College football expert picks against the spread for Week 8 for every game played inside the Top 25 rankings this week.
Brutal results always hurt with college football expert picks against the spread. For instance, Texas blowing a lead to Oklahoma State, Kentucky’s garbage-time touchdown in the closing seconds against Georgia, and Iowa no-showing against Purdue all led to losses last week. All we can do is take our bootstraps, pull ourselves up, and move on with a winning mentality for Week 8.
It was definitely an uneven batch of picks last week for the college football slate. Against the spread, our skid continued as we went just 6-10. However, the bets on the totals were cash-money as we finished the week at 13-3 there. That takes us to 56-70-1 against the spread, 66-57-4 betting point totals, and 122-127-5 overall on the 2021 season.
Let’s get above .500 across the board this week. These are the college football expert picks against the spread for the Top 25 in Week 8. Note: All odds are via WynnBET. For more betting info and content, visit BetSided.
Top 25 teams not in action in Week 8: Georgia (1), Michigan State (9), Iowa (11), Kentucky (15), Auburn (19), Baylor (20)
College football expert picks against the spread in Week 8 for Top 25 teams
Wisconsin at 25 Purdue (+3.0) – Under 40.0
The under between these two offenses and relatively good defenses is the only thing I’m 100 percent sure about. With that said, Purdue being at home against a hapless Wisconsin offense as an underdog is enticing enough for me to bite on it.
24 UTSA (-6.5) at Louisiana Tech – Over 59.5
Though there have been instances of UTSA playing down to the level of competition, I’m riding with the Roadrunners hers. They are substantially better than Louisiana Tech and should be able to score a big win in a game with plenty of points being scored.
Clemson (+3.0) at 23 Pittsburgh – Under 48.0
Objectively, Pitt has been the better team in the 2021 college football season. With that said, just when you start to trust the Panthers, fade them. Clemson’s defense will limit the passing offense and that will be the difference in this game while holding onto the under.
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22 San Diego State at Air Force (-3.5) – Over 39.5
Yes, San Diego State has been great against the run but Air Force has been surging and I’m not convinced the Aztecs have the answers for the option-based attack. At home, the Falcons roll and do enough to make the over a strong play with a low total on the odds board.
Tulane at 21 SMU (-14.0) – Over 71.0 (Played on Thursday)
I was honestly worried about this game because it seemed too obvious. Tulane had no answers for SMU’s offense, which lent itself to the -14.0 and the over. Luckily, that turned out to be right with the 55-26 victory for the Mustangs.
18 NC State (-3.0) at Miami – Under 54.0
With the way things have gone in the ACC to this point, I’m not sure I feel great about either side here. That said, there are much fewer reasons to trust Miami right now than NC State, so give me the Wolfpack’s defense controlling and winning a low-scoring game.
South Carolina at 17 Texas A&M (-20.5) – Under 45.5
This game just feels like it has 33-0 or 35-3 written all over it. South Carolina has not shown anything to make you believe they can compete with some of the better teams in the SEC at this point. Texas A&M has its flaws but should dominate this matchup.
16 Wake Forest (-3.0) at Army – Over 52.0
Though it may not look like a marquee game, fans should be excited for this one. There are some smart people backing Army but give me the Deacs. The Knights haven’t proven they can stop a good passing attack yet, which is exactly what Wake is going to pitch at them all night.
14 Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State (+4.0) – Over 61.0 (Played on Wednesday)
The underlying numbers for Coastal suggested that their defense wasn’t as good as last year, so the Mountaineers at Kidd Brewer Stadium seemed like the safe play and it was as they won outright. Unfortunately, the total came in just slightly under the 61.0 points on the line.
USC at 13 Notre Dame (-6.5) – Under 58.5
For starters, this total is just way too high for a Notre Dame team with a limited offense and a USC team that has been wildly inconsistent. And in that same light, I don’t know how you can trust the Trojans in this spot, which is my lackluster reason for backing the Irish -6.5.
LSU at 12 Ole Miss (-9.0) – Under 75.5
My confidence in Ole Miss would be much higher if we were sure that Matt Corral was 100 percent but, even then, I trust Lane Kiffin to get his guys ready and knock LSU down off a high of beating Florida — even if there is some sort of motivation with the Coach O news of the week.
10 Oregon (+1.5) at UCLA – Over 60.0
Just as simple as I can be, UCLA shouldn’t be favored in this game. Oregon is incredibly flawed, particularly with Anthony Brown at quarterback. But while they’ve been sleepwalking through some recent games, that won’t be the case for this one and they’ll come out and pick up the big win.
8 Oklahoma State (+7.0) at Iowa State – Under 48.0
Iowa State has looked better as of late and their losses aren’t bad. With that said, I still think this team is being overrated. Even if they’re favorites over the Pokes, it shouldn’t be by a full touchdown. And on top of that, the Oklahoma State defense will help push this to the under.
Illinois at 7 Penn State (-23.5) – Under 46.0
Sean Clifford being back in the fold is an outright game-changer for Penn State. They probably could’ve beaten Illinois without him but, with him, they should win this one running away and stifling the Illini offense.
Northwestern (+23.5) at 6 Michigan – Under 51.0
For as good as Michigan could be, this is the type of game where they don’t live up to expectations. The Wolverines are in a look-ahead spot with Michigan State waiting next week and this is just a trap game that won’t be a blowout and, frankly, will be a bit ugly.
5 Ohio State (-20.5) at Indiana – Over 59.5
Ohio State has been rolling as of late, particularly on offense. I don’t expect the Indiana defense to offer much resistance to C.J. Stroud, TreVeyon Henderson and this attack. In the same vein, the over feels like a safe play as I still lack confidence int he Buckeyes defense.
Tennessee (+25.0) at 4 Alabama – Over 68.0
You would be crazy to think that Alabama isn’t the better team in this matchup that, as they proved against Ole Miss, can win handily. However, with the size of this line and a total that could definitely be higher than it is, the backdoor is our friend as we take the Vols to cover while hitting the over.
3 Oklahoma (-38.0) at Kansas – Over 67.0
Part of me wanted to take the Jayhawks because this is so many points. However, Caleb Williams takes the Sooners to another level and that will be evident in this game as Oklahoma will pour it on Kansas to get a monster win.
2 Cincinnati (-28.0) at Navy – Over 49.0
Cincinnati is in a position where they need to make statements to prove they deserve to be a top-four team in college football. They are miles better than Navy and the Bearcats could hit the over all by themselves in what should be a decisive blowout, even if they’re on the road.
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