College Football Best Bets for Week 8: Expert Picks & Predictions

My college football best bets for Week 8 look to build off the momentum from last week’s profitable 3-1 slate, including cashes on all of my totals and full-game spread wagers.

My top four plays as part of our college football Week 8 predictions find balance between games involving ranked opponents (including the new No. 1 team in the country) and a Friday night affair between two Group of 6 schools. Among the four wagers is a mix of team totals, ATS, and O/U plays.

College football best bets & expert picks: Week 8

See all of our experts' college football picks for Week 8 based on the latest college football odds.

Total wagered: 4 units | Max profit: +3.73 units

Best college football bets this week

Air Force team total Over 24.5 (+100 via FanDuel)

Many bettors hesitate to back Overs in games involving service academies, since their triple-option attacks tend to lead to long, methodical drives. But when the opponent isn’t great at stopping the run, that team's scoring ceiling rises considerably.

Wyoming ranks 130th in rush EPA allowed, while Air Force ranks second nationally. Oddsmakers seem to have already caught on to this advantage for the Falcons, as the game total has jumped from 43 to 45.5. Although Air Force ranks outside the top 100 in defensive finishing drives, I’m limiting this wager to their team total Over instead of backing both sides.

We're getting great value by making this wager at FanDuel, as other top sports betting sites like bet365 have the Falcons' team total Over set at 27.5 for nearly the same price (+110).

Pittsburgh-Miami Under 49.5 (-115 via bet365)

Miami brings the No. 1 scoring offense in FBS into a matchup with Pittsburgh, who has scored just 38 total points in two games with a backup quarterback. 

Miami’s offensive strength is that it completes 65% of its downfield throws, while the Panthers have allowed a 44% completion rate on those throws (115th). In addition, Pittsburgh has allowed 25 completions of 20-plus yards (t-125th). 

To remedy this, I expect Pittsburgh to blitz much less frequently than its previous 43% blitz rate. It has a chance to make Miami one-dimensional with the country’s top-ranked run defense (57.3 rushing yards per game). And Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal likely doesn’t want to deploy a heavy passing attack, as his teams are just 6-18 when having to throw 40-plus times.

With the Panthers not showing an ability to consistently move the football after the injury to starting quarterback Mason Heintschel, I don’t expect an aggressive game plan from the Hurricanes. Instead, I expect Miami to build off its top-4 ranking in average time of possession to grind out drives.

LSU -7.5 (-105 via DraftKings)

Lane Kiffin’s teams are 2-3 all-time against Auburn, but I’m selling high on the home underdogs after last week’s shocking win over then-No. 1 Georgia.

Auburn plays faster than every team at the FBS level, while LSU ranks third in plays per game (79). But more plays don't automatically favor the more talented team, and Auburn’s fast offensive tempo could be its undoing late, as its defense has faced over 73 snaps per game on average (133rd). It will also struggle to stop an LSU offense that averages nearly 28 first downs per game (second), especially if the Tigers clean up their drops (19 drops rank 136th out of 138 teams).

Another big difference in this game will be LSU’s ability to generate pressure while limiting Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown’s rushing ability. LSU’s 27 sacks tie for the second-most in the country, though it blitzes on just 23% of opponents’ dropbacks. Meanwhile, Auburn sits at 134th with 23 sacks allowed.

LSU also allows a quarterback run success rate of less than 30% of the time. That will likely thwart Auburn’s biggest offensive threat after Brown attempted a game-high 26 runs for 115 yards last week.

Utah -6.5 (-110 via BetMGM)

Utah has won 12 straight games dating back to the 2025 season, which is now the longest active winning streak in the FBS after Indiana and Notre Dame lost last week.

This is a matchup of two similarly-coach teams, as Houston and Utah each average 33 minutes per game of possession and rank in the top 18 in rush offense. 

Willie Fritz’s teams are 81-29 when they win the rushing battle and 10-37 when they lose it. That's why I’m comfortable laying anything less than a touchdown with the home favorites, since the Cougars' run defense will likely be exposed.

Houston’s defense has allowed 11 yards per carry outside the tackles (135th). If Utah can get its perimeter running game going, it should also help move the ball through the air with a vertical passing attack. One of every five Utah throws travels 20-plus yards downfield, and Houston’s defense ranks 129th or worse in passing yards allowed per game and completions of 20-plus yards.