Last Saturday was the craziest day of college football I can remember. Five of the top seven teams in the AP poll lost, which had never happened before. Georgia lost to Auburn, BYU beat Notre Dame, and Texas got beat at home by a Florida team starting a freshman QB. Miami is No. 1 now for the first time since 2002. We went 5-4 last week, so not bad considering. Here are 10 more.
College Football Week 8 Picks ATS
| Matchup | Spread | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh at Miami | MIA -20.5 | Miami -20.5 |
| Indiana at Michigan | IND -7 | Indiana -7 |
| LSU at Auburn | LSU -7.5 | LSU -7.5 |
| Texas Tech at Cincinnati | TTU -10.5 | Texas Tech -10.5 |
| BYU at UCF | BYU -6.5 | UCF +6.5 |
| Tennessee at South Carolina | SC -2.5 | Tennessee +2.5 |
| Texas A&M at Alabama | BAMA -14 | Texas A&M +14 |
| Ole Miss at Texas | TEX -3 | Ole Miss +3 |
| USC at Wisconsin | USC -3 | USC -3 |
| Houston at Utah | UTAH -6.5 | Houston +6.5 |
Saturday, Oct. 24 (Noon)
Pittsburgh at Miami — Miami -20.5
Miami was laying 21 against Florida State and needed two overtimes and a disputed Hail Mary pick to get out of there. Not great. Still, it was raining all night and Darian Mensah threw his first INT of the year. I think that was a wake-up call more than a warning sign.
Pitt’s 5-2 and decent. Miami at home, as the new No. 1, with that game still fresh? Laying it.
Indiana at Michigan — Indiana -7
Indiana’s 22-game win streak ended because Nick Marsh couldn’t get his feet down in the end zone at the very end against Ohio State. Super tough way to lose, 19-15.
Michigan beat Penn State, but it benched Bryce Underwood in that game and went with Tommy Carr. The offense was already one of the worst in the Big Ten before the QB swap. The total’s sitting at 41.5, so this won’t be pretty, but I trust Indiana’s defense to win by more than a TD.
LSU at Auburn — LSU -7.5
Auburn beat No. 1 Georgia on a walk-off field goal, and you’ve got to give them credit. They forced three turnovers off Gunner Stockton and Byrum Brown ran for over 100. Huge win for Alex Golesh in year one.
Now they have to do it again a week later, though. LSU shut out Mississippi State 31-0 last week, and Sam Leavitt went 31-of-38 for 289 and four TDs. That’s the hangover spot I’d bet on. LSU.
Texas Tech at Cincinnati — Texas Tech -10.5
Cincy runs the ball well, at 231 yards per game. Problem is Tech is only allowing 82 rushing yards a game, and that’s the whole matchup for me. The Red Raiders are 6-0 and just beat Arizona State 53-25. If Cincinnati can’t run, I don’t see how it keeps up. Tech.
Saturday Afternoon
BYU at UCF — UCF +6.5
BYU beat Notre Dame on the last play, and Bear Bachmeier was responsible for four TDs. That’s a career win for that program. Then they get a cross-country trip to Orlando against a 3-3 team at 3:30. That’s a letdown spot if I’ve ever seen one.
The total is only 43.5, so nearly a TD is a lot of points to give up here. UCF.
Tennessee at South Carolina — Tennessee +2.5
I’m still not sure why Tennessee is the underdog. The Vols just handled Alabama 26-10, and DeSean Bishop ran for 159. Jim Knowles has the defense allowing under 15 points a game.
Heupel hasn’t named his QB yet, but George MacIntyre has started the last two and Tennessee won both. Give me the points. Honestly I’d probably take the moneyline too.
Texas A&M at Alabama — Texas A&M +14
Alabama has lost back-to-back games and gained 93 yards in the first half at Tennessee. 93! The Tide went from title contender to scuffling in two weeks.
A&M isn’t great either. Missouri beat them 27-6 two weeks ago, and Mike Elko has been dealing with fallout from his “cesspool” comments. Still, I’m not laying two touchdowns with an Alabama offense that looks like this. Aggies plus the points.
Saturday Night
Ole Miss at Texas — Ole Miss +3
Texas has lost two straight. Against Florida it blew a 17-3 lead, Arch Manning got strip-sacked late, and Sarkisian is only sticking with him “for now.” On top of that, edge rusher Colin Simmons is out with an ankle sprain.
Ole Miss just blew out Missouri 31-3, and Trinidad Chambliss threw for three more TDs. One team is in a full-on spiral and the other is rolling. I’d take Ole Miss outright.
USC at Wisconsin — USC -3
Wisconsin scored seven points at UCLA, and UCLA was playing its backup QB. The Badgers had 123 yards in the first half of that game. USC has the better offense by a mile. Night game in Madison, sure, but if Wisconsin can’t score it’s tough to cover. USC.
Houston at Utah — Houston +6.5
This is the late one, 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. Utah is 6-0, but it was up 13-0 on Colorado at half and only won 27-24. Houston beat Oklahoma State 35-32, and Amare Thomas had 126 yards and two TDs.
Both teams can score, and the total is 56.5. I’d rather have nearly a touchdown with the team that’s playing better right now. Cougars.
Odds as of Oct. 21, 2026, and subject to change before kickoff. This content is for informational purposes only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
