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College Football Week 8 Odds and Picks Against the Spread

Mitch Robson

by Mitch Robson in College Football

Updated Oct 22, 2020 · 2:05 PM PDT

Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly's Irish are on upset alert at Pitt this weekend. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire)
  • Week 8 provides us with the biggest slate of the 2020 CFB season so far, as the Big Ten and Mountain West return to the field
  • Four games flying under the radar stand out as some of the best bets on Saturday
  • See the odds and picks for Week 8 within the story below

After going 2-0 with a double dip last Friday night, I’m expanding the card for this Saturday to four picks as we welcome the Big Ten and Mountain West onto our TV’s for the first time in 2020.

While the headliner’s for the weekend include Ohio State-Nebraska and Michigan-Minnesota, off-the-radar underdogs present some of the best plays for Week 8.

I have three of those on my card, and to round it out we’ll be fading Kansas once again – a tradition unlike any other.

Week 8 College Football October 24th Odds and Picks

Matchup Spread Moneyline Total Pick
#20 Kansas State vs Kansas K-State -19.5 KSU -1600/Kansas +820 48.5 K-State -19.5 (-114)
Georgia Southern vs #25 Coastal Carolina CC -5.5 CC -235/Georgia Southern +186 51.5 Georgia Southern +5.5 (-110)
Rutgers vs Michigan State MSU -13.5 Rutgers +425/MSU -550 44.5 Rutgers +13.5 (-110)
#3 Notre Dame vs Pitt ND -10.5 ND -500/Pitt +360 43.5 Pitt +10.5 (-112)

All odds taken Oct 22nd from FanDuel & William Hill Sportsbook

Pick 1: Fade the Jayhawks in Sunflower Showdown

Blindly betting against the Jayhawks to cover the spread had been profitable through Kansas’ first three games, and nearly got to 4-0 last Saturday in Morgantown.

Despite getting in a 10-0 hole early, West Virginia rallied back for 38 unanswered points and looked like they were going to get away covering the 22.5-point number.

Until they kicked to Pooka Williams late in the 4th.

Talk about a bad beat.

Unfortunately for Les Miles’ team, that might be the last we see of Pooka in a KU uniform, as the talented Jr. opted out of the rest of the season this week. With their only significant offensive weapon now off the squad, we’re sticking with the trend and taking K-State laying nearly three TD’s this week.

Despite losing incumbent starting QB Skylar Thompson for the season, they gutted out a win at a 21-14 win at TCU on October 10th. Freshman Will Howard should be more comfortable behind center with an extra week of prep, and the Wildcats defense will hold their own as they roll in Manhattan.

Pick 2: Georgia Southern Keeps It Close With Coastal

Coastal Carolina has been one of the pleasant stories of the COVID-affected 2020 season, as the Chanticleers are 4-0 and ranked at #25 in the AP Poll for the first time ever after knocking off Louisiana last week.

That being said, the good times in Myrtle Beach come to a halt this week as the meat-grinder that is Georgia Southern comes to town catching less than a touchdown.

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Veteran QB Shai Werts leads the Eagles option attack, as he’s thrown for 464 yards and run for another 297 while putting up seven total touchdowns during Southern’s 3-1 start to the season. RB J.D. King has added another 423 rushing yards, and the defense has yet to surrender more than 30 points in a game.

This spot Coastal is in also has a history in Sun Belt play. The last time a team became ranked for the first time was Appalachian State in 2018, who promptly was blown out by…Georgia Southern, 34-14.

With the game being a sleepy noon kickoff, I fully expect Southern to keep it close and maybe even pull off an outright win.

Pick 3: Schiano’s Rutgers Looks Competitive in Debut

Greg Schiano returns to the Scarlet Knights looking to return the program to the glory days he experienced in Piscataway from 2005-11.

While signs are already pointing up as next year’s recruiting class ranks 40th nationally, this year’s team opens their Big Ten schedule as near two-touchdown dogs at Michigan State.

Schiano’s additions in the transfer market should pay immediate dividends for Saturday’s game in East Lansing. Former Nebraska backup QB Noah Vedral is the expected starter, who showed flashes last year throwing for 418 yards and rushing for three scores as a Husker.

Isaiah Pacheco (729 rushing yards, 7 TD’s in ’19) is back as the starting tailback and former Wisconsin speedster Aron Cruickshank takes over as the X receiver.

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The starting defense also bolsters transfers with Big Ten pedigree, as DE Malik Barrow and S Brendon White come over from Ohio State. DT’s Michael Dwumfour (Michigan) and Mayan Ahanotu (Minnesota) should also bolster the defensive front that was lacking Power 5 level bodies.

Michigan State’s offense was a disaster last season, and with new HC Mel Tucker being a DC by trade coupled with the COVID-affected training camp, Rutgers has a great shot to stay within striking distance as the talent disparity isn’t all that high.

Pick 4: Pitt Gets Their Annual Nail-biter vs Top 5 Team

How Pitt would it be coming off a sloppy loss in Coral Gables to upset the #3 team in the country at Heinz Field? Very Pitt, indeed.

Why I like the Panthers in this spot is that their top 20 SP+ rated defense gets to square up against Notre Dame’s anemic offense.

The Panthers red zone and rush defense are also top ten in the nation, which should cause nightmares for Irish OC Tommy Rees.

Notre Dame’s been reliant on the run game of Kyren Williams (486 yards, 7 TDs) as their receivers have failed to create much separation or perform over their first four games. No Irish pass catcher has more than ten catches or 120 yards.

If the Panthers front four can consistently get a push on Ian Book, they should be able to ugly the game up and hang around.

This trend from our friend Chris “The Bear” Fallica tops off the stats on the field, so roll with the Panthers to cover and potentially even pull off the outright upset.

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