Week 8 College Football Picks Against the Spread
- Week 8 of college football features five games matching Top 25 teams Saturday, October 22
- No. 9 UCLA visits No. 10 Oregon in the marquee matchup of the day
- Read below for the best ATS picks for Week 8 of the college football season
Week 8 features a possible preview of the Pac-12 championship game when No. 9 UCLA (6-0, 3-0) visits No. 10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0) at 3:30 pm ET on FOX. The Ducks’ only loss came in their opener, a 49-3 blowout to No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta.
No. 5 Clemson (7-0, 5-0) plays host to resurgent No. 13 Syracuse (6-0, 3-0) in a matchup of the two remaining ACC unbeatens, with the winner gaining a leg up in the Atlantic Division. American Conference leaders No. 21 Cincinnati, No. 25 Tulane and UCF, put their undefeated league records on the line.
Here are CFB betting odds and three ATS picks to consider for Week 8.
UCLA vs Oregon Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA Bruins | +6.5 (-112) | +170 | Over 69.5 (-107) |
| Oregon Ducks | -6.5 (-109) | +220 | Under 69.5 (-114) |
Odds from Barstool Sportsbook on Oct 18. Claim the Barstool Sportsbook promo code.
ATS Pick #1: UCLA (+6.5) vs Oregon
When Chip Kelly and successor Mark Helfrich coached Oregon, the Ducks dominated this series because their offensive athletes consistently ran through the Bruins’ defense. The Ducks scored 42, 42, 49 and 60 points in four straight victories from 2010-14, with a scheduled miss in 2012.
My CFB Top 10 (10/16)
1) @OhioStateFB
2) @Vol_Football
3) @GeorgiaFootball
4) @UMichFootball
5) @ClemsonFB
6) @AlabamaFTBL
7) @UCLAFootball
8) @OleMissFB
9) @TCUFootball
10) @Utah_FootballAlmost: @uscfb @TexasFootball @oregonfootball @CuseFootball @CowboyFB
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 16, 2022
This is not that UCLA. Both teams will bring a glamour offense into this one — Oregon averages 513 yards and 42 points per game, and UCLA is right behind at 506 and 41.5. But Kelly has slowly rebuilt the defensive side in his five seasons at UCLA, and the Bruins rank 33rd in the NCAA Division I in total defense. They are stout and athletic.
UCLA fifth-year senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has eliminated the kinds of mistakes that hurt him earlier in his career and ranks fifth in Division I in passing efficiency as his Heisman Trophy odds shorten. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has completed 70 percent of his passes. The Bruins enter after a bye following a 40-32 victory over No. 15 Washington and 42-32 victory over No. 11 Utah. Neither game was that close. UCLA led the Huskies 40-16 entering the fourth quarter.
Ducks open as a 6-point favorite over UCLA. ESPN FPI gives Oregon a 71.3% chance to win. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, leads the PAC-12 in passer rating at 180.59. Bruin's Zach Charbonnet league's leading rusher at 123 yards per game.
— Dale Newton (@DSH_Newton) October 17, 2022
Oregon is 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS in the last four in the series, and it is 5-0 ATS in its last five at home. UCLA is 7-1 ATS in its last eight on the road and is 6-2 ATS in its last eight on the road after a bye. Points will be scored, but they will be more equally distributed than previously.
- Pick: UCLA +6.5 (-112), two units
UCF vs East Carolina Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCF Knights | -4.5 (-114) | -210 | Over 65.5 (-104) |
| East Carolina Pirates | +4.5 (-106) | +172 | Under 65.5 (-118) |
Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook on Oct 19.
ATS Pick #2: UCF (-4.5) vs East Carolina
It is time to buy the Knights. Not only are they 4-2 ATS, but also they have mastered Gus Malzahn’s wide-open, attack-first offense. When Malzahn has a dual-threat quarterback — Ryan Aplin at Arkansas State, Nick Marshall at Auburn — his teams are hard to stop, and he has one now in Ole Miss transfer John Rhys Plumlee.
FBS QBs with 1,500+ pass yards and 450+ rush yards.
The list:
– UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee (@PlumleeJohn)
End list. pic.twitter.com/bAjWiazIHd
— UCF Sports Info (@UCFSportsInfo) October 17, 2022
Plumlee has four 300-yard passing games this season. He threw for 373 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for three more scores in a 70-13 rout of Temple the last time out. Not a good fit in Lane Kiffin’s offense at Ole Miss, Plumlee fits like a glove here. UCF is fifth in Division I in total offense.
East Carolina will make it difficult. The Pirates made big noise on opening day, taking North Carolina State to the final seconds before falling 21-20. Quarterback Holton Ahlers (2,214 yards, 17 touchdowns, five interceptions) and running back Keaton Mitchell (582 yards, six touchdowns) lead an offense that averages 475 yards per game.
EAST CAROLINA SURVIVES QUADRUPLE-OVERTIME FOR THE WIN 😤 @ECUPiratesFB pic.twitter.com/wzKEqHELdg
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 16, 2022
UCF has won the last six in the series and is 8-1 SU and 5-4 ATS in the last nine. The Knights’ average margin of victory in the last six games is 21.1 points, and the closest game came in a 20-16 home victory last season. East Carolina will be motivated by that near-upset, but so will UCF as it rises in the AAC conference title odds. UCF plays host to No. 21 Cincinnati next week, but it will not be caught looking ahead.
- Pick: UCF -4.5 (-114), 2 units
Purdue vs Wisconsin Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue Boilermakers | +2.5 (-115) | +110 | Over 51.5 (-110) |
| Wisconsin Badgers | -2.5 (-105) | -130 | Under 51.5 (-110) |
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook on Oct 19.
ATS Pick #3: Purdue (+2.5) vs Wisconsin
This pick goes against all the trends. As Wisconsin has done all season.
QB1 = 𝐁𝟏𝐆 𝐂𝐨-𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤
📈 35-for-54 passing, 391 yards, 4 touchdowns. Congratulations to Aidan O'Connell! #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/CVvGnSVm8x
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) October 17, 2022
The Badgers have won the last 15 in their series and are 12-3 ATS, but that was in normal times. Wisconsin is on its second coach this season — defensive coordinator turned interim head coach Jim Leonhard — and has lost four of its last six. The Badgers’ wins this season are against FCS Illinois State, Northwestern and New Mexico State. The latter two are 108th and 129th in the FBS Team Rankings, respectively.
Purdue has won four in a row, and its only losses are four points to No. 16 Penn State and three to No. 14 Syracuse. The Boilermakers (5-2, 3-1) have covered in their last three at Camp Randall, and motivation comes from a chance to win their first Big Ten West title. They are tied with No. 18 Illinois (6-1, 3-1). (And why did you have to bring up Bret Bielema’s new team?)
PFF Season Grades for B1G RB's thru wk #7:
92.6 Blake Corum〽️
90.7 Miyan Williams
87.8 Mo Ibrahim
85.1 Donovan Edwards〽️
80.2 Antwain Littleton
79.6 Samuel Brown
78.2 Trey Potts
77.2 Chase Brown
77.2 TreVeyon Henderson
77.0 Josh Henderson
Anthony Grant
76.0 Braelon Allen pic.twitter.com/BNUjwF5k7w— Double BB (@BBsBigHouse1) October 18, 2022
Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen is averaging 108 rushing yards per game, but his fumble in the second overtime led to a 34-28 loss to Michigan State last week, making it impossible for the Badgers to reach their projected number in the CFB win totals odds. The Boilermakers are giving up only 100 yards rushing per game.
- Pick : Purdue +2.5 (-115), 1 unit
- Season: 23-21 ATS (+11.1 units)
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Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
