Early ATS Picks for Week 8 College Football: Best Bets Against the Spread
By Chris Amberley in College Football
Published:
- My early Week 8 college football spread picks cover SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 matchups
- I’m betting on bounce back efforts from both Alabama and Indiana
- See my early ATS picks for Week 8 college football, including the best bets against the spread
The early Week 8 college football board offers three favorites worth a closer look. Several marquee programs are coming off tough results last weekend, and the market now has to decide whether those losses were one-week blips or genuine warning signs.
Alabama fell 26-10 to Tennessee and now faces a critical home test against Texas A&M, while Indiana dropped a 19-15 decision to Ohio State before hitting the road to face Michigan. Meanwhile, BYU carries momentum from a win over Notre Dame into Orlando.
For these early ATS picks, I am weighing recent box scores and situational spots against the current college football odds to isolate the best early plays on the board.
Early ATS Picks for Week 8 College Football
The table above highlights my three favorite spread plays for the Week 8 slate, with all three priced between -108 and -114 at BetMGM. Alabama and Indiana both lost last weekend, so the key takeaway is that two of these plays are buy-low bounce-back spots rather than form-based bets.
Week 8 College Football Best Bets Against the Spead
Check the BetMGM promo code before locking in any of these early Week 8 spreads. All three picks are priced at BetMGM, so new users can grab a welcome offer before Saturday’s kickoffs and back the full card this weekend.
Early CFB ATS Pick #1: Texas A&M at Alabama
- Pick: Alabama -14 (-108 at BetMGM)
Alabama returns home off an ugly 26-10 loss to Tennessee. The Crimson Tide managed just 201 total yards, converted only 2 of 13 third downs, and Keelon Russell was held to 147 passing yards. Laying two touchdowns after that performance is not a comfortable spot.
Still, my Texas A&M vs. Alabama prediction treats this as a rebound spot, not a sure thing. Texas A&M carries its own red flag after a 35-6 loss to LSU last month, and I expect Alabama’s offense to respond at home after a performance well below its standard.
Laying the points with the National Championship odds contender is my play as they look to reassert their dominance, though a 14-point number leaves little margin if the third-down issues linger. Bettors can compare each program’s cover history using our NCAAF ATS records & trends before locking in this spread.
Early CFB ATS Pick #2: Indiana at Michigan
- Pick: Indiana -7 (-111 at BetMGM)
Indiana rolls into Ann Arbor off a 19-15 loss to Ohio State, but the box score tells a more encouraging story. The Hoosiers outgained the Buckeyes 369-313, Josh Hoover threw for 296 yards, and Charlie Becker piled up 165 receiving yards.
Indiana also excelled at moving the chains, converting 8 of 16 third downs. Michigan earned a 21-18 win over Penn State last weekend, so this Indiana vs. Michigan prediction is not about fading a struggling opponent. It is about trusting Indiana’s offense to turn yardage into touchdowns this time.
Indiana’s offensive execution makes them my favorite to cover this one-score spread, though the loss shows how quickly stalled drives can flip a tight game in either direction. I am backing a bounce-back effort on the road at a fair -111 price. Before making any bet this weekend scan the college football betting apps to find the best price.
Early CFB ATS Pick #3: BYU at UCF
- Pick: BYU -6.5 (-114 at BetMGM)
BYU brings a balanced offense to Orlando after a 28-24 win over Notre Dame. Bear Bachmeier completed 23 of 36 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown, and he also found the end zone as both a rusher and a receiver.
That kind of versatility makes BYU difficult to defend. UCF, meanwhile, last played on Oct. 10, when it fell 42-28 at Oklahoma State, so this BYU vs. UCF prediction weighs a rested home team against a road favorite riding real momentum.
BYU possesses the offensive rhythm necessary to cover this 6.5-point road spread, though UCF’s extra week of preparation is worth respecting. I am backing BYU to outpace a UCF defense that allowed 42 points in its last outing, even at the steeper -114 price.
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
