Teams who were forced to make late-cycle coaching hires have struggled so far this season, with the nine programs that made hires in mid-January or later going 14-29 against the spread. Those teams went 1-5 ATS last weekend, including UCLA’s home loss to Minnesota. The Bruins are going on the road to face Rutgers on Saturday afternoon during the Week 8 college football schedule, with UCLA listed as a 6.5-point underdog in the Week 8 college football odds. No. 24 Michigan is another team that fits the late-cycle coaching hire trend, and the Wolverines are 3.5-point road favorites against No. 22 Illinois in the Week 8 college football spreads.
The top games this weekend will be played in the SEC, as No. 11 Tennessee (+3) hosts No. 7 Alabama, while No. 1 Texas (-4.5) faces No. 5 Georgia. The Longhorns have covered the spread in five of their first six games this season, but should you back Texas with your Week 8 college football bets? Before locking in any Week 8 college football picks on those games or others, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is a sizzling 12-5 on all top-rated picks over the past three weeks of this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns on their sports betting apps.
Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds and Week 8 college football betting lines. Head here to see every pick.
Top college football predictions for Week 8
One of the college picks the model is high on during Week 8: No. 8 LSU (-2.5) notches a road win over Arkansas in a 7 p.m. ET matchup on Saturday. Arkansas starting quarterback Taylen Green suffered a left leg injury in the fourth quarter of an upset win over Tennessee in Week 6, and his status for this game is uncertain. The Razorbacks cannot afford to be without Green in this matchup, as LSU is riding a five-game winning streak following an overtime win against then-No. 9 Ole Miss.
Junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had 337 passing yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Rebels, leading a game-tying drive in the final seconds of regulation. LSU has scored at least 29 points in every game of its hot streak, while Arkansas has been held under 25 points in all three of its conference games. The Tigers have won seven of the last eight meetings between these teams, and the model has LSU covering in over 60% of its latest simulations. See the rest of its Week 8 college football picks here.
Another prediction: No. 21 SMU (-16) cruises to a blowout win at Stanford in an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday. The Cardinal have been terrible at home dating back to last season, winning just one of their last 12 home games. They have failed to cover the spread in seven consecutive Saturday games, and they have lost seven of their last nine games outright.
This is not a good opportunity for them to turn things around, as SMU has jumped into the top 25 with an impressive three-game winning streak. The Mustangs cruised to blowout wins over TCU and Florida State before upsetting then-No. 22 Louisville as 6.5-point underdogs last week. They are riding a seven-game road winning streak and have covered the spread in four of their last five games, a big reason why the model has SMU covering nearly 70% of the time. See picks for every other game in Week 8 here.
How to make college football picks for Week 8
The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every FBS matchup in Week 8, and it’s calling for five underdogs to win outright. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.
So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which five underdogs win outright in Week 8? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit since its inception, and find out.
College football odds for Week 8
See full Week 8 college football picks, odds, predictions here
Thursday, Oct. 17
Georgia State at Marshall (-9, 51.5)
Boston College at Virginia Tech (-7.5, 49.5)
Friday, Oct. 18
Florida State at Duke (-3, 42.5)
Oregon at Purdue (+27.5, 98.5)
Oklahoma State at BYU (-9.5, 53)
Fresno State at Nevada (+2.5, 50.5)
Saturday, Oct. 19
Virginia at Clemson (-21, 57.5)
Miami at Louisville (+4.5, 61.5)
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech (+11.5, 49)
Alabama at Tennessee (+3, 56.5)
Michigan at Illinois (+3.5, 43.5)
Colorado at Arizona (-3.5, 57.5)
LSU at Arkansas (+2.5, 55.5)
Georgia at Texas (-4.5, 56)
SMU at Stanford (+16, 53.5)
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