College Football Bets: Expert Picks Against Spread for Top-25 Week 8 Games

The college football season is now in the home stretch. Athlon Sports rolled out our midseason awards and All-America teams this week. So from here on out, it’s full steam ahead to the College Football Playoff.

Last week’s results shaped the playoff picture perhaps more than any other this season. It was a historic Saturday for the sport, as five of the top seven teams in the country lost. Will we see another upset-filled slate in Week 8? It feels unlikely, but so did all that chaos.

There are only two games on deck between top-25 teams: No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 19 Texas and No. 14 Houston vs. No. 10 Utah. The former looks like a CFP elimination game for the Longhorns, who have dropped back-to-back games and could be forced to bench quarterback Arch Manning if they lose a third. The Rebels still have a loss to spend, but with Auburn and No. 5 Georgia left on the schedule, they would do well to win this one. The latter game matters a great deal for Big 12 positioning. The Cougars have been perfect outside of a close loss to defending conference champion Texas Tech. The Utes are one of the few Power 4 teams that are still undefeated, and they’re typically a tough out at home.

What other games should you be monitoring this week? I’m so glad you asked!

Fresh off its first loss since 2024, No. 6 Indiana hits the road to face Michigan, now led by quarterback Tommy Carr following Bryce Underwood’s benching. No. 8 Texas Tech is on the road against Cincinnati in the Brendan Sorsby Bowl. No. 18 LSU is in the two-loss club and in danger of missing the CFP in Lane Kiffin’s debut in the Bayou. The Tigers are on upset watch against Auburn, which took down top-ranked Georgia on the road a week ago.

No. 16 USC will try to keep its playoff hopes alive on the road against Wisconsin. The same can be said of No. 15 Iowa as it takes on Minnesota. The Trojans and Hawkeyes are road favorites, but No. 11 Tennessee is an underdog at South Carolina after a marquee win over Alabama.

This is an admittedly light schedule with most of the best games packed into the prime-time and late-night windows. And as usual, Athlon Sports has you covered with picks for every top-25 game against the spread. Tyler Schuster and I have maintained our winning records so far, but Steven Lassan dipped under .500 after last week’s chaos. Here are our picks:

College Football Picks Against the Spread for Week 8 Top-25 Games

Week 8 College Football Best Bets

Steven Lassan: Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Kentucky — Kentucky -10.5
Three of Kentucky’s four SEC wins have come by one score this season, but I think that trend changes on Saturday night. The Wildcats average 35.5 points at home, while Vanderbilt has struggled to score on the road (14.5 per game). The Commodores are also coming off a 31-21 loss to the worst team in the SEC (Arkansas). Freshman quarterback Jared Curtis is promising, but he’s also making mistakes (seven picks), which is problematic against a Kentucky team ranked first in the SEC with a plus-11 turnover margin. Also, I like the matchup of the Wildcats’ passing game behind quarterback Kenny Minchey against Vanderbilt’s defense ranked No. 93 nationally in pass defense success rate.

Kyle Wood: No. 2 BYU -6.5 vs. UCF — BYU -6.5
The Cougars are one of two teams in the country that has covered every game against the spread this season. Sure, you could say this is a letdown spot for BYU after the big win against Notre Dame, but coach Kalani Sitake’s team doesn’t get too high or too low. The Cougars have the second-best winning percentage in the country since 2024 began behind only Indiana. And they’ve shown they can win on the road, too. The Knights should be well-rested after a bye week, but they just lost by double digits to Houston and Oklahoma State, two teams that seem a step below BYU in the Big 12. Bear Bachmeier and Co. can be trusted to cover less than a touchdown on the road.

Tyler Schuster: Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Kentucky — Kentucky -12.5
Kentucky has done an excellent job of not beating itself this season, and I suspect that trend continues on Saturday. The Wildcats have one of the best turnover margins in college football at plus-11 through seven games. I like the trajectory that Will Stein and Kenny Minchey have this offense on right now. Give me Kentucky in a home spot to keep the good vibes going.

Related: Spencer Danielson Has Boise State ‘On the Hunt’ for Another Playoff Berth

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Related: Ranking All 138 College Football Teams After Week 7

This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.