College Football Week 8 Havoc Ratings: Volunteers On Downward Spiral

Just two short weeks ago, everything was clicking for Tennessee.

The Volunteers had one of the highest ranks for Havoc Allowed, with no interceptions and just five tackles for loss in their season-opening win against South Carolina. However, the season has gone south in a hurry since.

Havoc allowed is a barometer for how much you can trust a team to take care of the football. Multiple fumbles and an interception led to a Georgia runaway in Week 6, while the play-by-play log from Kentucky is a Tennessee fan's worst nightmare.

Next up for the Volunteers is a meeting with Alabama. The Crimson Tide picked off Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett on three occasions, while netting 10 passes defensed and four quarterback hurries.

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Our Havoc column looks at the defensive Havoc and offensive Havoc allowed each week. The calculation is simply a cumulative number of tackles for loss, interceptions, fumbles and passes defensed divided by the number of plays on both sides of the ball.

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Week 8 Havoc

Marshall continues to be the safest bet on the board from a standpoint of havoc allowed. With a sample set that doubles Temple, the Thundering Herd also ranks in the Top 11 in offensive rushing and passing success rate. Florida Atlantic was able to generate 12 tackles for loss in a season opener against Charlotte. The Owls will have to own the trench to cover a three-score spread.

Here is a raw number breakdown of havoc and havoc allowed:

Tulsa continues to be mentioned in the weekly havoc series. Its defensive havoc rank of third nationally faces an offense that ranks 74th in havoc allowed. Zaven Collins, the potential AAC defensive player of the year, will face an offense that hasn't been able to protect the quarterback or score points in opportunity time.

UTSA will be without starting quarterback Lowell Narcisse, who is out after season-ending, left-ankle surgery. Other Roadrunner quarterbacks do have playing time, but get break with a Louisiana Tech defense that is 70th in defensive havoc.

The biggest havoc discrepancy on the board comes from Provo, Utah, where BYU returns after a victorious trip to Houston. The Cougars are cruising with just five scheduled games currently, with Boise State on November 6th holding the keys to the College Football Playoff discussion.

Enter Texas State, which has struggled in a 1-5 season. The Bobcats are among the worst teams in the nation in havoc allowed, with a defensive rank of 59th. Jake Spavital's defense has allowed more tackles for loss than any team in FBS. The Cougars are Top 13 on both sides of the ball, while posting a Top 20 rank in finishing drives offensively and defensively.