2023 College Football Week 8 Odds, Overview & Picks
If you don’t like a lot of points scored in college football games, Saturday’s Big Ten matchup between Minnesota and No. 24 Iowa should be right up your alley with a miniscule total of just 32.5 points, one of the lowest in modern history. And it probably still will go under considering the teams totaled only 23 points last year. Here are three other games we like around the nation Saturday.
Top 2023 College Football Week 8 Games to Bet
Here's the AP poll for NCAA Football entering this week's action. The top 4 remain the same with the Georgia Bulldogs remaining on top at #1. They are followed by the Michigan Wolverines at #2, the Ohio State Buckeyes at #3 and the Florida State Seminoles in at #4. Rounding out… pic.twitter.com/ii4BRYsVds
— Scooze News (@ScoozeNews) October 17, 2023
READ MORE: 2023 College Football Week 8 Sleeper Picks
UCF Knights vs. Oklahoma Sooners
- When: Saturday, October 21st, 2023. 12:00pm EST
- Where: Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK
- College Football Odds: UCF (+19.5) // Oklahoma (-19.5)
Big 12 matchup and UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee will start against No. 6 Oklahoma after missing the better part of the last four games with a leg injury. In his absence, the Knights have gone 1-3, including losing three straight games for the first time since 2015. All three losses came in conference play, including a 29-point home collapse to Baylor and a 51-22 blowout at Kansas two weeks ago. Coach Gus Malzahn told reporters on Monday that Plumlee was close to 100% after the Knights’ bye week. He tried to give it go at Kansas, but those plans were altered a couple plays into the game. Even missing their QB most of the year, UCF is fourth in the country and leads the Big 12 Conference in total offense, averaging 516.7 yards per game. The Knights have surpassed 400 or more yards in five of its six games this season. UCF is the only two teams to rank among the top six in the Big 12 in total offense (third), rushing offense (second), scoring offense (sixth) and passing offense (sixth) joining TCU. This is UCF’s first-ever game in the state of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is led by UCF transfer QB Dillon Gabriel, a Heisman contender. Gabriel is one of just two FBS players since the start of the 1996 season — and the only one over the last 25 years — to complete at least 72% of his passes through his team’s first six games of a season while throwing for at least 16 TDs and two or fewer interceptions, and rushing for at least 200 yards and five TDs. OU hasn’t played since a thrilling win over No. 3 Texas two Saturdays ago. Since the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops’ first as OU head coach), the Sooners are 23-1 in their games immediately following their annual contest against Texas. The lone defeat came in 2014 (31-30 vs. Kansas State in Norman). In the 23 wins, OU outscored its opponents by 587 points (average of 25.5 points).
2023 College Football Week 8 Pick: UCF
Air Force Falcons vs. Navy Midshipmen
- When: Saturday, October 21st, 2023. 12:00pm EST
- Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
- College Football Odds: Air Force (-8) // Navy (+8)
This is the 52nd year of Commander-in-Chief’s trophy competition. It goes annually to the winning academy with the best record in the round-robin competition. The winning team goes to the White House to receive the trophy from the President of the United States. Air Force won a series-record 21st title last year, its first since 2016. This game is the first leg of the trophy competition. Navy has won the trophy a total of 16 times.
Air Force is a surprise unbeaten but a big reason for that is QB Zac Larrier, but AFA coach Troy Calhoun said this week that Larrier would “likely be out for a while” after injuring a knee in last week’s 34-27 victory against Wyoming. The senior is the only Falcons player who has attempted a pass this season and is second on the team with 473 rushing yards. Senior Jensen Jones will probably take over the offense. Jones has attempted just one pass in his career, while running for 190 yards with five scores during the past four seasons. The Falcons are ranked for the first time since the final season poll in 2019 when the team was 22nd in the AP poll and 23rd in the coaches poll. They have won 11 consecutive games which is tied with Penn State for the fourth-longest streak in the nation. Only Georgia (24), Washington (14) and Florida State (13) have longer streaks.
Navy, Air Force and Penn State are the only 3 teams in the country that have not thrown an interception this year. The Mids are also 9th in the country in passing yards per completion, averaging 15.28. Air Force is #1 in the country in passing yards per completion, averaging 23.40. The home team is 9-1 in the last 10 Navy-Air Force games. The only road team to win during that stretch was Air Force in 2021 (23-3).
2023 College Football Week 8 Pick: Navy
Utah Utes vs. USC Trojans
- When: Saturday, October 21st, 2023. 8:00pm EST
- Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
- College Football Odds: Utah (+7) // USC (-7)
Huge game in the Pac-12 and maybe the last meeting between these schools for a long time with USC off to the Big Ten after this season and Utah to the Big 12. The Utes were 2-0 vs. the Trojans last year, including a win in the Pac-12 title game. USC still leads 13-9 all-time. The Utes are two-time defending champions but probably won’t get back there with a loss on Saturday. The Utes are 28-7 in conference games since 2019. Through six games in 2023, Utah leads the Pac-12 in 16 different statistical categories. In Pac-12 play, Utah is averaging 158.7 rushing yards per game while holding opponents to 68.7. The Utes have only committed three turnovers this season, which is tied second in the FBS. Utah ranks third in the FBS and first in the Pac-12 in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 34:17. Entering the 2023 season, Utah had led the Pac-12 in time of possession in four straight seasons, also ranking in the top-10 in the FBS in three of those four seasons. Utah still hasn’t had starting QB Cam Rising for a game yet this season and he might simply try to apply for a medical redshirt. Ditto top tight end Brant Kuithe.
USC plummeted in the polls following Saturday’s 48-20 loss at Notre Dame but at least it was out of conference. Superstar Trojans QB Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman winner, almost surely will not repeat after throwing for under 200 yards and tying a career high with three picks vs. the Irish. Williams is still among the national leaders in points responsible for (178), points responsible for per game (25.4), passing TDs (23), passing efficiency (187.0) and passing yards (2,021). USC didn’t score a TD in the first half of play vs. ND, only the second time in the Lincoln Riley era. USC had only 302 total yards, the fewest under Riley. The Trojan offense is No. 2 in the nation for scoring offense (47.3), No. 4 in the nation for first downs offense (174), No. 5 in the nation for team passing efficiency (181.90), No. 8 in the nation for passing offense (332.9) and No. 9 in the nation in total offense (491.7).
2023 College Football Week 8 Pick: Utah
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