College Football Picks: Predicting Every Game in Week 8
The Week 8 edition of picking every game on the college football schedule is highlighted by two games involving ranked teams: USC travels to South Bend to face Notre Dame and Penn State hosts Michigan in a critical Big Ten East showdown. Here is every game on the Week 8 slate:
Thursday, Oct. 19
Louisiana at Arkansas State
Arkansas State has feasted on the underbelly of the Sun Belt, beating Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina by an average of 26 points. Louisiana will pose more of a challenge. Arkansas State 33, Louisiana 24
Memphis at Houston
Houston’s surprising 45–17 loss at Tulsa — which had lost four straight games — has taken some of the luster off of this key AAC West game. Memphis, which beat Navy on Saturday, can take a huge step toward the division title with a win. Memphis 24, Houston 21
Friday, Oct. 20
Western Kentucky at Old Dominion
Both teams have been a disappointment halfway through the season. Western Kentucky’s record is fine (4–2 overall and 2–1 in the league), but the Hilltoppers have clearly taken a step back in the post-Jeff Brohm era. Old Dominion 28, Western Kentucky 27
Marshall at Middle Tennessee
Marshall has emerged as the team to beat in Conference USA East on the strength of a defense that is allowing an average of 10.6 points in five games against non-Power 5 opponents. Middle Tennessee is struggling without starting quarterback Brent Stockstill, who will miss his sixth straight game with an injury. Marshall 33, Middle Tennessee 17
Air Force at Nevada
Nevada is showing signs of life. After an 0–5 start, the Wolf Pack beat Hawaii 35–21 two weeks ago and then lost at Colorado State 44–42 on Saturday night. They have over 1,100 yards of total offense in the last two games. Air Force rallied from 27 points down to beat UNLV 34–30 over the weekend. Nevada 40, Air Force 37
Colorado State at New Mexico
One week after beating Air Force 56–38, New Mexico was shut out by Fresno State (38–0). Colorado State, which figures to challenge Boise State for the Mountain West Mountain title, dodged a big upset on Saturday, holding off Nevada 44–42 in Fort Collins. Colorado State 30, New Mexico 24
Saturday, Oct. 21
Akron at Toledo
Akron is off to a 3–0 start in the MAC, highlighted by last weekend’s 14–13 win at defending league champion Western Michigan. Toledo, too, is unbeaten in league play, with wins over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The Zips are good. The Rockets are better. Toledo 34, Akron 30
Idaho at Missouri
Missouri is seeking its first win of the season over an FBS opponent. Idaho is a solid Sun Belt team but shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to the Tigers. Missouri 48, Idaho 21
Iowa at Northwestern
Wisconsin is the clear favorite in the Big Ten West. Iowa, despite its 1–2 record in league play, can separate itself as the second-best team in the division with a win in Evanston on Saturday. Northwestern is coming off its best game of the season, a 37–21 victory at Maryland. Iowa 24, Northwestern 20
Iowa State at Texas Tech
Iowa State, which shut out Kansas on Saturday, is seeking its first three-game winning streak in Big 12 action since defeating Texas Tech, Kansas and Oklahoma State in back-to-back-to-back games in 2011. Texas Tech must bounce back from a gut-wrenching loss at West Virginia in which the Red Raiders let a 35–17 lead slip away. Texas Tech 41, Iowa State 31
Louisville at Florida State
These two teams are a combined 6–6 overall and 3–5 in the ACC. Louisville is 4–6 in its last 10 games after opening last season with nine wins in its first 10 games. Florida State has failed to score more than 26 points in a game this season after averaging 35.1 per game a year ago. Florida State 26, Louisville 17
Maryland at Wisconsin
Maryland’s Week 1 win at Texas seems like a distant memory. The Terps are 2–3 since and have lost to UCF and Northwestern at home by double digits. This trip to Madison will not go well. Wisconsin 30, Maryland 13
Oklahoma State at Texas
It’s been an interesting four-game stretch for Texas, which beat Iowa State and Kansas State by an average of 6.5 points and lost to USC and Oklahoma by an average of 4.0 points. Oklahoma State is about to embark on a critical stretch; three of the next four are on the road, and the one home game is against Oklahoma. Oklahoma State 34, Texas 24
Purdue at Rutgers
Rutgers snapped a 16-game Big Ten losing streak with a 35–24 win at Illinois on Saturday. Purdue is 1–2 in the league, but the Boilermakers were competitive in losses to Michigan and Wisconsin. Purdue 37, Rutgers 17
Temple at Army
Army, at 5–2, is one win away from bowl eligibility. Yes, the wins have come against Fordham, Buffalo, UTEP, Rice and Eastern Michigan, but this program has taken some huge steps in the last two years. Look for win No. 6 on Saturday. Army 27, Temple 21
Tulsa at Connecticut
UConn picked up the first FBS win of Randy Edsall Part 2, beating Temple 28–24 despite getting outgained by more than 200 yards. Tulsa bounced back from a 62–28 loss at Tulane by shocking Houston 45–17. Who knows what to expect from the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa 37, UConn 23
Pittsburgh at Duke
Duke started the season 4–0 — with three wins coming over Power 5 opponents — but has since lost three straight. This is almost a must win if the Blue Devils hope to return to a bowl game after a one-year hiatus. Duke 28, Pittsburgh 24
Boston College at Virginia
Virginia’s resurgence continues; the Cavaliers improved to 5–1 with a 20–14 win at North Carolina. They have a chance to run their record to 4–0 in the ACC before a closing stretch that features Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech at home sandwiched around trips to Louisville and Miami. Virginia 30, Boston College 20
Kent State at Ohio
Kent State recorded an unlikely win on Saturday; the Golden Flashes, who were 0–5 against FBS opponents and hadn’t scored more than 13 points in any of those games, knocked off Miami (Ohio), the MAC East preseason favorite, 17–14. Two straight for Kent State? Not likely. Ohio 24, Kent State 13
Northern Illinois at Bowling Green
Northern Illinois and Toledo are the only two teams in the MAC West without a loss in league play. With more difficult tests looming, the Huskies cannot afford to slip up against Bowling Green if they hope to remain in the division race. Northern Illinois 30, Bowling Green 17
Troy at Georgia State
Georgia State is one of nine teams in the nation that is 3–0 on the road this season. Yes, this game against Troy is at home — but it was still an interesting stat. Troy 24, Georgia State 21
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan’s losing streak is now at four games — and each of the four losses has been decided by seven points or fewer. The streak will end this week! Eastern Michigan 24, Western Michigan 23
Buffalo at Miami (Ohio)
Miami, the preseason pick to win the MAC East, has lost consecutive games to Bowing Green and Kent State. That’s not a good look. Buffalo has followed up a three-game winning streak with two close defeats — 71–68 to Western Michigan in overtime and 14–13 to Northern Illinois. Buffalo 24, Miami 21
Central Michigan at Ball State
Ball State’s MAC season is off to a rough start. The Cardinals are 0–2 and have lost to Western Michigan and Akron by a combined score of 86–6. This team might be staring at an 0–8 league record. Central Michigan 34, Ball State 14
Arizona State at Utah
In the finest defensive effort of the Todd Graham era, Arizona State stunned Washington 13–7 in Tempe to improve to 2–1 in the Pac-12. We’re not ready to proclaim this team as a legitimate threat to win the South Division title, but the Sun Devils are showing some fight in a season in which expectations were low. Utah is in the midst of a very Utah-like season: The Utes are 1–2 in the Pac-12, with all three games decided by six points or fewer. Utah 24, Arizona State 21
Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State
Appalachian State is off to a 3–0 start in the Sun Belt and figures to challenge Arkansas State for the league title. Coastal Carolina’s struggles in its first season in the FBS ranks continue. Appalachian State 31, Coastal Carolina 17
Syracuse at Miami (Fla.)
Two programs that have enjoyed some big wins in recent weeks will be looking to keep the momentum going strong. Miami appears to be the better team, but keep in mind the Hurricanes needed some late-game heroics — and a little luck — in wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. Syracuse is more of a work in progress, though there was nothing fluky about the Orange’s win over Clemson. Miami 28, Syracuse 20
Georgia Southern at Massachusetts
Two of the nation’s five winless teams get together this weekend. Hot take: One of them will break into the win column this weekend. UMass 27, Georgia Southern 20
Illinois at Minnesota
Neither team has won a league game, but Minnesota has been far more competitive, with two of its three Big Ten losses by seven points or fewer (and the third was a seven-point game until a late pix-six). Illinois has losses of 22, 29 and 11 points on its résumé. Minnesota 28, Illinois 10
Indiana at Michigan State
Michigan State has emerged as the surprise of the Big Ten with a 3–0 start highlighted by a 14–10 victory at Michigan. Indiana is 0–3 in the league but has played Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. The Hoosiers will pick up some wins down the road. Michigan State 24, Indiana 14
Tennessee at Alabama
Tennessee has lost 10 straight in the series and has scored 20 points or fewer in all 10 games and 10 points or fewer in six of the 10. Only two of the games have been decided by single-digits, a 19–14 loss two years ago and a 12–10 loss in 2009. Alabama 41, Tennessee 10
UCF at Navy
UCF is 5–0 and has not had a game closer than 28 points. This trip to Navy and a home date with South Florida are the two biggest obstacles as the Knights shoot for a 12–0 regular season. Navy lost for the first time this season, dropping a 30–27 decision at Memphis on Saturday. UCF 37, Navy 24
North Carolina at Virginia Tech
North Carolina remains winless against Power 5 opponents, a surprising decline for a program that won eight games in 2016 and 11 games in 2015. Virginia Tech, 1–1 in the league, should be 3–1 when it heads to Miami on Nov. 4. Virginia Tech 34, North Carolina 17
Oklahoma at Kansas State
Baker Mayfield is in the midst of a remarkable senior season. He leads the nation in completion percentage (72.7) and yards per attempt (12.0) and has a sparkling 17-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio. He might not win the Heisman, but he should be in everyone’s top three at this point. Oklahoma 33, Kansas State 17
Oregon at UCLA
UCLA’s struggles on defense continue; last Saturday, the Bruins were torched by Arizona for 605 yards (including 457 on the ground) in a 47–30 loss in Tucson. It’s the second time they’ve allowed at least 400 rushing yards in a game this season. Oregon is having its own troubles; the Ducks are 0–2 since quarterback Justin Herbert went down with an injury and have scored a total of 17 points in those two games. UCLA 37, Oregon 30
SMU at Cincinnati
Cincinnati dropped to 2–5 overall with a 33–3 loss at South Florida over the weekend. Each of the five losses has come by 10 points or more, and neither of the two wins is very impressive — 26–14 over Austin Peay, 21–17 over Miami (Ohio). SMU 38, Cincinnati 14
Kentucky at Mississippi State
The good news: Kentucky is 5–1 and one win away from bowl eligibility for the second straight season: The bad news: The Wildcats’ wins have come against Southern Miss (by seven points), Eastern Kentucky (11), South Carolina (10), Eastern Michigan (four) and Missouri (six). Beating South Carolina, especially on the road, is impressive. The other wins? Nothing to get excited about. Mississippi State 34, Kentucky 21
ULM at South Alabama
ULM had some nice momentum after stringing together three straight wins. That ended on Saturday with a disheartening 47–37 loss at home to Georgia State. South Alabama pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the season, winning at Troy 19–8 last Wednesday one week after Troy won at LSU. South Alabama 28, ULM 24
North Texas at FAU
North Texas, 3–0 in the league, is the team to beat in the C-USA West after last week’s 29–26 win over UTSA. FAU is also unbeaten in the league, with wins over Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion. Could this be a preview of the C-USA Championship Game? North Texas 30, FAU 28