OPEN THREAD: FIRST SHIFT

Good morning, Internet! After a rousing group of significant games last week, Week 8 looks a little light on paper. Week 8 is coming home from a night of drinking and realizing you haven't gone grocery shopping in two weeks. There's food in the fridge, but is any of it good? I'm not sure if this Iowa State-Baylor is still good. Maybe I can melt some cheese on Western Kentucky-LSU... screw it, I'm just gonna dump a bunch of hot sauce on VT-Duke and hope for the best.

Often, though, the weeks that look the worst on paper end up being some of the most fun in the end - the lack of ranked matchups this weeks means the potential for unexpected and embarrassing faceplants is much higher. For instance!

• Florida State playing against a supremely disappointing Georgia Tech team that could, maybe, remember how good they were last year!
• Lucky-to-be-still-undefeated Michigan State having to play Indiana, who's played within one score of their opponent in five of seven games!
• Alabama having to deal with Tennessee! That could happen! (That won't happen)

Me, however? I'm craving a different kind of slow week hit this week, as I'll be experiencing the wonder of L I V E A M E R I C A N C O N F E R E N C E F O O T B A L L from the friendly confines of newly-renovated Nippert Stadium this afternoon.  3-3 Cincinnati! 3-4 Connecticut! A forecast of rain all day! A 33-year-old man wandering a college campus reminiscing! FEEL THE EXCITEMENT! Let's go out on a musical note. I bet Spencer's not watching yet.