Winners and Losers of Week Eight

1. FELIX: It's no surprise that he makes the list. He changed the game on Saturday with one play, and he also turned in another sack to stay atop the Big 12 in that category. Is he on his way to being a first team all-Big 12 selection in his first season as a starter? The only reason why he wouldn't at this point would be lack of popularity and name recognition. Let's change that for Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

2. KENNY PICKETT: Clemson's offense is horrid. We all know that. But thanks to Brent Venables, their defense is still elite. But Kenny Pickett was able to continue his strong performance this year against the Tigers. Could that be the start of a Heisman campaign for the Pittsburgh quarterback. His coach Pat Narduzzi thinks so.

3. CJ STROUD: He was inconsistent to start the year, but CJ Stroud has settled into Columbus and may now be performing like the best quarterback in college football. The former Kansas State quarterback target has the Buckeyes clicking on all cylinders.

4. THIBODEAUX: The Oregon defensive end is one of the athletes raking in the most money from Name, Image and Likeness, but Kayvon Thibodeaux also is benefiting from the lack of star power at quarterback in the upcoming draft class, too. Because of that, he just may be the top pick in the draft. He certainly lived up to the hype on Saturday against UCLA. In a year that has actually seen a bit of a revival of defense, I'm beginning to think we need to start looking long and hard at some defensive players for the Heisman Trophy.

5. LEIPOLD AND KANSAS: Trust me, I am not a proponent of celebrating losses. But it is Kansas. And they were showing zero signs of life throughout the first season under the direction of new head coach Lance Leipold. That all changed on Saturday when they took Oklahoma to the brink. They led at halftime. They led after three quarters. They made it a four-quarter game before falling short. It's a bad look for Oklahoma, but Leipold will be able to use that performance to sell his vision much more and gain even more buy-in from the locker room.

1. PARITY: Just when we thought college football had some parity and the playoff wouldn't consist of the usual suspects, we're not too many steps from a group that is comprised of the same perennial contenders. Have you noticed that the top teams still include Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma? Some of them were knocked off early, but they have risen from the ashes and the new entrants have slipped up as well.

2. MATT WELLS: Thanks to his pal Chris Klieman, he's on the verge of being the Big 12 coach on the hottest seat. Texas Tech started the year 5-2, but the fans and administrators may have the ammunition they need to remove him when the year is finished. I'm not sure they'll win another game. The remaining slate has them facing Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State. Ouch.

3. AAC AND CONFERENCE USA: Remember when Mike Aresco and the AAC was going to poach existing Big 12 members? LOL. It isn't just that they were unable to do that, but they couldn't coax schools from the Mountain West or Sun Belt to join their league. They had to pluck six schools from the Conference USA. The Conference USA also lost three others to the Sun Belt. The AAC may be worse than the Mountain West and AAC. And the Conference USA is struggling to exist.

4. TCU: Before the season began, I was high on the Horned Frogs, even if I wasn't a huge supporter of the coaching job that Gary Patterson has done the past few years. They were one of the three most talented rosters in the entire league. That doesn't matter, apparently. They're in danger of missing out on a bowl game.

5. USC COACHING SEARCH: Luke Fickell and Matt Campbell aren't going to leave the Midwest. James Franklin just stubbed his toe for the second time this season, and it wasn't all that flattering this time. A loss against Illinois this season is pretty gross. Not only that, they have to play Ohio State. That makes USC hiring him a bit more difficult to justify. Not only that, the LSU job is open as well, and an argument can be made that leading the Tigers is more appealing than leading the Trojans.