Week 8 College Football Best Bets, Picks and Predictions from Wes Reynolds:

Let’s take a look at my college football Week 8 best bets:

 

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East Carolina at No. 23 Army (-16.5; 51.5)

Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Army is ranked for the first time since 2020 and ranked simultaneously with Navy for the first time since 1960.

You can only play the teams that are on your schedule, and Army has beaten all six thus far. However, it is fair to examine the schedule:
Lehigh (FCS)
at Florida Atlantic
Rice
at Temple
at Tulsa
UAB

Removing Lehigh from the equation, the combined record of Army’s FBS opponents is 8-22.

East Carolina is off a bye after an embarrassing 55-24 loss at Charlotte. The Pirates should be smarting off that loss, and having a bye week to prepare for the triple option is never a bad thing. In addition, ECU has played Navy each of the last five seasons, so they should be familiar with the Army offense.

The Pirates may not look all that great on paper, but they are not far from being 5-1 if not for blowing a 16-0 lead vs. Appalachian State and a 17-0 lead at Liberty.

Army is starting to get the national media attention, and that is always dangerous for any team that is not used to having the spotlight placed upon it.

College Football Week 8 Best Bet: East Carolina +16.5

Nebraska at No. 16 Indiana (-6.5; 49.5)

12:00 p.m. ET (FOX)

Two weeks ago, Indiana became the first bowl-eligible team in college football. Excitement is starting to percolate in Bloomington during the month of October, and it is not for basketball.

Curt Cignetti is changing the culture of Indiana Football and Indiana is even getting some discussion for the College Football Playoff. Perhaps it is my own PTSD as an Indiana alum and a lifelong Indiana Football fan where I am saying slow your roll just a little bit.

The Hoosiers are 6-0, but they have played the following:
Florida International
Western Illinois (FCS)
at UCLA
Charlotte
Maryland
at Northwestern

Meanwhile, Nebraska comes in at 5-1 and probably should be 6-0 in their own right if not for a loss to Illinois in overtime.

The Huskers’ defense is by far Indiana’s biggest test, as they rank Top 10 nationally in several categories:
Opponent Points/Game (13.0/#8)
Opponent Yards/Game (266.8/#8)
Opponent Points/Play (0.202/#7)
Opponent Yards/Play (4.2/#6)

Matt Rhule is 20-10 ATS as a Road Underdog in his career. This looks like a one-possession game either way.

College Football Week 8 Best Bets: Nebraska +6.5/+7 -120; Lean Under 49.5

Charlotte at No. 25 Navy (-16.5; 57)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBSSN)

One of the interesting stories early in this college football season is Navy’s new offense under new OC Drew Cronic. The Midshipmen is still a base triple-option but with some Wing T and play-action passing mixed in as well which has led to Navy being #1 in yards/play (8.2) and # 6 in scoring offense (42.3 ppg).

Charlotte comes off its best win of the season (55-24 over East Carolina) and has had a bye week to prepare for this Navy offense. The 49ers could also get Florida transfer QB Max Brown back from a thumb injury, although DeShawn Purdie has come on in relief to lead them to two consecutive victories.

Navy has the big showdown with Notre Dame on deck and now have a bunch of new national attention on the program, so the Middies could be caught looking ahead just a bit.

College Football Week 8 Best Bet: Charlotte +16.5

USC (-7.5) at Maryland

Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET (FS1)

After two late losses at Minnesota (final minute) and blowing a 20-6 halftime lead to Penn State, where they lost in OT partially due to some questionable officiating, it is fair to wonder how much USC has left in the tank.

Besides the emotional and physical (three starters out on defense) toll for the Trojans, USC now is in a spot that has been bad for visiting teams as Big Ten teams traveling at least two time zones for conference games are just 3-10 this season and USC has already lost twice (at Michigan, at Minnesota) in those spots.

Maryland was embarrassed 37-10 last Friday vs. Northwestern, but it was a one-score game to start the fourth quarter, and the Terps committed three turnovers in the fourth quarter, including a scoop and score that put the game away for Northwestern, so the final score was a bit misleading.

College Football Week 8 Best Bet: Maryland +7.5

Ball State at Vanderbilt (-27)

Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET (SECN)

It has been “Go, Diego, Go!” for the Commodores as Vandy QB Diego Pavia has been one of the stars of the early season. He led the team to victory over No. 1 Alabama (the first time since 1984 Vandy defeated ‘Bama) and then to a win at Kentucky last week. Next week, the Commodores get No. 1 Texas coming into Nashville. But first (“Big Brother” host Julie Chen voice), Vanderbilt has Ball State this week.

Ball State is not a good club this season and had to survive nearly blowing a three-touchdown lead at lowly Kent State last weekend. The Cardinals have been on the receiving end of a couple of blowouts – 62-0 at Miami (FL) and 63-7 at James Madison – but have shown a bit of improvement lately.

Vanderbilt lets Pavia run a lot with 104 carries in six games, but he is dealing with some injuries, so we may see lower usage out of him and a more boilerplate game plan in light of what is coming up next week. Nonetheless, Vandy ranks just 97th nationally in plays per game (65.6) and knows how to eat clock with the running game, which could also assist Ball State in hanging within the number.

College Football Week 8 Best Bet: Ball State +27

BEST OF THE REST

Michigan State +6 vs. Iowa
Kentucky -120 ML at Florida
Central Florida +13.5 at Iowa State
Ohio/Miami (OH) Under 44

Other bets will be available all weekend at VSiN.com/picks.

For more College Football Week 8 predictions, visit the College Football Week 8 Hub at VSiN.com.

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