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Connelly on Week 8: SEC elimination games, tests for top 2 - ESPN
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Connelly on Week 8: SEC elimination games, tests for top 2 - ESPN

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Bill Connelly Oct 23, 2026, 06:15 AM ET

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Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.

What does a mountain climber do after scaling Everest? How does an entertainer set goals after achieving the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony wins)? Where does college football take us after one of the most amazing Saturdays on record?

Last week, we saw five of the AP's top seven teams lose for the first time ever. We saw a No. 1 team lose to an unranked opponent for the second straight week; that hadn't happened in 36 years. It was a nearly unprecedented jolt of chaos. But where do we go from here? Does Week 8 provide an inevitable hangover? Do we somehow double down on the chaos?

Week 8 is far lighter on big-time matchups, but there are plenty of ways for the drama to be ratcheted up even further. Can I interest you in a potential third straight Texas loss? Indiana won't lose a second straight, right?…

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