Below you can find all my picks for College Football Week 8 with a quick handicap on the game. The article will be updated throughout the week as bets are added. Our team at DK Network will have breakdowns on nearly every game on the board, so stayed locked in at the website for betting analysis on any college football game you may be interested in.
Vanderbilt ML (-130) 1.5-units: Vandy’s perfect start came to an end two weeks ago when it went on the road to Tuscaloosa. The Commodores kept the game competitive with the Crimson Tide until the end, but ‘Bama broke it open for the late cover. Now, Diego Pavia and company have had the bye week to prepare for a big home game against LSU. The Tigers have been pretty underwhelming in bigger games thus far, beating Florida and South Carolina by 10 points each in low scoring home games. The road win at Clemson has lost all its value at this point, and the only other time the Tigers went on the road they lost to Ole Miss. Vandy should be well prepared for this one, and in position to put up some points. I don’t see LSU keeping up.
Iowa -3 (-105) 1-unit: Preseason we were looking at Iowa catching double digits at home for a night game hosting Penn State. Boy, have things changed here. Yes, Penn State will have the fire the coach narrative working in their favor … maybe. The Nittany Lions are off losses to UCLA and Northwestern that have essentially ruined the season, and you have to wonder what the motivation will be the rest of the way out. With Drew Allar on the shelf for the season, Penn State will have to start a freshman quarterback on the road against a good defense in a night game. Iowa is off a 37-0 stomping of Wisconsin on the road, making the Badgers’ offense look completely inept. This is a great chance for the Hawkeyes to kick Penn State when its down and get a big home win.
USC/Notre Dame OVER 61.5 (-110) 2-units: Notre Dame got off to a slow start last week against NC State, but turned it on in the second half to put up 36 points. Since the Week 1 loss at Miami, the Irish are averaging over 43 points per game, and now will have to keep up with an elite Trojans offense. USC has eclipsed 30 points in every game this season, including 31 against a solid Michigan defense last week, and was able to take its foot off the gas late in that win. I’m not sure USC will be able to ease up in this one, as a road underdog against another good offense. Both of these defenses rank right around middle of the pack nationally, giving up over five yards per play and more than 350 yards of total offense per game. They’ll be going up against explosive offenses with terrific quarterback play on both sides. Expect this to be a fun game with some fireworks.
Auburn +1.5 (-108) 1.5-units: Both teams are off massive games here, with Missouri losing at home to Alabama, and Auburn falling at home to Georgia. ‘Bama was in control most of the way at Mizzou, but Auburn really have UGA a run for its money. Auburn was controlling the game against the Bulldogs, but a controversial fumble at the goal line changed the game. I like the bounce-back spot much more for the home team here. Somehow, this will be Missouri’s first game away from home all season, and I think we start to see regression. Auburn has a terrific run game, and I expect it to control the game on the ground. Auburn’s defense should also be able to find success at home in a Saturday night game in an atmosphere that Missouri simply has not seen yet this season.
Utah -3 (-120) 1-unit: BYU trailed by double digits late at Arizona last Saturday night, but somehow escaped with a win in double overtime. Eventually, the Cougars’ good fortune is going to run out, and a tough matchup against the Utes feels like a potential spot for that to begin to happen. Utah’s offense has been humming, outside of the loss to Texas Tech in which Devon Dampier was injured. Since then, the Utes have dropped 48 at West Virginia and 42 last week versus Arizona State. Again, if we put the Texas Tech game to the side, Utah’s defense is giving up less than 10 points per game in the other five games this season. I trust Kyle Whittingham to make things tough on the freshman quarterback and limit the damage he can do with his legs. BYU is at home here, but the Utes will be out for revenge off a one-point home loss to the Cougars last season. This time around Utah’s offense will have significantly more firepower to put an end to BYU’s undefeated start.
Georgia/Alabma ML Parlay (-115) 1.5-units: While Alabama and Georgia haven’t had the level of dominance this season that we’re accustomed to, both have hit their stride a bit and are starting to rack up some good wins. Now both of them are at home in revenge spots for last season, with ‘Bama losing at Tennessee and Georgia losing at Ole Miss in 2024. Now they each get those opponents at home on Saturday as sizable favorites. Ole Miss was clearly looking ahead last week, going down to the wire at home with Washington State. Tennessee also struggled to put away Arkansas. The Rebels and Vols were both teams I was a bit down on entering the season, and each have exceeded expectations. However, in difficult road spots against Georgia and ‘Bama teams that need these wins for College Football Playoff hopes, I think we start to see them regress a bit. Ole Miss and Tennessee have each only played one road game so far this season, and struggled. The Rebs went down to the wire in Lexington against a bad Kentucky team, only winning by seven. The Vols struggled at Mississippi State in a game they needed overtime to win. Going to Athens and Tuscaloosa will prove a much tougher task, and I don’t think either are up for it.
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