Welcome to Week 8 of the college football season, and our favorite picks for action this week. We start in the ACC, where a usual basketball rivalry is moved to the gridiron in a crucial conference matchup.
Check out my free upset picks below.
College Football Best Bets for NCAAF Week 8
Follow along with these College Football best bets to wager on an all-important Week 8 slate of NCAAF action, including several massive top 25-ranked matchups. Today's games could have a massive impact on the College Football Playoff, so don't miss out on your chance to bet on the action.
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Georgia Tech vs Duke Over 59.5 points
Offense should be front and center when the 12th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets visit the Duke Blue Devils. The Jackets are undefeated on the year, while both teams are 3-0 in ACC play.
This matchup pits two of the Top 5 scoring teams in the conference, with Tech averaging 36.7 points per game, and the Blue Devils right behind at 36.5.
Georgia Tech is powered by dual-threat QB Hayes King, who is completing 71.2% of his passes, while rushing for a team-best 440 yards and nine majors.
I don’t know if Duke can keep up defensively on either side, as they’re 10th vs the rush but tied for the most rushing TD’s allowed in the ACC at 14, while ranking 13th in passing yards against.
The Blue Devils’ offense is centered around Darian Mensah, the conference’s top passer, leading the ACC in yards per game (306.3) and TD passes (15).
Georgia Tech ranks third against the pass, but they’ve teed off on poor passing offenses in Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, and what’s turned out to be a poor Clemson side.
Duke has hit at least 38 points in four of six games, while Georgia Tech has reached the 30+ point plateau four times on the year.
Good offense and so-so defense? This one has the makings of a shootout all over it.
Memphis (-21.5) over UAB
Memphis has rolled through its competition, going 6-0 and getting very little resistance along the way, as they’ve averaged 40.5 points per game, good for third in the American Conference.
Take away their 1-point win over Arkansas, and the Tigers have won every game they’ve played by at least 21 points.
UAB has lost three in a row and has surrendered 50+ points in two of the losses. They are allowing a whopping 41.3 points per game, which ranks last in the conference.
Memphis happens to bring a solid defense to the table, ranking first in the American allowing 16.2 points per game, while holding teams to 88 yards rushing per game.
UAB does much of its damage through the air, as they put up 300 passing yards per contest, trailing only Florida Atlantic. The Owls threw for 322 yards against Memphis, though they were crushed 55-26.
The Tigers have allowed just four TD passes all year, which means their ninth-ranked pass D, surrendering 224.7 yards, is mostly in mop-up work, once the game is in cruise control.
I like Memphis to take care of business in another romp.
Michigan State +27.5 Over Indiana
It’s the largest spread for any Top 25 team in action this weekend, and there are just enough reasons to believe the Michigan State Spartans can stay within four scores of the Indiana Hoosiers.
Indiana is coming off its biggest win perhaps in school history, downing No. 3 Oregon, and now climbing to a Top 3 ranking.
They’re the No. 2 team in scoring in the Big Ten, with a rush attack that clobbers its opponents to the tune of 241.7 yards per game. Their pass attack is also Top 7 in the conference.
With six weeks to go, there are literally no major hurdles to circle on the calendar. It’s easy to overlook Michigan State, who rank in the bottom five of both passing and rushing yards allowed.
The Spartans have dropped three in a row, surrendering at least 38 points in losses to USC, Nebraska, and UCLA.
However, even in these ugly losses, MSU has yet to lose by 28 points in any game this season.
They are coming off a 38-13 loss to the Bruins, but that output is by far their lowest of the season, as they had scored at least 27 points in their prior four games, averaging 29.5 on the year.
There’s no upset special here, as Indiana should win handily. I just think the QB Aidan Chiles can make plays against any defense that’s not locked in.