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Jasper,
"I think 1 is the "official" rule"
You are wrong.
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Depends on the governing body. The APA rules count a scratch on the 8 as loss of game. I go with the BCA on these matters, but the rulesets have differences, as the APA is a joke, but someone might think that they matter.
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No.
APA Rules:
http://www.celeris.com/games/vp3/help/pages/rules.html
Relevant rules:
Under Eight Ball Rules - Loss of Game
- scratching when playing the eight ball
Under General Rules - Fouls
Scratch – Pocketed the cue ball.
Ball Off Table - Hit a ball off the table. If a ball jumps onto the rail and returns to the table, there is no penalty.
Bad Hit - In eight ball and the low ball first family of games, the cue ball contacts a non-target ball before a legal target ball. For all games, the cue ball does not contact a ball.
No Rail - If no ball is pocketed, and at least one ball does not contact a cushion after the cue ball contacts an object ball. This usually comes up during safety (defensive) play or when the shot is played too softly.
Note, under APA rules, "scratching" is given a very specific defintion, namely pocketing the cue ball. No other foul is grounds for loss of game.
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Just a link to the APA rules that specify a scratch on the 8 as loss of game:
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The rules state quite specifically on page 9 that failure to hit the 8 ball is not a loss.