Skip to main content

College Football Upset Picks, Predictions Week 8: 3 Underdogs to Bet This Week

Mike Spector

Last Updated: October 16, 2024 9:21 AM EDT • 4 min 24 sec read.

Nebraska Cornhuskers tight end Nate Boerkircher and tight end Ian Flynt celebrate as we make our best Week 8 college football upset picks
Nebraska Cornhuskers tight end Nate Boerkircher and tight end Ian Flynt celebrate after a fake punt. Photo by: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images.

Four AP top 25 college football teams went to overtime last week and not all survived upsets as underdogs continued to bark in college football.

  • Ohio State head coach Ryan Day fell to 1-7 against top-five teams as his Buckeyes lost as road favorites to Oregon last week
  • Alabama and Tennessee avoided home upsets in two wins by a combined eight points, but LSU completed a home upset in overtime against Ole Miss
  • Illinois needed a stop on a two-point conversion in overtime to avoid losing as 21.5-point home favorites over Purdue 

Our college football upset picks went 2-1 last week, cashing Arizona State’s and Northern Illinois’ outright victories at +205 and +130 odds, respectively. We are back to continue the momentum with a pick from the Big Ten and SEC and a fade of one of the worst FBS teams in recent memory.

College football upset picks: Week 8

College football odds as of Wednesday and subject to change. Track the college football scores for the latest line movement and matchup info.

Week 8 upset predictions

College football picks made Wednesday; odds subject to change. Our NEW college football player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

Nebraska (+200) ⭐⭐⭐

The implied probability says Nebraska has a one-in-three chance of pulling the upset. But given its defense’s ability to up the game and make this a defensive struggle, I will take my chances that it can hand Indiana its first loss of the season. 

This is Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola’s second road start, and he will need to be much better than he was against Purdue when the two teams were scoreless at halftime. However, Nebraska has an impressive win over Colorado, was 10 minutes away from beating a ranked Illinois team, and had the perfect prep for this game with a 14-7 grinder of a win against Rutgers before its bye week last week.

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke is a big reason the Hoosiers are ranked 16th in the AP poll, as the team leads all FBS squads in Passing Success Rate. But this is the best secondary he has faced all year, as the Cornhuskers are in the top 15 in EPA/Pass Allowed.

With BetMGM’s +200 odds, bettors would double their investments in pure profits if the Hoosiers pull the upset. 

Best odds: +200 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 33.33%

Up To $1,500 Back In Bonus Bets

Bonus bets will expire in 7 days. One new customer offer only. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Claim $1,500
Each product featured on our website has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission. 21+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly

South Carolina (+125) ⭐⭐⭐

Oklahoma’s defense held Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers to a slow passing day (by his standards) in last week’s Red River Rivalry, as the Heisman hopeful threw for one touchdown and fewer than 200 yards. However, some of that was by design, with the game so far out of hand, as the Sooners’ injuries on offense rendered them completely ineffective.

Oklahoma’s injury report is something to monitor this week, as it played without five of its top wide receivers last week (Jayden Gibson, Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Deion Burks). Even if a couple of them return to the starting lineup, South Carolina was a two-point conversion away from tying Alabama on the road in the final minute of the fourth quarter last week. 

The Gamecocks were ultimately undone by four turnovers but had more first downs, more passing and rushing yards, more time of possession, and fewer penalties than the Crimson Tide. South Carolina also sacked Jalen Milroe four times, and its relentless pass rush should give the inexperienced Michael Hawkins Jr. fits on Saturday. 

Embed content QvwJoliOM_0 image

South Carolina has as high as a 46.73% implied probability based on FanDuel’s +114 odds. Therefore, the best value for underdog backers is at BetMGM, where a winning $10 wager would net $12.50 in profits.

Best odds: +125 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 44.44%

Tulsa (+125) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Are we sure Temple should be favored over anyone at this point, let alone a fellow AAC member?

Tulsa and Temple are coming off byes, and I am not buying into the Owls’ resurgent run defense despite them coming off their best game of the season in a 29-20 loss to UConn.

Temple entered that game against UConn ranked 95th in Rush Explosiveness Allowed, then held the Huskies to 99 yards rushing and 2.4 yards per carry. However, it still allows way too much pressure on its quarterback, allowing 19 sacks through six games (and nine tackles for loss against UConn). 

Tulsa has lost its last two games by a combined 74 points, though the 42-point home loss to Army does not look as bad now that the Black Knights are ranked in the AP poll. 

The Golden Hurricane will not have a gaudy win total at the season’s end because their defense will remain a work in progress. They returned four starters and lost eight of their top nine tacklers from a year ago. However, Temple has scored 20 or fewer points in two of three games that it wasn't facing Oklahoma or service academies, so it is not built to take advantage of Tulsa’s defensive weaknesses.

Similar to the line differences regarding South Carolina’s moneyline odds, Tulsa is as low as +114 at DraftKings, which makes the best value lie with the +125 odds offered at bet365.

Best odds: +125 via bet365 | Implied probability: 44.44%

Up to $1,000 in Bonuses

Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Claim Now
Each product featured on our website has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission. 21+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly

College football betting odds pages

College football championship oddsCollege football win totalsBig Ten championship oddsMountain West championship odds
Heisman Trophy OddsFCS Championship oddsBig 12 championship oddsMAC championship odds
College Football Playoff OddsSEC championship oddsACC championship oddsCollege bowl game odds

Here are our best college football betting sites:

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission

Related pages

Written By:
Mike Spector
Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”