Underdogs thrive, the Pac-12 survives and more in a chaotic Week 8

Lovie Smith has the look of a man who's lived a full life. A man doesn't grow a beard with that many grays unless he's had some real highs (he coached in a Super Bowl) and lows (with Rex Grossman as his QB). Smith, Illinois' coach has seen some things, horrible things, like losing by double-digits to Rutgers or trying to coach Jay Cutler for four years. Not much can shock Smith anymore, but even he couldn't have seen this coming.

Just a week ago, Wisconsin was the darling of the early-season playoff push. The Badgers were dominant in all phases, an offense led by the nation's best running back (Jonathan Taylor) and a defense that pitched shutouts more often than Gerrit Cole. And Illinois?…