With most leagues decided, Kosmo is watching to see who answers the bell in Week 8

There's no such thing as a bye week in the prep pigskin calendar, but this feels like the calm before the storm.

In Week 7, we got answers about division winners across the board in big games. On back-to-back nights, the OAA Red was decided and won by Lake Orion in front of a crowd so big that Connor Stallions could have blended in unnoticed. North Farmington delivered the goods on home soil in a nail-biter to make itself the favorite over Seaholm in the OAA Blue race.

Novi got its chance to flip the KLAA West race on its head, Detroit Catholic Central wrapped up its portion of the CHSL slate undefeated, Avondale did the same in the OAA Gold, and Walled Lake Western stiff-armed Milford with just one last defender in the way next week in the form of WL Central before the Warriors can reach the promised land of LVC champs.

Whew. Those are big stakes.

Now, Kosmo has his watchful eye (perhaps with an eyepatch, Kosmo had thoughts of being a pirate this Halloween) on what teams keep the wheels turning in the second-to-last weekend on the gridiron prior to the playoffs. Will the winners keep a high motor revving? Can those who took a punch jab back? For some, it's their backs against the wall needing a playoff win.

After a 6-1 record the week prior, Kosmo wanted to go out on a limb with more than a couple 50-50 picks, and it resulted in a 5-2 week. Not so bad, friends. It's time to look into the crystal ball (is that Haason Reddick in Honolulu Blue?) and keep it rolling with these Week 8 predictions.

Walled Lake Western at Mason — With a place in the semifinals at stake, the Bulldogs (6-1) erased a double-digit deficit and beat WL Western in overtime last season. After the Warriors were already beaten by Mason earlier in the season, this one has revenge game written all over it. These teams have won their last three games by a combined 230 points, but while this should be no five-score affair, Kosmo thinks this one will be decided by more than one score. Kosmo says: WL Western

West Bloomfield at Birmingham Seaholm — It feels like an existential question to ask whether a Laker or a Maple can have "that dog in them." A leaf with bite? Anyhow, Kosmo is wondering if West Bloomfield can do more than bark in Birmingham this Friday. The Lakers need this thing more, and Seaholm has to make sure it doesn't look ahead to Groves next week. Kosmo says: West Bloomfield

North Farmington at Rochester Adams — A fun crossover game, but not a lot on the line. Both teams already have a handful of wins. Adams will likely finish with six and should use these last two weeks as playoff tune-up time, while the Raiders have more at stake in Week 9, as they'll have to take care of business at home against Troy to wrap up the OAA Blue undefeated. Kosmo says: Adams

Ortonville Brandon at Swartz Creek — Coming off a 42-14 loss to the best team in the FML Stars, Goodrich, Ortonville Brandon will likely find a fifth win in Week 9 against Eastpointe. Before then, it's a crossover game against the Dragons, who just handled winless Holly, 27-13, and are also sitting on four victories. The Blackhawks have won their last two FML crossover games. It's not November, but Kosmo thinks they might roll a turkey. Kosmo says: Ortonville Brandon

Troy Athens at Troy — Speaking of Turkey, it's the battle of Troy, aka, the Earthquake on Long Lake (needs work). The Colts had everything to play for after five weeks, but were handled by Seaholm, then dropped a close one last Friday to Farmington. The Red Hawks, meanwhile, scored their most points of the season when they broke a four-game losing streak by defeating Bloomfield Hills, 28-25. Athens' seniors don't know victory over their rivals considering the last win in the series was 2020, so it's now or never. Kosmo says: Troy

Novi at Northville — The Wildcats couldn't stop the run against Howell, and it took too long before they were able to get their high-powered offense in gear as a result. The Mustangs have some real quality losses in Howell, Lake Orion at Brighton (2OT). If Brighton could somehow pull the upset on Howell this week, the Wildcats could still feast on a share of the KLAA West by going home with the Baseline Jug. Kosmo says: Novi

Clarkston Everest Collegiate at Royal Oak Shrine — The unbeaten Mountaineers are coming off a 24-12 win over Ottawa Lake Whiteford in what was their biggest test since Ubly back in Week 2. Now, they're aiming for a second straight league title, with Shrine standing in the way. The Knights (6-1, 3-1) will be riding high after a 42-14 win over Bishop Foley and could split the CHSL Intersectional 2 crown if they knock off Everest. Kosmo says: Everest