Friday, October 19, 2018

Football 2018: Week Eight

The last time Kevin Sumlin coached a team in a game against UCLA in Pasadena, he was still at Texas A&M, the Aggies blew a 34-point lead in the second half, and that day I was finally certain that Sumlin was the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Eleven games later he was gone, and eventually landed at Arizona.

The only reason this is worth mentioning now is that Texas A&M has a bye week and won't play again until October 27th. Meanwhile, Kevin's Arizona team (3-4) is on the road against UCLA (1-5). The Bruins are favored by 8 points, and College Football News expects them to give the Wildcats a 30-23 thumping. During Kevin's last two seasons in College Station, I often thought he was better suited for the Pac-12 than the SEC West. So far, he hasn't done much in his new conference to earn applause. Update: Kevin's misery continues as UCLA edges Arizona 31-30.

Tomorrow, the four division teams that A&M must still play are paired off against each other on TV. In the 11:00 AM game on ESPN, Auburn (4-3) is at Ole Miss (5-2) as a four-point favorite, but CFN predicts the Rebels will spit out a 34-30 win at home. Update: No upset for Ole Miss. Both teams now 5-3 after Auburn wins 31-16.

Texas A&M's next opponent, Mississippi State, is 4-2 and on the road against LSU (6-1) in the 6:00 PM game on ESPN. The Bulldogs are 6 1/2 point underdogs, and should lose 27-16 according to CFN. Update: MSU will meet the Aggies as a 4-3 team, after LSU rolled them up, 19-3.

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