What to watch: Week 8 college football viewing guide, picks against the spread
Every week throughout the season we’ll give you a college football viewing guide by highlighting the five best games of the coming weekend. We will pick those five games against the spread and highlight some other matchups that caught our eye from a betting perspective.
We’re in for another fun weekend in college football.
Week 8 may not have the elite matchups like the Tennessee vs. Alabama proved to be, but there are still five ranked vs. ranked games and a bunch of others that are very interesting for a variety of reasons.
For example, Ole Miss is undefeated and ranked No. 7 in the country yet is an underdog on the road vs. unranked LSU. There are also anxiety-inducing games for programs like Penn State, which hosts Minnesota on the heels of an ugly loss to Michigan, and Texas A&M, which is just a three-point road favorite over South Carolina and desperately needs a win.
There are also numerous games with major division, conference and even College Football Playoff implications. We’re past the halfway point of the season, so each week gets more important.
(Note: All times ET, odds from BetMGM)
No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson
Time: Noon | TV: ABC | Line: Clemson -13.5 | Total: 49.5
Syracuse had a 10-win triumph back in 2018 but never had won more than five games in any of Dino Babers’ five other seasons leading the program. Until this season. Syracuse is 6-0 for the first time since 1987 and is coming off a 24-9 win over No. 15 NC State. Though NC State was without its starting QB, it was still a good performance from Syracuse, which got strong efforts from its three stars on offense — QB Garrett Shrader, RB Sean Tucker and WR Oronde Gadsden II. To get to this point, though, Syracuse has played just one road game (UConn). Going down to Clemson will be Syracuse’s biggest challenge of the season by a significant margin.
Clemson, now 7-0, is much more battle-tested and is looking to seize control of the ACC Atlantic. The Tigers have gone on the road in three of the last four weeks and have picked up wins over Wake Forest, NC State (with a healthy Devin Leary) and Florida State during that span. Clemson’s offense was one of the worst in the ACC last year but is much-improved this year. DJ Uiagalelei in particular has been much better in 2022. How will he and the Tigers fare against a Syracuse defense that is only allowing 4.6 yards per play?
Nick Bromberg: Clemson -13.5, Sam Cooper: Syracuse +13.5
No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: UT -6.5 | Total: 60.5
This is one of two massive games in the Big 12 this weekend. While TCU and Kansas State are undefeated in conference play, both Texas and Oklahoma State have just one Big 12 loss apiece. Texas, after a 2-2 start, has won three straight games and has had star quarterback Quinn Ewers back in the lineup in its last two outings. The Longhorns trounced rival Oklahoma before eking out a 24-21 win over Iowa State last weekend in Austin. That was an obvious letdown spot for UT with this trip to Stillwater looming. Expect a more focused effort from UT this time.
Oklahoma State, meanwhile, saw a massive opportunity slip away last week. OSU was facing TCU in a battle of unbeaten teams and the Cowboys had the Horned Frogs on the ropes. OSU led 24-7 in the first half and had a 30-16 lead in the fourth quarter, but allowed TCU to fight back and eventually win in double overtime. Will Mike Gundy’s team be able to bounce back after such a disappointing loss? The Cowboys need to do just that to keep pace in a crowded Big 12 race.
Nick: OSU +6.5, Sam: OSU +6.5
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: Fox | Line: Oregon -6 | Total: 70.5
Here’s another huge game, this time in the Pac-12. UCLA is undefeated at 6-0 and is coming off consecutive home upsets over Washington and Utah. UCLA is an underdog again this week, but this time it’s on the road in Oregon, Chip Kelly’s old stomping grounds. It was a slow build for Kelly to get the Bruins into the national conversation, but he’s got an excellent team this year. UCLA is led by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet has topped the 100-yard mark in five of UCLA’s six games while Thompson-Robinson has 19 total touchdowns.
On the other side is Oregon, which has been hot since its ugly season-opening loss to Georgia. The Ducks are in their first season under Dan Lanning, who helped lead UGA to last year’s national title as defensive coordinator. But Oregon’s strong suit has actually been its offense. With Auburn transfer Bo Nix at quarterback, the Ducks have been rolling through every team on their schedule. After posting just three points in the UGA loss, Oregon has averaged 49.8 points per game in the five games since.
Nick: UCLA +6, Sam: UCLA +6
No. 7 Ole Miss at LSU
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: LSU -1.5 | Total: 67.5
While No. 6 Alabama is set to host No. 24 Mississippi State in the 7 p.m. window, this feels like the more competitive SEC game on Saturday’s schedule. Ole Miss is 7-0 and ranked No. 7 in the country but is actually a slight underdog for its trip to Baton Rouge to face LSU. The Rebels handled a lackluster non-conference schedule without much issue and have since opened SEC play with wins over Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Auburn. Lane Kiffin has been leaning heavily on the run game with Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans so far. Those two have rushed for a combined 1,325 yards and 17 touchdowns. Will they find success against LSU?
LSU, in its first season under Brian Kelly, has had some highs and lows so far in 2022. There were losses to Florida State and Tennessee and also an uneven performance in a 21-17 road win over Auburn. But there was also the come-from-behind win over Mississippi State and last week’s thrashing of Florida in Gainesville. The UF win was the best LSU’s offense has looked all year as Jayden Daniels threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns while adding three scores on the ground. Can a performance like that carry over to this week’s showdown with Ole Miss?
Nick: Ole Miss +1.5, Sam: LSU -1.5
No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU
Time: 8 p.m. | TV: FS1 | Line: TCU -3.5 | Total: 54.5
TCU has been one of the biggest stories of the season so far. In Year 1 under Sonny Dykes, the Horned Frogs were expected to finish in the middle of the pack in the Big 12. Instead, they are the last undefeated team remaining in the conference at 6-0 and 3-0 in league play. TCU has played in some big games to reach this point. There was an emotional win over SMU, Dykes’ former school, before the Horned Frogs knocked off No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 19 Kansas and then No. 8 Oklahoma State last week. Is there enough gas in the tank with another ranked team coming into Fort Worth?
Kansas State should be nice and rested after its bye week. The Wildcats are 5-1 on the year having only lost at home to Tulane in an upset. Since that loss, K-State knocked off Oklahoma on the road, handled Texas Tech at home and then beat Iowa State 10-9 in an ugly road game. The strong start for K-State has been led by QB Adrian Martinez. A transfer from Nebraska, Martinez has only thrown for 900 yards, but he’s rushed for 546 yards and nine scores on the year and been an excellent pairing with shifty running back Deuce Vaughn. Those two, plus a solid K-State defense, will present a big challenge to TCU.
Nick: TCU -3.5, Sam: KSU +3.5
Head-to-head ATS:Nick: 21-14, Sam: 20-15
Week 8 best bets
Nick Bromberg (Last week: 0-3, Overall: 12-9)
Hawaii at Colorado State (-5): After an 0-3 week it’s time for a bounce back. Hawaii has scored 17 or fewer points in six of its seven games this year while Colorado State’s biggest output of the season is 19 in a 15-point loss to Middle Tennessee State in Week 2. The under has to be the play here. Pick: Under 46.5
Boise State at Air Force (-3.5): Boise State made a change at offensive coordinator after a 27-10 loss to UTEP and has scored 75 points in its two games since. Air Force, meanwhile, has scored over 40 points four times this season. There’s a risk here with these run-heavy teams; possessions could be at an absolute premium. But I think the over looks good. Pick: Over 47.5
Colorado at Oregon State (-24): The Buffs got their first win of the season in Week 7 over Cal at home. It was, coincidentally, Colorado’s first game with interim coach Mike Sanford. This isn’t a team that is going to suddenly rebound and make a bowl game, but it should be more competitive over the rest of the season. This is too many points with Oregon State QB Chance Nolan likely out again Saturday. Pick: Colorado +24
Sam Cooper (Last week: 1-2, Overall: 12-9)
Indiana at Rutgers (-3): Rutgers has lost 21 consecutive Big Ten home games, so I’d never pick RU to cover the spread. But the Scarlet Knights have a stingy defense that matches up well with Indiana, a team that needs to throw to have any success whatsoever. This feels like a low-scoring game to me. Pick: Under 48
Arizona State at Stanford (-3): ASU has quietly been playing better since Herm Edwards was fired. ASU was competitive on the road vs. USC and then upset Washington as a 13.5-point underdog. After a bye, I love ASU’s chances for an outright win over Stanford. Stanford finally snapped an 11-game FBS losing streak last week at Notre Dame on the heels of a heartbreaking home loss to Oregon State. I can easily see the Cardinal coming out flat. Pick: ASU +3
No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU (-3.5): I think this is the time to fade TCU. Kansas State has a good defense, a great running game and is coming off a bye. The Wildcats can wear TCU down over the course of 60 minutes. TCU has played in four straight big games and is due for a letdown. This point spread being only 3.5 (when it was TCU -5 vs. an undefeated Oklahoma State) is a pretty good clue that K-State is the right side. Pick: Kansas State +3.5
For other Week 8 picks from Sam Cooper, click here.
For Week 8 picks from Dan Wetzel, Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger, subscribe to the College Football Enquirer.
