CFB DeptHITS: Friday, October 18

We have reached the eve of a big week eight around college football. We also have a five-game slate for tonight to consume. Here is the big news from the last 24 hours to ensure you are up to speed...

We make hundreds of minor edits and updates to our live 134 depth charts over at the site. This feature is designed to pull out the “big ones” and give you a little context around what it means.

Georgia Tech ::: QB Haynes King is considered a game-time decision for week eight against Notre Dame. Zach Pyron is ready to take the reigns if called upon.

Further: A true “GTD” for King in this one. Luckily for the Yellow Jackets, Pyron is a solid backup and should do fine if called upon, though the Irish won’t make it easy on him. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman mentioned that his squad has had to prepare for both in practice.

Oklahoma State ::: QB Garret Rangel is rumored to be getting the start for the Pokes against BYU in week eight. He replaces veteran Alan Bowman in a shake up at the most important position.

Further: Interesting move here as head coach Mike Gundy tries to shake things up on offense for the Cowboys. They are riding a nearly unprecedented four-game losing streak and the offensives woes are a big part of it. Does Rangel accomplish this? According to the data we have on him, he is a downgrade from Bowman, but we don’t have a lot on him at this point. He gets the opportunity against a solid BYU defense on the road in Provo. Not exactly a “soft landing spot” for him.

Kentucky ::: RB DeaMonte "Chip" Trayanum is looking even better to make his Wildcats debut this week as he was upgraded to 'probable' and is now ready to join Demie Sumo-Karngbae in the backfield.

Further: The Ohio State transfer will make his first appearance this season week eight it appears. We do think that Sumo-Karngbae has done enough to warrant keeping the lead role, but Trayanum was brought in to be a featured back. For this week, we’ll temper expectations and keep him right around 8-11 touches as he works into the fold. Obviously, we’ll update his usage following what we see this week.

Indiana ::: LB Jailin Walker is "good to go" for the Hoosiers in week eight per Curt Cignetti, which came complete with a knock on wood.

Further: Walker is a stud who plays about a 3/4 snap count role when healthy. He and Aiden Fisher create plenty of problems for opponents when out there. Walker is more of a pass rushing threat and his services will be welcomed after he took the bye week to heal up. Nebraska’s true freshman QB Dylan Raiola will be a little less comfortable in that pocket this weekend.

Texas A&M ::: WR Terry Bussey has been upgraded to probable for this week eight against Mississippi State.

Further: Bussey is a big name because of his recruiting chops. He was an “athlete” coming out of Timpson, Texas and he could have played either offense (WR) or defense (CB). He appears most ready for the offensive side of the ball and he is getting meaningful playing time as a true freshman. He has not garnered a lot of targets and his impact may be minimal, but he is also a breakout candidate at any moment. His being able to be on the field is an important part of that.

Georgia State ::: The plan was to have Christian Veilleux and Zach Gibson split snaps at quarterback in Thursday's week eight matchup against Marshall. As it turned out, Gibson took the role and performed solidly with a 19/32 for 192 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT and 35 rushing yards. This was in a losing effort, but it appears Gibson is the guy now for the Panthers.

Illinois ::: Confirmation received that RB Kaden Feagin will not play this week and that DB Xavier Scott is probable and likely a "full go" against Michigan in week eight.

Missouri ::: WR Luther Burden III was removed from the SEC Availability report removing all doubt that he'll be ready to go against Auburn in week eight.

Alabama ::: Both WR Kobe Prentice and Kendrick Law have been removed from the injury report and are good to go for week eight.

Marshall ::: QB Braylon Braxton got the start against Georgia State (after an X fake-out saying Stone Earle was going to get the call) and he was just okay in the 35-20 win over Georgia State. He went 11/20 for 132 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT with 72 yards rushing. He does likely have a stranglehold on the role going forward.

LSU ::: In the unsurprising news category, Brian Kelly updates us on Chris Hilton Jr.'s status for Saturday. He is going to miss yet another game.

USC ::: TE Lake McRee is expected back if not this week against Rutgers, he should be availalbe next week (9) against Maryland.

Texas ::: WR Isaiah Bond is upgraded to 'probable' for the showdown with Georgia in week eight.

That’s what you need to know. We’ll be back with a Saturday morning edition of HITS and also detail out some of our top Model plays for tonight (later today) and for the full slate on Saturday. Thanks for following along. Please subscribe and share.