College Football Upset Picks Week 8: 3 Moneyline Underdogs to Bet

We’re coming off our most profitable college football upset picks article of the season, as wins by Pittsburgh (+320) and Colorado (+140) resulted in a +3.6-unit week.

My college football picks include an upset pick backing a team that just fired its head coach last week. Adding to my college football predictions for Week 8 are an upset wager fading one of the worst Power 4 teams in the country, as well as an analysis of our favorite underdog in a matchup between AP Top 25 teams.

🏈 College football upset picks: Week 8

College football upset picks for Week 8; college football odds subject to change.

• UConn (+105 via DraftKings) vs. Boston College ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Penn State (+130 via BetMGM) at Iowa ⭐⭐⭐
• BYU (+145 via bet365) vs. Utah ⭐⭐⭐

🚨 Best moneyline underdogs to bet in Week 8

Our college football player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.

🎯 UConn (+105) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

UConn enters this regional rivalry game coming off a bye and has won three straight. It is 2-1 in games decided by six or fewer points and entered last week with a huge advantage in defensive stop rate over Boston College.

The Huskies entered their bye ranked 43rd with a 65.6% stop rate, allowing 2.02 points per drive, while the Eagles ranked seventh-worst among FBS teams with a 44.2% stop rate, allowing more than a field goal per drive.

Boston College desperately misses the services of now-Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos. New starter Dylan Lonergan provides no rushing threat whatsoever, and without his dual-threat ability, teams have loaded the box to stop the Eagles’ running game, which has averaged just 3.1 yards per carry thus far.

DraftKings is one of our best sports betting sites and is offering the road underdogs at +105. If UConn pulls the upset, my $10 wager at +105 odds, with a 48.78% implied probability, would net $10.50 in profit.

📊 Live UConn vs. Boston College odds

🎯 Penn State (+130) ⭐⭐⭐

Penn State dubiously became the first team in the last 30 years to lose consecutive games as a favorite of at least 20 points. As a result, it relieved James Franklin of his head coaching duties, as the loss was his fourth as a 20-point favorite since 2011 - the most of any head coach in that span.

The Nittany Lions are the rightful underdogs as the road team playing in their first full game without injured QB Drew Allar. But if any team can overcome the loss of its quarterback, it is Penn State, which still arguably has the best running back tandem in the country in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.

After Iowa pounded Wisconsin with 36 rushing attempts to 25 passing attempts, it is running the ball at another top-10 rate this year. I’ll take my chances with the Nittany Lions in a road upset in a battle of run defenses, especially with a rushing attack capable of producing more explosive plays.

BetMGM is one of our best sports betting apps offering the underdogs at +130 odds. That price implies a 43.48% chance that Penn State pulls the upset and would result in a $13 profit on a $10 winning wager.

📊 Live Penn State vs. Iowa odds

🎯 BYU (+145) ⭐⭐

BYU is one of three 3-0 teams remaining in Big 12 play and is tied for third with +900 odds at DraftKings to win the conference. Utah is one of the teams ahead of the Cougars despite having one league loss, but I am backing BYU as one of my top moneyline underdogs, hoping it can improve its odds significantly by winning this rivalry game.

Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier is the real deal, becoming the first BYU player since 2020 to record five passing and five rushing touchdowns through the first five games.

This line is also likely slightly inflated after Utah’s 42-10 rout of the then-No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils, who the Utes dominated following late news that Sun Devils QB Sam Leavitt would be out with an injury. The 32-point win marked Utah’s third-largest victory over a ranked opponent in school history.

BYU has won the last two games against Utah, including a 26-17 home victory in 2021 as a 7-point betting underdog. ESPN’s FPI doesn’t even consider this an upset, giving BYU a 51% chance to win.

The best return on a $10 wager is through bet365’s +145 odds which carry a 40.82% implied probability. If BYU pulls the upset in this “Holy War” rivalry, the bet would pay out $14.50 in profits.

📊 Live Utah vs. BYU odds