College football odds, betting: Here are three underdogs we like for Week 8

We’re halfway into the college football season. By now, we are getting a clearer picture of which teams we could see battle in conference title games and which have a shot at walking away with national title glory. Until then, here’s what I like for Saturday’s college football slate for Week 8.

Kansas State +4.5 and +170 at TCU

I love K-State QB Adrian Martinez in this offense. Mix that with the Wildcats having a much stronger defense than what the Horned Frogs have faced as of late, and we may just see the upset. The current line is +3.5 and +145. Since I like the K-State moneyline, anything above the field goal is a play. However, as with any wager, understand that you don’t have the best of the number here. Check out my full reasoning here.

Indiana at Rutgers under 48

Hoosiers QB Connor Bazelak looked solid last week completing 69% of his passes and throwing three scores, but that was against a Maryland secondary ranked bottom 30 in the FBS. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have a sneaky good defense. The line moved from 47.5 to 48. I’ll take that, thank you.

Minnesota at Penn State under 43.5

There’s a solid chance that Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan may sit after sustaining an injury in last week’s matchup that forced him to leave the game late in the fourth quarter. Morgan has started every game since he took over midseason in 2018. Aside from the possible injury, this game is about both rushing offenses and defenses. The Golden Gophers haven’t allowed more than 26 points and that just came last week against Illinois. Before that, Minnesota hadn’t allowed more than 20 this season.

You have two run-heavy offenses with one quarterback banged up and another that is less than productive. This season, Nittany Lions QB Sean Clifford is completing just 59% of his passes and has thrown for over 250 yards just once. This could be your typical ground-and-pound Big Ten matchup. It's Minnesota running backs Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts (expected to play) against Penn State backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who are both coming off disappointing performances against Michigan. Both teams are top 15 in fewest touchdowns allowed.

Northwestern +14 at Maryland

Terrapins QB Taulia Tagovailoa is questionable, but this is a fade on Maryland’s defense, which is ranked bottom 20 against the pass. Northwestern has a one-dimensional offense that depends on the passing game. Wildcats QB Ryan Hilinski on paper doesn’t look stellar with only six passing touchdowns and six interceptions. However, Northwestern did beat Nebraska in Week 1, when Hilinski had his second-best passing day of the season with over 300 yards. He then followed that up with over 400 yards against Duke in an eight-point loss.

The Wildcats have lost five straight since, and Hilinski’s passing yards have declined each week, but in his defense, Northwestern faced Penn State in a horrendous downpour and then faced Wisconsin in a huge rushing defense mismatch. Maryland’s atrocious secondary and a banged up quarterback keeps Northwestern within two scores.

West Virginia +6 at Texas Tech

Weather could be a factor here. Lubbock is expected to have 20 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 35 mph. The Raiders are a pass-heavy offense, ranking top 10 in passing yards but 95th in the run game. Even if weather conditions become a non-issue, Tech quarterbacks have been sacked 23 times and combined for 10 interceptions. A bad offensive line and being turnover prone are always red flags for a team laying near a touchdown.

If this comes down to needing the run game, the Mountaineers have been utilizing two running backs in Tony Mathis Jr. and Justin Johnson mixed with TE C.J. Donaldson, who is actually second on team in rushing yards while leading in ground scores. Overall, this rushing unit is top 40 in yards per rush attempt, while Texas Tech is bottom 30 in defending the run. In fact, the Red Raiders allowed Kansas Stat to rush for 343 yards earlier this month. The vulnerability is there.