Fansided

College football picks – Week 8: FanSided expert predictions

By Patrick Schmidt

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 30: Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Josh Adams (33) runs for a long touchdown run during the college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Redhawks on September 30, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 30: Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Josh Adams (33) runs for a long touchdown run during the college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Redhawks on September 30, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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College football picks and predictions for the biggest games of Week 8, including USC vs Notre Dame and Michigan vs. Penn State.

Who had Syracuse beating Clemson last Friday night? Okay, you had that one, well, did you have Cal upsetting Washington State? There’s no chance that even the luckiest person who picked both those games would have picked LSU to beat Auburn. And certainly not press their luck and pick Arizona State to beat Washington. Sure enough, those four teams all lost in stunning fashion. We didn’t see any of them coming, but we’ll try to do a better job of predicting this week’s winners from the five biggest games of the week.

UCF at Navy – 3:30 – CBSSN

Schmidt: UCF

Jorgensen: UCF

We both like UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton to lead the Knights past Navy to hand the Midshipmen their second loss of the season.

Oklahoma State at Texas – 12:00 p.m. – ABC

Schmidt: Texas

Jorgensen: Texas

Tom Herman and Texas led late in the fourth quarter last week against Oklahoma before losing late. We’re buying the Longhorns to upset Mason Rudolph and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

LSU at Ole Miss – 7:15 – ESPN

Schmidt: Ole Miss

Jorgensen: LSU

I’m doubling down on the upsets and rising Shea Patterson and the Ole Miss Rebels to upset a suddenly-hot LSU team that’s beat Florida and Auburn after a shocking home loss to Troy. The Rebels have been through a lot in the wake of the Hugh Freeze scandal but there is a lot of talent still on this roster, especially at wide receiver where Patterson, a future NFL quarterback, has weapons at his disposal to beat LSU in their stadium in what is always a great rivalry game.

USC at Notre Dame – 7:30 p.m. EST – NBC

Schmidt: Notre Dame

Jorgensen: Notre Dame

We both like Notre Dame over USC. The Irish are healthier than the Trojans, have a dominant rushing attack and the better defense. They’re also playing at home and that could all prove to be enough to get past Sam Darnold and the Trojans.

Michigan at Penn State – 7:30 – ABC

Schmidt: Penn State

Jorgensen: Penn State

Here’s the chance for Saquon Barkley to have a statement game in his bid for the Heisman Trophy. Michigan boasts the nation’s No. 6 rush defense and the No. 1 total defense. The Wolverines are allowing an average of 85.83 yards per game, 2.64 yards per carry and only three touchdowns on the ground all year. We like Barkley to do well enough to keep the Nittany Lions undefeated and leave Michigan headed for a third or fourth-place finish in the division.

Overall Record: Schmidt 25-10, Jorgensen 20-15

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