Week 8 of the college football season was shaping up to be a snoozer. Then, Ohio State and Purdue kicked off. That changed everything. 

The Boilermakers were a fun upset alert pick, but the 29-point win over the No. 2 team in the nation marked the first real seismic shift in the landscape. A preseason playoff favorite just got rocked on the road against an unranked opponent. What will be the fallout of that game? And what about other statement games involving Clemson and NC State, or Michigan and Michigan State? We got a lot of contenders and some pretenders out of Saturday's action.

From those games and so much more, here's everything you need to get caught up on a busy day around college football. 

Winners

Michigan's defense: It's good enough to at least keep the Wolverines in any game against anyone. The offense? It'll have to do its part, and in a 21-7 win over Michigan State, it was more conservative than it needed to be at times. The 79-yard touchdown to Donovan Peoples-Jones? More of that, please. In any case, there's nothing fraudulent about holding the Spartans to 94 yards with zero third-down conversions. That defense is no joke. Granted, Michigan hasn't played so much as the Big Ten's top quarterbacks in the past two weeks. Games against Penn State and Ohio State will be better metrics. But Michigan's defense is good enough to win the Big Ten by itself. 

Purdue: There's a lot to take away from Purdue's surprising, emphatic 49-20 blowout over Ohio State -- the program's first win over a top two team since 1984 -- but perhaps the most important angle in terms of getting the actual win is how good the Boilermakers were defensively in the red zone. The Buckeyes had four trips to the red zone and came away with just six points. Two of those trips were empty possessions. Reminder: this came against one of the top scoring offenses in college football. There was no doubt Purdue could score points and help the over hit. The key really was keeping Ohio State out of the end zone. And it did just that. 

Washington State: The Cougars' 34-20 win over Oregon was uneven, to say the least, but it also showed Mike Leach's team at their best. And when they're at they're best, they were up 27-0 after one half while holding the Ducks to 39 yards. Yes, Washington State's Air Raid offense is brutally effective when it's clicking. It's a helpless feeling to be a defense and have no answer for what the Cougars do. It's equally as impressive how much Washington State has improved defensively over the last few years. Once again, this looks like a team capable of at least realistically competing for a Pac-12 North crown. 

Utah: The Utes are the likely frontrunners for the Pac-12 South after dispatching USC 41-28. And yet, how Utah got to this point was extremely unlikely. Kyle Whittingham's team has scored 40 points in every game this month. The last time Utah scored at least 40 points in three straight games was in 2010 when it was in the Mountain West Conference. 

Losers

Playoff fatigue: A byproduct of the College Football Playoff being such an active talking point is that it's easy to take every outcome and oversaturate the conversation. The Pac-12's doomed playoff hopes have been a bullet point for a while. Ohio State's loss to Purdue was another prime example but for the opposite reason. Could the Buckeyes, theoretically, still make the playoff if they win out?

It's understandable. It's a discussion that's made college football more engaging. There's history, too. Ohio State's a big name and a major loss to Iowa kept them out last season. Plus, the selection committee's first mock standings come out in two weeks. But -- and I say this as a member of the party that feeds the beast -- enough already. There's still an entire second half of the season to play and just as much time to consider the options. Trying to dissect the possibilities now is a fruitless exercise. And if the selection committee has taught us anything, it's that there's no prerequisite for their constant mental gymnastics. Besides, the new-look Big Ten race is way more compelling anyway. 

NC State: The Wolfpack were undefeated heading into Saturday's game at Clemson. They ranked atop the ACC in passing offense and statistically had a top-tier defense in the conference. All of that was about to be tested against an opponent that mattered. Friends, NC State did not pass that test. The 41-7 shellacking was never a game. NC State looked completely overwhelmed by the moment, whereas that was as complete a game as Clemson has played all season. The Wolfpack were an unknown coming into Week 8. Now we know. 

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs' offense has hit one hell of a wall. For the third time in four games, Mississippi State has failed to eclipse 300 yards. The passing offense is completely non-existent in a 19-3 loss to LSU. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had as many interceptions (four) as LSU kicker Cole Tracy had field goals. There is zero respect for Fitzgerald's arm and all defenses have to do is load the box with nine or even 10 players and dare the Bulldogs to throw. The reward far outweighs the risk. Unless the passing offense improves, losses like these will continue to be the norm. 

Western Kentucky: The ending to the Hilltoppers' 37-34 loss to Old Dominion was peak college football. Both sides scored a combined 28 points in the final 5:40. But rather than try to tell you what happened, allow video guru Timothy Burke to show you. Trust me, it's easier. Just know this ends in absolute heartbreak for Western Kentucky. 

Best of the rest

Oklahoma running back Kennedy Brooks: Despite mounting injuries at the running back spot, the Sooners might have found their next big thing in Brooks. The freshman had a career-best 168 yards and a touchdown in Oklahoma's 52-27 win over TCU. It's taken some time for Brooks to get significant touches, but he is a yardage machine. He and Trey Sermon are a terrific duo. 

UAB: The Blazers came from 11 down to beat North Texas 29-21, holding the Mean Green scoreless in the second half. The win moves UAB to 6-1, making them bowl-eligible for the second straight year. Coach Bill Clark has led this program to a 14-6 record since being resurrected from the dead two years ago. What a job he's done. 

Florida Atlantic: With a 31-7 loss at Marshall, the Owls are now 3-4 and a couple of games back from the top of the Conference USA East division, which they were picked to win in the offseason. The Lane Train has derailed and now making a bowl game may even prove to be a challenge. 

Virginia: It feels like the Cavaliers' 5-2 record is being overlooked and there are a lot of winnable games left on the schedule in the Coastal Division race. The road game at Virginia Tech to end the regular season is huge, but the Hokies are far from a sure thing. The Hoos in the ACC Championship Game? It's a way more vivid thought now than prior to the start of the season. 

Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen: The stud linebacker had the game-winning strip sack in a 14-7 win over Vanderbilt and his NFL Draft stock continues to rise by the week. There just aren't many players who can come up big in the backfield like that while covering pass-catchers downfield. He's a rare beast. 

Auburn defensive end Marlon Davidson: The disruptive edge rusher has now blocked a field goal attempt in three straight games thanks to his efforts on this 40-yard attempt in a 31-16 win over Ole Miss. 

Nebraska: Hey, we celebrate first-time winners at all programs and the Cornhuskers got that much-needed victory over Minnesota 53-28. It was still interesting at times -- it's never easy with this team -- but Nebraska has come close a few times. Good on them for finally finishing. 

The best score of the day: This was a game defined by a school-record 79-yard punt by the Scarlet Knights. So, yes, it could only end this way. Of all the final scores with niners, eleveners and other general oddities, this one my be my favorite of all time.

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Earlham: The Quakers out of the Division III ranks lost a record-setting 51st straight game with a 64-20 loss to Franklin on Saturday. That extends a streak that dates back to 2013. I share this not to mock, but to let you know that, no matter what, we're all counting on you to get that win. Good luck.