College Football Week 8: Early Lines, Odds, & Predictions

Week 7 brought us several monumental upsets in college football, with a highly entertaining game between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon that saw the Buckeyes commit late miscues to keep the Ducks undefeated at 6-0. No. 1 Texas throttled No. 18 Oklahoma 34-3 in the Red River Rivalry game, No. 7 Alabama held off a late surge from unranked South Carolina, No. 4 Penn State mounted a late comeback to beat USC on the road in overtime 33-30, No. 8 Tennessee came back in the second half to beat Florida in overtime 23-17, and No. 13 LSU beat No. 9 Ole Miss in yet another overtime thriller to close out Week 7.

My Week 7 bets went 1-2, losing profit when Ohio State QB Will Howard slid without any time left on the clock to keep the Buckeyes from kicking a potential walk-off field goal at Oregon. Oklahoma +14.5 looked good until the final two minutes of the first half when the Longhorns scored two touchdowns in less than a minute to flip momentum and grab a 21-3 halftime lead. The lone winner on the card was LSU +3.5, who rallied late and finished off Ole Miss with a walk-off touchdown in overtime to win 29-26 over the Rebels.

A couple of the top-ranked FBS programs are back on bye this week but there are still several very good games to bet on during the Week 8 college football slate. Let’s bounce back and use these early line movements and odds to successfully predict how Week 8 will shake out.

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College Football Early Line Movement: Week 8

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Away	Home	Open Spread	Current Spread	Open Total	Current Total	Spread +/-	Total +/-
Nebraska	Indiana	-3.5	-7	51.5	50.5	-3.5	-1
Alabama	Tennessee	+1.5	+2.5	56	56	+1	0
Georgia	Texas	-2.5	-3.5	55	56	-1	+1

Nebraska vs. Indiana (16)

Indiana first-year head coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers buzzing at 6-0 entering a home game against 5-1 Nebraska. Indiana is 5-1 ATS in 2024 and 5-1 toward the over, while the Cornhuskers only loss to No. 22 Illinois at home came in overtime back in Week 4.

Early line movement shows oddsmakers are favoring Indiana even more, despite neither team playing a game in Week 7. Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola has a ton of talent, but so does Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke, as the former Ohio University transfer has a 73.8 percent completion rate for 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions for the Hoosiers in 2024.

Nebraska’s defense hasn’t been tested in recent games against Purdue and Rutgers, both one-dimensional offenses lacking explosiveness, while Indiana is racking up production on offense, averaging 5.1 YPC and three passing touchdowns per game this season. It’s hard not to back Indiana, even at a longer number at -7, so let’s take the Hoosiers to beat Nebraska by a touchdown as home favorites to improve to 7-0 with a more experienced quarterback under center.

Best Bet: Indiana -7 (-105)

Alabama (7) vs. Tennessee (11)

Two SEC titans collide at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon when the Tennessee Volunteers host the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Both of these teams have looked shaky in their last two games played, as Alabama lost 40-35 on the road to Vanderbilt and nearly blew another lead against South Carolina on the road in Week 7. Meanwhile, Tennessee didn’t score a single point against Arkansas or Florida in the first-half, which cost the Volunteers a win on the road against the Razorbacks in Week 6, while mounting a comeback to win 23-17 in overtime at home against the Gators in Week 7.

Jalen Milroe and Nico Iamaleava are two immensely talented quarterbacks, but both have shown their fair share of miscues lately. This game comes down to which defense can contain the other opponent, and I have faith in Tennessee more than Alabama. The Crimson Tide have a ton of firepower on offense, as we saw during their thrilling win over Georgia, but the defense is susceptible to big plays and Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson is a home-run hitter.

Laying +2.5 with Tennessee at home feels like the right bet to make, especially with a lot of public bettors backing Alabama based on how pedestrian Tennessee has looked against Arkansas and Florida. Head coach Josh Heupel will have his team up for this game, but it’s going to be up to Iamaleava to take advantage of a weak Alabama secondary. Milroe turnover issues may haunt the Crimson Tide, plus, Tennessee’s run defense is elite.

Let’s take Tennessee +2.5 for a unit against Alabama.

Best Bet: Tennessee +2.5 (-105)

Georgia (5) vs. Texas (1)

The final marquee game on the Week 8 slate brings us to Austin for a top-five matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia. The Bulldogs are getting +3.5 on the road against the Longhorns, who were one of few top-ranked FBS teams that looked dominant against a quality opponent in Week 7.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers got off to a slow start but finished strong against a good Oklahoma defense, while the Longhorns’ defense remains one of the most underrated units in the country. Georgia QB Carson Beck completed 75 percent of his pass attempts for 459 yards and three touchdowns in a softer matchup against a one-win Mississippi State team in Week 7, instilling more confidence ahead of Georgia’s road trip to Texas.

The Bulldogs’ defense allowed Milroe to throw for over 80 percent during their only loss in 2024, but they’ve tightened up since then, allowing under 60 percent against Auburn and Mississippi State, while surrendering 3.7 YPC in 2024. Texas may have found something in RB Tre Wisner, who flipped the game against Alabama with two huge plays resulting in touchdowns right before halftime in Week 7.

A balanced Steve Sarkisian offense meets a stout Kirby Smart-led Georgia defense, which will make for great television. As far as betting is concerned, line movement has trended slightly in favor of the Longhorns, going from -2.5 to -3.5, which is through a key number. The total doesn’t interest me much, sitting at 56, up a point from 55, which seems like the perfect line to set.

It’s been scary to bet against Texas in 2024 but Georgia nearly came back against Alabama and has seemingly recovered from its offensive ineptitude against Kentucky earlier in the year, so at +3.5, let’s back the Bulldogs on the road to keep the final score within a field goal.

Best Bet: Georgia +3.5 (-110)