The 2018 college football season has truly flown by. We’re now entering the pointy end of the season where final seedings will be decided and a national championship will be on the line. Week 8 brings several exciting matchups, including the infamous Michigan derby, Clemson hosting NC State and Alabama continuing their title defence at home to Tennessee. Each of these games is analysed and more, as I break down my 7 best bets in College Football this week.
Michigan State
The Spartans enter this one at 4-2 after an impressive road win over Penn State last week. This was even more impressive when you consider the struggles of the offence on the day. QB Brian Lewerke managed just 5 yards per attempt on 52 total passes, whilst the team only managed 3.4 yards per rush attempt. It was defensively where the Spartans won this game. Their pass defence was immense, holding Trace McSorley to just 192 yards on 32 attempts and recovering a crucial forced fumble. Allowing just 17 points on the road to a top 10 opponent is extremely commendable. With the struggles of their offense, this level of play will need to continue here as they welcome Michigan
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan enter this heated grudge match off the back of 6 straight wins, including a commanding 38-13 defeat of Wisconsin last week. The dominant Wolverines rushing attack led the way again, totalling 320 yards and 3 touchdowns on 48 attempts. With QB Shea Patterson struggling to throw the ball, this was an effective way to control the time of possession battle. Defensively, Michigan were immense all-day long. They held Wisconsin QB Alex Hornibrook to just 7/20 completions for 100 yards and 2 interceptions. Led by Brandon Watson, Tyree Kinnel and Devin Bush, I’m expecting another strong performance from the Wolverines defence here.
Prediction: Michigan -6.5
I continue to believe that Jim Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in football. After his impressive spell with the 49ers, he’s continued with a strong run here at Michigan. I expect the suffocating Wolverines defence to dominate the Spartans offense here, whilst the rushing attack does enough to bring home the win offensively.
Temple Owls
The 4-3 Owls travel to Cincinnati off the back of a road win over Navy last week. Receiver Ventell Bryant led the way with 8 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown in a strong display from the Temple passing game. They’ll face a tough test in Cincinnati this week and will need an improved performance from their rushing attack to stand a chance. It was on defence where the Owls won this game. Whilst Navy aren’t renowned for their passing, it’s difficult to register a win when you manage only 14 passing yards on 11 attempts. Temple’s defence did a good enough job containing the renowned Navy rushing attack and will look to build on that effort again this week.
Cincinnati Bearcats
The 6-0 Bearcats enter this one off the back of a comfortable home win over Tulane. A dominant rushing attack led the way, combining for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns in a very convincing display. Dual-threat QB Desmond Ridder also managed the game effectively, throwing for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns on the afternoon. On defence, the Bearcats were immense all afternoon. They held Tulane to just 132 passing yards on 31 attempts, an average of only 4.3 yards. Similarly, they restricted the Tulane rushing attack to only 3.5 yards per carry. Against a competitive Temple side, they’ll need to keep up this level of performance again this week.
Prediction: Cincinnati +3.5
For me, Cincinnati is the much better team in this one. I expect their strong defence to shut down the Temple rushing attack and force them to become one dimensional. Fatigued off of last week’s display, I also believe Temple will struggle to contain the Cincinnati rushing attack. Cincinnati to cover if not win this one outright.
Alabama Crimson Tide
The 7-0 Crimson Tide unsurprisingly enter this one as the form team in the nation, fresh off a 29-point win over Missouri last week. QB Tua Tagovailoa continues to impress, racking up 265 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 22 attempts. Damien and Najee Harris combine to form an effective 1-2 punch in the running game, again eclipsing 100 yards last week. It’s on defence where the Tide have always made their name and this unit is no exception. This was on full display last week as they held Missouri to just 10 points, limiting the passing attack to 5.5 yards per attempt and the rushing attack to only 2 yards per carry. Mack Wilson, Raekwon Davis and Isaiah Buggs are just 3 names to watch on this star-studded unit.
Tennessee Volunteers
The 3-3 Volunteers enter this matchup after a big road win over Auburn last week. Whilst the rushing offense struggled immensely, QB Jarrett Guarantano led the way with 328 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 32 attempts. He’ll need to keep this up against Alabama for Tennessee to have any chance this week. It was on defence where the Volunteers came up big in this game. They limited the usually strong Auburn rushing attack to just 3.7 yards per carry, whilst also registering 2 interceptions in coverage. Whilst it won’t be easy in Alabama, this is definitely a performance to build on.
Prediction: Alabama -29
With the way the Tide have been playing recently, it’s difficult to oppose them with any reasonable line. Buoyed by their raucous home crowd, I expect the defence to steal the show yet again. This will make things easier for Tua Tagovailoa and Co to put up points on offense. The Tide win by at least 30 here.
NC State Wolfpack
The 5-0 Wolfpack face their toughest test of the season here, as they travel to Clemson to face the Tigers. QB Ryan Finley performed admirably in victory last week, registering 308 yards and 2 touchdowns in a complete display. This was balanced well by a strong NC State rushing game that registered 225 yards and 2 touchdowns on the afternoon. Defensively, the Wolfpack started off strong and did just enough to hold off a fast finishing Boston College. Germaine Pratt and Isaiah Moore are the leaders of a unit that will be tested heavily this week against a strong Clemson offence.
Clemson Tigers
Fresh off their bye week, the 6-0 Tigers head into this one flying high. Their last time out resulted in a dominant 63-3 win over local rival Wake Forest. The rushing game delivered an incredible 471 yards and 6 touchdowns, including 3 rushers over 100 yards. QB Trevor Lawrence was then able to manage the game effectively, completing 80% of his passes for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, it was a near perfect performance from the Tigers. They held Wake Forest to just 74 passing yards on 7/20 attempts, balanced out with just 3.4 yards per carry. NC State will be in for a tough time if they can maintain this level of performance here.
Prediction: NC State +17
Whilst I believe Clemson are definitely the better team here, I think this represents too many points for NC State here. They have a strong and balanced offense that is capable of holding up against the strong Clemson defence. Whilst I don’t expect an NC State win, I expect this result to finish somewhere between 7-14 points.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The 0-6 Cornhuskers have had an immensely disappointing season so far. They ran Northwestern close last week but just couldn’t pull out the win. RB Devine Ozigbo led the way on offense, notching up an impressive 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries. However, two costly Adrian Martinez interceptions ultimately proved the Cornhuskers downfall. Whilst their rushing defence was excellent, Nebraska allowed a whopping 455 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. Having gone over the total in 13 of their last 14 games, this is definitely a trend I can see continuing here.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
After 3 consecutive wins to start the season, the Golden Gophers head into this one off the back of 3 straight defeats. Whilst the team understandably struggled against #3 seed Ohio State last week, the offensive numbers weren’t too bad. Mohamed Ibrahim led the way with 157 yards and 2 touchdowns, whilst QB Zack Annexstad averaged 9.5 yards per attempt. Defensively, they just couldn’t contain the Dwayne Haskins led Ohio State passing game. They allowed a whopping 412 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, which ultimately proved to be their downfall.
Prediction: Over 56 points
As touched on earlier, Nebraska have gone over the total in 13 of their last 14 fixtures. With the poor state of both of these passing defences, I can definitely see the trend continuing here. I expect over 60 points in another high-scoring Nebraska affair.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Last week’s poor home loss hasn’t eliminated my faith in the Nittany Lions. I believe they’re a strong and well-rounded team that matches up well with Indiana. Accuracy problems aside, QB Trace McSorley is a very solid QB at this level and I expect a resurgent performance from him here. Similarly, I expect RB Miles Sanders to build off his brilliant 162-yard performance a week ago. Defensively, the Nittany Lions have been strong all season. They have a balanced and opportunistic unit, very capable of both pressuring and intercepting opposing Quarterbacks.
Indiana Hoosiers
The 4-3 Hoosiers enter this matchup off back-to-back losses. They couldn’t get anything going in the running game last week, whilst QB Peyton Ramsey struggled throwing the ball. Defensively, they were carved apart by Iowa State, allowing a whopping 6 passing touchdowns to QB Nate Stanley. The rushing defence wasn’t much better, allowing 159 yards on 5 yards per attempt. These numbers just won’t fly against the balanced Nittany Lions attack.
Prediction: Penn State -14
Penn State is the far superior team here in my opinion. I believe their defence will have their way with the anaemic Hoosiers offense, whilst Trace McSorley puts in a big performance throwing the ball. Penn State easily here.
LSU Tigers
The #5 ranked Tigers enter week 8 6-1 after a dominating home win over #2 seed Georgia last week. An excellent rushing attack paved the way, combining for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns in an impressive performance. Dual-threat QB Joe Burrow managed then managed the passing game well in a complete display. The Tigers defence was as stout as ever last week. They troubled Georgia QB Jake Fromm all afternoon, forcing them to become one-dimensional. For me, this is by far the best unit on either side in this fixture.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The 4-2 Bulldogs enter this one off an impressive home win over #8 ranked Auburn last week. QB Nick Fitzgerald struggled in the passing game but more than made up for it with his rushing performance. The Bulldogs enjoyed 349 yards and 2 scores on the ground in what was a truly dominant display. Defensively, they shut down the highly fancied Auburn attack, not allowing a touchdown all game. Holding QB Jarrett Stidham to just 5.6 yards per attempt is a strong indicator of the quality this defence possesses.
Prediction: LSU-6.5
Ultimately, I think LSU is the much better team here. Their crowd is always rocking for evening home games and I expect the defence to feed off this energy. I believe they can also run on this Bulldogs defence, which will prove enough for a 10-14 point win.