College Football Odds Week 8: Picks Against the Spread for Updated Top 25 Games
Another Saturday of exciting college football action appears to be on the horizon. That's because there are some marquee matchups on the Week 8 slate that should provide plenty of entertainment for fans this weekend.
No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Oregon will face off in a battle between the top two teams in the Pac-12 to this point. Could this be a preview of the conference championship game?
No. 5 Clemson (vs. No. 14 Syracuse) and No. 8 TCU (vs. No. 17 Kansas State) will each play challenging home matchups. Will either of the front-runners in the ACC or Big 12 lose for the first time this season?
And then there's No. 6 Alabama, coming off a rare regular-season loss and preparing to host No. 24 Mississippi State. Is there a chance that the Crimson Tide may actually drop two games in a row?
Here's a look at the full Week 8 schedule for ranked teams, along with odds and picks for each of those matchups.
Week 8 Top 25 Schedule, Picks
Saturday, Oct. 22
Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State (-30.5), noon ET, Fox
Tennessee-Martin at No. 3 Tennessee (no line), noon ET, SEC Network
No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson (-13.5), noon ET, ABC
No. 21 Cincinnati (-3.5) at SMU, noon ET, ESPN
No. 7 Ole Miss at LSU (-2), 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (-6), 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox or FS1
No. 20 Texas (-6.5) at No. 11 Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Boston College at No. 13 Wake Forest (-20.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Memphis at No. 25 Tulane (-7), 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama (-21), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State (-4), 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU (-3.5), 8 p.m. ET, Fox or FS1
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Picks in bold against the spread.
No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson (-13.5)
A battle of undefeated ACC teams will take place Saturday afternoon. Even though neither of those programs have suffered a loss in 2022, Clemson is a substantial betting favorite, as Syracuse will be on the road as 13.5-point underdogs.
That shouldn't come as a surprise. The Tigers have been the most dominant team in the conference in recent years, and they've faced more challenging opponents than the Orange thus far.
During its 7-0 start, Clemson has picked up wins over Wake Forest and NC State, two of the better teams in the ACC. Plus, the Tigers have been on the road three of the past four weeks and still haven't been defeated. The leadership of junior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has been instrumental to the team's success.
So while Syracuse could keep things close early Saturday, it shouldn't stay that way for the entire game. Clemson is a stronger team, and considering it's back at home, it should have no trouble pulling away late to win by 14 or more points.
Prediction: Clemson (-13.5) covers the spread
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (-6)
This has the potential to be the most exciting game of Week 8. UCLA is undefeated, having won each of its first six games, while Oregon has reeled off five consecutive victories since dropping its season-opener against No. 1 Georgia.
The Ducks had a disappointing start to the year because they stood no chance against the top-ranked Bulldogs and fell 49-3. But they're a better team than that score indicates, which is why they've gotten on track since then.
The Bruins are a good team, too. They're coming off back-to-back impressive wins, as they defeated Washington and Utah before their bye last week. So even though they're going to be on the road this week, they have a chance to pull out the win as six-point underdogs.
The prediction here, though, is that's not going to happen. Oregon overcame early adversity and has proved it's among the Pac-12's top teams. And Ducks senior quarterback Bo Nix has been in plenty of big-time games before.
So while it will be close for much of the game, Oregon should pull away late and win by more than six points.
Prediction: Oregon (-6) covers the spread
No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama (-21)
Alabama hasn't lost consecutive games since dropping two straight to end its 2013 season. There's a chance that could change this week, though.
Coming off a road loss at Tennessee, the Crimson Tide will look to avoid a losing streak when they host Mississippi State on Saturday. The Bulldogs have been a solid team this season, getting off to a 5-2 start, although they lost at Kentucky last week.
For more than a decade, Alabama has dominated the series against Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide have won the past 14 meetings between the two schools, as the Bulldogs haven't beaten the Tide since 2007.
Don't expect that streak to end this week. Head coach Nick Saban is going to have Alabama ready to play, and it will come out and prove it's still one of the top teams in the nation. This one could get lopsided quickly in the Crimson Tide's favor.
Prediction: Alabama (-21) covers the spread
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