College Football Picks Week 8: Predictions for Top 25 Games on Upcoming Schedule
The Oregon Ducks have not looked impressive in their first three Pac-12 contests.
Mario Cristobal's side did not put away the California Golden Bears until the 4:50 mark of the fourth quarter Friday night. Still, the Ducks are the Pac-12's best hope to earn a College Football Playoff berth, but they have to be perfect for the rest of the season to be in the mix.
A road trip to face the UCLA Bruins on Saturday was viewed as one of the biggest road blocks in Oregon's season when the schedule came out.
Although UCLA suffered a pair of bad losses in its first seven games, it has the offensive potential to keep up with the Ducks. And the oddsmakers believe UCLA can pull off the upset of the 10th-ranked Ducks, as the Bruins opened as a short favorite on the spread.
It is hard to find any other ranked teams listed as underdogs in Week 8 since there are no Top 25 clashes. Oregon-UCLA could have the feel of a ranked battle, but on paper, it is not and that may hurt Oregon's resume at the end of the regular season.
Week 8 Schedule and Odds
Wednesday, October 20
No. 14 Coastal Carolina (-3.5) at Appalachian State (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Thursday, October 21
Tulane at No. 21 SMU (-14) (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Saturday, October 23
No. 2 Cincinnati (-28) at Navy (Noon, ESPN2)
No. 3 Oklahoma (-38) at Kansas (Noon, ESPN)
Northwestern at No. 6 Michigan (-21.5) (Noon, Fox)
Illinois at No. 7 Penn State (-23.5) (Noon, ABC)
No. 16 Wake Forest (-3.5) at Army (Noon, CBS Sports Network)
Wisconsin (-3) at No. 25 Purdue (3:30 p.m., BTN)
No. 8 Oklahoma State at Iowa State (N/A) (3:30 p.m., Fox)
No. 10 Oregon at UCLA (-1) (3:30 p.m., ABC)
LSU at No. 12 Ole Miss (-10) (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Clemson at No. 23 Pittsburgh (-3.5) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Tennessee at No. 4 Alabama (-27.5) (7 p.m., ESPN)
No. 22 San Diego State at Air Force (-3.5) (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
No. 24 UTSA (-6.5) at Louisiana Tech (7 p.m.)
No. 5 Ohio State (-19) at Indiana (7:30 p.m., ABC)
USC at No. 13 Notre Dame (-7) (7:30 p.m., NBC)
South Carolina at No. 17 Texas A&M (-21) (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
No. 18 NC State (-3.5) at Miami (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
All Times ET. Predictions against the spread in bold.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).
21+. NJ/PA/WV/IN/IA/CO/IL/TN only. In partnership with Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
No. 10 Oregon (+1) at UCLA
Oregon has a chance to wash away its lackluster start to the Pac-12 campaign with a big win at the Rose Bowl.
Oregon beat the Arizona Wildcats by 22 points at the end of September, but Arizona was in that game until the third quarter. Cal was even more competitive with Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Week 7 before the Ducks won on a late Anthony Brown touchdown.
The Ducks' lone loss came on the road against the Stanford Cardinal, who are the best team they have played inside the conference.
Although UCLA is 5-2, it may pose a lighter test than Stanford did on the first Saturday of October. UCLA's two losses came against the two best teams on its schedule: the Arizona State Sun Devils and Fresno State Bulldogs. The Bruins' Week 1 win over the LSU Tigers carries less significance by the week.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet form a duo that could wreak havoc on Oregon's rushing defense. But whatever the UCLA duo produces against the Ducks defense can be matched by Anthony Brown, Troy Dye and the Oregon offense.
The Bruins allowed 82 points in their two losses, and they average 25.1 points allowed per game, which is 4.1 points above Oregon's total.
Even though the Ducks have struggled to put away teams, their defense held three of their past four opponents under 20 points. If Oregon slows down Thompson-Robinson and Charbonnet, there should be a window for Oregon's offense to pull away and win the game by double figures.
Oregon will not be on a clear path to the College Football Playoff with a win. It still has to visit the Washington Huskies and Utah Utes in November, but a road win over UCLA would be a nice result to add to the resume.
Clemson at No. 23 Pittsburgh (-3.5)
It is rare to see the Clemson Tigers as an underdog on the spread, but that is what their play warrants going into Week 8.
What is even more bizarre is the play of Clemson's offense, which has averaged 20.5 points per game, and the performances from the Pittsburgh Panthers, who average a little under 28 more points per game than Clemson. In most seasons, that stat would be reversed.
Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is putting up numbers that deserve Heisman Trophy consideration. He has 24 total touchdowns over six games. Pickett should eclipse the 2,000-yard passing mark Saturday against a Clemson defense he struggled mightily against in 2020.
Clemson intercepted Pickett on four occasions in a 52-17 victory last season, but Trevor Lawrence is not coming back to win games for the Tigers this season. The Tigers have a smaller margin for error on defense because the offense has failed to show any type of spark. Clemson needed a missed field goal by the Syracuse Orange on Friday to avoid overtime at the Carrier Dome.
The Tigers lost their first road game in ACC play to the NC State Wolfpack and played poorly in Syracuse last time out. Until Clemson proves it can put up more than 20 points on a consistent basis, it has to be considered the underdog in road games against ranked teams.
And until Pickett shows signs of slowing down, you have to bank on Pittsburgh to keep winning and remain on track to make the ACC Championship Game.