Happy NFL Sunday, everybody. I decided to enjoy a bye week of my own and let the dust settle around the sports world, but today felt like a good day to jump back in. With eight weeks of college football in the books, it feels like a good time to take a look at the whole picture. It’s been a wild season and there is a lot to discuss, so let’s dive in.

Notre Dame

My Fighting Irish and their 6-2 record lead us off. It’s been a wild first eight games in South Bend, with some high highs and low lows. After a 4-0 start they gave away a chance at a marquee victory, as they lost to Ohio State in heartbreaking fashion. They were blown out by Louisville two weeks later and it felt like the season was going to slip away.

Despite the aforementioned losses, Marcus Freeman and the coaching staff rallied the troops to trounce USC. They will come off their bye week with four winnable games left. A trip to Clemson (their toughest game left) is flanked by the season’s final home games against Pitt and Wake Forest before finishing up at Stanford. Despite the offense being hit and miss, these are four games with the Irish that should take care of business. Their stout defense will hopefully be accompanied by the running game returning to form, which will make them a challenge for anyone.

While the “Sam Heisman” meter is no longer working, Hartman continues to lead this team and program brilliantly. Lou Holtz once spoke of needing “Notre Dame men” and Hartman is exactly that. His respect for his opponents and reverence for tradition makes one wish he would be back next year. Lets enjoy these final four games with Number Ten, Irish Fans, he’ll always be one of us!

SEC

As we dig into the Power Five conferences, we begin with what is probably the weakest SEC in years. It seems almost the entire field isn’t quite themselves this year, though they’d probably still wipe the floor with most of the nation.

While Georgia remains their only undefeated team, Alabama is the hottest of the bunch, as they have gone on lengthy winning streak since their loss to Texas. I readily admit I thought this was the beginning of the end for Nick Saban. But he and this team have gone back to Bama’s roots, playing the physical brand of football I grew up watching. The Tide and the Dawgs look destined to meet in Atlanta once again, with the winner dreaming of a National Title.

Missouri has been a feel good story as they head to Athens in November with just one loss. Kentucky and Tennessee have had solid years once again, though it feels like the Vols have underwhelmed at times. Ole Miss remains hot on the heels of the Tide in the West division, and will remain a threat with a soft remaining schedule ahead.

There have been some negatives in this conference as well. LSU has had two ugly losses this year, typical of Brian Kelly in a big game. Florida has struggled in Billy Napier’s second year, while Auburn hasn’t found any rhythm to begin Hugh Freeze’s tenure. Last years coaching darling Shane Beamer is likely in the hot seat, with the Gamecock’s season spiraling. Sam Pittman will be collecting a pink slip at year’s end as his Razorbacks have fallen apart, but he won’t be alone. With another disappointing season unfolding in College Station, expect the oil money boosters to send Jimbo Fisher packing from A&M.

ACC

The ACC likely saw their playoff dreams flash before their eyes Saturday night. With Clemson already DOA, Florida State was in a dog fight with Duke. Fortunately for the conference, the Noles pulled away for another impressive win. While Florida State hasn’t always been dominant this year, Mike Norvell’s squad has often looked the part of a title contender. With a soft schedule ahead of them, it’s hard to see them missing the dance this year.

Their likely opponent in the ACC title game will be Drake Maye and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Heels suffered an embarrassing home loss to Virginia Saturday night, one that dents their national aspirations, but the program continues to thrive. Maye has increased his profile as a top pick and Mack Brown’s second act in Chapel Hill continues to be a fun story.

Their rivals down the road in Durham have been a great story of their own. Mike Elko’s Power Five job prospects have benefited from what is probably the Blue Devils best season ever. Quarterback Riley Leonard is a top end NFL prospect and the defense is electric. They have a marquee win to celebrate over Clemson, but probably want a do-over on their loss to Notre Dame.

Louisville also joins Duke as a good story in Jeff Brohm’s first year, though it feels they’re running out of fairy dust. The rest of the conference is largely mediocre. While Georgia Tech and Boston College have bounced back a bit, NC State, Pitt, Virginia Tech have become a mess. Miami’s chances at a big season were undone by some idiotic coaching. But Clemson takes the cake this year with another disappointing campaign. Maybe the boosters are getting tired of Dabo like the rest of us?

BIG 12

Of the many things I had on my bingo card this year, a resurgent Oklahoma team was not one of them. A healthy Dylan Gabriel and an improved defense have made the Sooners a surprise playoff contender. They still have challenges ahead on the schedule, especially in the conference title game, but Brent Venables deserves a ton of credit.

Their biggest competition, and likely conference title game opponent, is the Texas Longhorns. Texas may in fact be back, it varies based on the week and who you ask. The Horns got their biggest win in years earlier in the season over Alabama. Their loss came at the Cotton Bowl against the Sooners, after throwing away a late lead. If they win the rematch they’ll make the playoff, they just need to avoid tripping along the way.

Kansas remains a feel good story as Lance Leipold’s Jayhawks are enjoying another solid push. Their in state rivals in Manhattan have lost two heartbreakers, but still look primed for a strong finish. Oklahoma State has bailed Mike Gundy out with a couple wins in a row, and the same can be said for Neil Brown at West Virginia. BYU has even gotten off on the right foot in their first BIG 12 season.

While those teams have had nice years, others have been a letdown. Conference newcomers UCF and Cincinnati have gotten off to slow starts, while Texas Tech and Baylor have underwhelmed significantly this season. Matt Campbell may be in trouble at Iowa State, along with Dana Holgorson at Houston. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all has been last years national runner up TCU. While they don’t have the same talent from a year ago, the Frogs are an underwhelming 4-4 with some ugly losses.

BIG 10

We begin our breakdown of the worst conference in the land with a look at Michigan. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines, sign stealing scandal and all, are the class of the Midwest. They played absolutely nobody out of conference and their weak conference schedule doesn’t do them any favors either. JJ McCarthy looks mistake prone when asked to do anything at all, which isn’t often. It feels like they could be beaten, but there isn’t anyone on their schedule that will test them.

Their main competition comes in the form of their arch nemesis from Columbus. The Buckeyes are undefeated, despite looking like a shell of themselves. Ryan Day and his “Just for Men’s” beard can yell all he wants, this team isn’t tough enough up front. Their defense is their best unit, and has had to bail out an offense that hasn’t clicked at all. As great as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are, they are handicapped by freshman signal caller Kyle McCord. Ohio State is clearly a good team, but don’t look like an elite team at all.

The Buckeyes most recent win came over Penn State, who turned in another typical Penn State performance in a big game. While their defense is elite, the offense was poor and the coaching staff was worse. James Franklin has turned in some ghastly numbers against the best of the best over his career. I’ll give him this, he does one hell of a Brian Kelly impression.

After these three programs, there is 50 feet of crap and then there is the rest of this conference. Luke Fickle’s first year at Wisconsin has been a mixed bag, while Iowa is still trying to figure out how to score touchdowns. On the bright side Nebraska has shown some signs of competence under new coach, Matt Rhule and Maryland is enjoying a nice year. Rutgers isn’t even a total mess anymore. One of these teams will get the honor of being destroyed by Michigan in the conference title game in a few weeks.

PAC 12

There is going out with a bang and then there is the PAC 12. West Coast college football’s swan song boasts some of the best teams in the nation, and maybe two playoff teams. Washington is making the most of Michael Penix last year in school as they are undefeated. They have already won a thriller over Oregon, but still face a daunting schedule. It won’t be easy but with their Heisman candidate under center, they have a great chance to make the playoff.

The aforementioned Ducks have looked great as well. Heisman candidate Bo Nix has had another big year, leading future coaching star Dan Lanning’s group. Much like the Huskies it won’t be easy for them the rest of the way, but if they handle their business they’ll likely get a rematch with the Huskies in Vegas. The question is- if the Ducks win the conference, and Washington’s only loss is to them, could they both make the playoff? Their resumes would be strong enough.

Rounding out the three headed monster atop of the PAC is Kyle Whittingham’s Utah Utes. This program remains a prime example of how to remain a contender despite not having vast resources. Whittingham’s group plays some of the most physical football in the land, and has managed to hit the 6-1 mark without starting QB Cam Rising. Bryson Barnes has been terrific under center, and will lead them into next weeks marquee matchup at home against Oregon.

Oregon State headlines the best of the rest as Jonathan Smith’s group looks capable of crashing this party. The Beavers are a very physical team much like Utah, and can hit big plays thanks to improved quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Jake Dickert’s Washington State Cougars and Chip Kelly’s UCLA Bruins have enjoyed strong years as well. Colorado and “Coach Prime” have cooled off as of late (fortunately for my headache) while the rest of the conference has mostly struggled. Best of all, we are in the midst of yet another USC collapse. With the season up in smoke, the eternally overrated Lincoln Riley is already plotting his move to the NFL while Caleb Williams continues to talk a big game. A lost year for the men of Troy may cause an awful lot of drama this off-season.

I’ll be back this week with a recap of the Giants game against Washington and some thoughts on the wrap up of the New York baseball season. It’s been a while since the Yankees and Mets finished but I’ve been waiting to fire off a recap until we heard from both teams. Follow me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address.