A showdown between two of the nation's best quarterbacks would be reason enough to call it a must-see game. But add in the fact that both teams are unbeaten and in the top five, and Florida State's clash with ACC rival Clemson is one of the most important games of the season, and certainly the top game of the week.
The game will have major implications on both the BCS standings and the Heisman Trophy competition, with Seminoles redshirt freshman QB Jameis Winston and Tigers senior QB Tajh Boyd both having sensational years. A big showing here could shake up the race.
Also Saturday, another rising Heisman candidate, QB Brett Hundley, tries to keep his No. 9 Bruins unbeaten when they take on Stanford, which tries to rebound after suffering its first loss last week.
Here are our top 10 games in Week 8 of college football:
10. Iowa at Ohio State, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC regional/ESPN2
The skinny: Iowa's defense must play at a high level because the Hawkeyes' offense isn't much. The Hawkeyes start three senior linebackers, and each is an NFL prospect: MLB James Morris (6-2, 240) and OLBs Anthony Hitchens (6-1, 233) and Christian Kirksey (6-2, 235). Iowa junior DT Carl Davis (6-5, 315) has played well and he'll be going against a strong offensive interior headed by senior G Andrew Norwell (6-6, 316). Iowa must slow Buckeyes senior RB Carlos Hyde (6-0, 235). Ohio State junior QB Braxton Miller (6-2, 215) has played solid football in two games since returning from a minor knee injury. Two of the best tackles in the Big Ten will be on the field: Iowa junior Brandon Scherff (6-5, 315) and Ohio State senior Jack Mewhort (6-6, 308). The Buckeyes have won 12 of the past 13 in the series.
9. UCF at Louisville, Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
The skinny: This is the toughest remaining game for Louisville, which makes its second consecutive weeknight appearance on ESPN. The Cardinals beat Rutgers last Thursday. UCF won at Penn State and lost narrowly at home to South Carolina, and it definitely has the linemen necessary to beat Louisville. But can UCF's skill-position guys keep up? UCF's corners can be exploited, so Cardinals junior QB Teddy Bridgewater (6-3, 198) should have a big day if he has time to throw. UCF's pass rush hasn't been all that consistent, though the Knights did have five sacks against Memphis in their most recent game. But the Knights suffered a blow Monday, when true freshman DE Blake Keller, who leads the team with three sacks, left the team because he was tired of football. UCF junior QB Blake Bortles (6-4, 230) can hurt foes with his arm and legs, and if he and junior TB Storm Johnson (6-0, 215) can run effectively and make Louisville's stud safety duo of Calvin Pryor (6-2, 208) and Hakeem Smith (6-1, 179) respect the Knights' ground game, this will be mighty interesting. UCF's best offensive lineman is junior LT Torrian Wilson (6-3, 308), who protected Bridgewater's blindside at Miami's Northwestern High.
8. Georgia at Vanderbilt, Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, CBS
The skinny: Keep an eye on Georgia's young pass rushers -- Leonard Floyd, Ray Drew and Jordan Jenkins -- in this one. One of them will draw plenty of work against Vanderbilt left tackle Wesley Johnson, a late-round senior prospect who has enjoyed a strong season for the Commodores. Though Georgia is depleted at receiver, Vanderbilt cornerback Andre Hal will nevertheless have his hands full against Georgia QB Aaron Murray, especially with Murray coming off perhaps his worst outing of the season last week against Missouri. Will star Georgia running back Todd Gurley return from an ankle injury? That may be a mystery until kickoff.
7. Washington at Arizona State, Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
The skinny: The Huskies acquitted themselves well in their two-game gauntlet against Stanford and Oregon but failed to come away with a win. Fail to beat the Sun Devils, however, and all that progress won't look quite so impressive. Linebacker Shaq Thompson could be the key to UW's defense. A former safety, he has the attributes to cover Arizona State running backs Marion Grice and D.J. Foster (61 receptions for 599 yards and six touchdowns combined) in the passing game. To slow down UW's sensational rusher Bishop Sankey, ASU would welcome a return to his 2012 form from defensive tackle Will Sutton, who has been invisible this season.
6. LSU at Ole Miss, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
The skinny: Ole Miss enters the game beaten up, with both its starting defensive ends unavailable. That could mean a field day for the LSU offense, not only running back Jeremy Hill, but also quarterback Zach Mettenberger if he has all day to throw. LSU cornerback Jalen Mills and Ole Miss receiver Donte Moncrief should provide a testy battle. Last year, Ole Miss took LSU to the wire before losing late. Cornerback Senquez Golson picked off Mettenberger twice. How will he fare against receivers Jarvis Landry or Odell Beckham Jr.? Given the way Landry and Beckham have ignited an improved LSU offense, Golson figures to have a tougher day this time.
5. USC at Notre Dame, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
The skinny: One of the last links to the Trojans' remarkable run under Pete Carroll is a five-game winning streak at Notre Dame Stadium. To extend it, the USC offensive line will have to bring the fire it showed against Arizona in the team's first game under interim head coach Ed Orgeron -- that day, running backs Tre Madden, Justin Davis, Silas Redd, Javorius Allen and Ty Isaac combined for 219 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Of course, doing so again will be a tougher task with Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt anchoring the Fighting Irish defensive line. Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees will have to play well to give receivers T.J. Jones and DaVaris Daniels chances to exploit a suspect group of USC corners.
4. Auburn at Texas A&M, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The skinny: A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will almost certainly carve up yet another SEC defense. The Tigers are ranked 10th in the league in total defense at 399 yards per game. It will be crucial for Auburn to get a strong performance from defensive end Dee Ford, one of its top pass rushers, but that will be a tall task against either of A&M's starting tackles. Offensively, Auburn is as capable of exposing the Aggies' weak defense as Ole Miss proved to be a week ago. Aggies linebacker Steven Jenkins will work to slow down Tigers running back Tre Mason, who has had an excellent season thus far.
3. Florida at Missouri, Saturday, 12:21 p.m. ET, SECTV
The skinny: Surprisingly unbeaten Missouri faces a daunting challenge against the Florida defense, given that starting quarterback James Franklin is out with a shoulder injury. Look for backup Maty Mauk to throw a few jump balls in the direction of giant receivers Dorial Green-Beckham and Marcus Lucas. Against standout cornerbacks Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson and Vernon Hargreaves III, it might be ill-advised for Mauk to zip the ball into tight windows in his first career start. Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines, a solid NFL prospect, is questionable with a quad injury. Watch Tigers defensive lineman Kony Ealy, a mid-round prospect, working against UF in pass protection.
2. UCLA at Stanford, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2
The skinny: Stanford offensive tackles Andrus Peat and Cameron Fleming struggled to hold up against Utah's underrated defensive ends. And Bruins outside linebacker Anthony Barr is anything but underrated, as a real candidate to the title of best defender in the nation leads the Pac-12 in tackles for loss and fumbles recovered and ranks second in forced fumbles and third in sacks. The Cardinal will have to ensure Peat has help to avoid too many one-on-one matchups with Barr, while hoping its defense fares better against another quick, sideline-to-sideline offense that it did with the Utes. However, UCLA running back Jordon James is not expected to play because of an ankle injury, which should make it easier to contain quarterback Brett Hundley and his cohorts.
1. Florida State at Clemson, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
The skinny: The game of the year in the ACC and one of the most important games nationally this season. Both teams are in the top five, and both have Heisman candidates at quarterback, Clemson with senior Tajh Boyd and FSU with redshirt freshman Jameis Winston. Which quarterback will get the most help? Clemson junior Sammy Watkins (6-1, 205) will be the best wide receiver on the field, but the Seminoles have the better receiving group. They also have the better tight end in junior Nick O'Leary (6-3, 248), who has become a big weapon this season, and a better offensive line. Keep an eye on one of the best individual battles of the season: FSU junior LT Cameron Erving (6-6, 320) against Clemson junior DE Vic Beasley (6-2, 235), who leads the nation with nine sacks. Beasley has great speed off the edge but also has a nice bull rush, which comes in handy when opposing tackles are readying for his outside move. Another high-level individual matchup will be Watkins vs. FSU senior CB Lamarcus Joyner (5-8, 190), who is one of the more physical corners in the nation and also possesses great speed. Winston has played at a very high level thus far, but Clemson will be the first team FSU has played this season that shares its athleticism. How will "Famous Jameis" respond? And how will Boyd play in what is the biggest game of his illustrious career?
