What ten games appear to be the best bets and the best point total picks going into Week 8? Here you go. Enjoy.
Week 8 Fearless Predictions, Game Previews
– Week 8 Schedule, Times, Lines, Previews
– CFN Fearless Predictions & Game Previews
– Week 8 Expert Picks & Predictions: College
– Week 7 Expert Picks & Predictions: NFL
– Week 8 10 Best College Picks vs. The Spread
– Final Thoughts, Betting Advice
Click on each game for the game preview and fearless prediction.
10. Syracuse at Clemson
Point Total: 62
PICK: Over
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
I’m a firm believer that if you’re handed 46.5 points – like Syracuse is getting – you take them and you hope for the best. However, throw that out the window with this over call.
That against the spread pick is a theory and a general rule – keep taking the underdog with those points and you’ll come out ahead in the long haul. However …
Clemson – you know, 73-7 over Georgia Tech, Clemson – could stop trying and put up 63 in this and take the over by itself. Of course, your worry is a 52-3 type of win, or a 41-6 game that’s over after the first quarter like last year’s win over the Orange.
If you can get just ONE touchdown out of the Orange, you probably have this. Or Clemson could just score touchdowns on its first nine possessions.
9. Nebraska at Ohio State
Point Total: 68
PICK: Under
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
This is all about how much you believe in Nebraska.
Is this a new Husker team that can actually score on a consistent basis against a good team? You know Ohio State will hang more than 40, but that’s sort of the problem. It got to 48 last year against the Huskers and won 48-7. It could get to 50 this time around and keep the Huskers to 17 or fewer.
Remember, a whole slew of Buckeye layups last year didn’t crush the totals. Seven of the first eight games were easy wins and didn’t get to 68. Ten of the team’s 14 didn’t get there, and some of the ones that did were when the OSU offense went goofy – 76 points on Miami University and 73 against Maryland.
8. Florida State at Louisville
Point Total: 61
PICK: Under
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
Just how much to do you believe in the Louisville offense that hasn’t scored more than 27 in any of its last three games? The defense couldn’t slow down Georgia Tech and got rolled by Miami, but last week it held firm in a 12-7 loss to Notre Dame.
Just how much do you believe that Florida State’s win over North Carolina is real? Even that relative shootout ended up getting to just 59 points. The Seminole offense just isn’t consistent enough to guarantee 30 points.
7. Auburn at Ole Miss
Point Total: 72
PICK: Under
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
Hopefully you’re old enough to remember when Ole Miss and Arkansas were supposed to blow past the 76-point total last week, and the two managed to get to just 54.
The Ole Miss defense has been a disaster, and its other three games annihilated the 72-point total, but Auburn likely won’t get into that type of battle. The Tiger D is good enough to keep this from getting brutal, and the offense has yet to score more than 30.
6. Cincinnati at SMU
Point Total: 56
PICK: Over
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
It’s American Athletic Conference Over Fun, Part 1.
57? With an SMU team with its firepower?
Okay, that’s not a sure thing considering its game with Memphis should’ve been played in the high 80s, but SMU has yet to score fewer than 30 points and will keep pressing against the Bearcats.
Worried about Cincinnati? You should be. The defense is just that good, but the offense will get to at least 30. It might not be a 76-point shootout, but these two should be able to get you over the line.
NEXT: Top 5 Picks Point Totals, Week 8
5. Temple at Memphis
Point Total: 70
PICK: Over
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
It’s American Athletic Conference Over Fun, Part 2.
Temple’s defense couldn’t seem to do much of anything right in a 39-37 win over a punchless USF team, and you think it’s going to hold down Memphis?
The Tigers just gave up over 600 passing yards to UCF … and won.
Memphis games aren’t given to go over the 70 mark – the first two didn’t – but Temple’s offense has just enough punch to account for about 30 of this. You’ll need Memphis to get hot early and take care of the rest, but it appears to be just heating up.
And finally, to finish out the bit …
NEXT: Tulane at UCF
4. Tulane at UCF
Point Total: 71
PICK: Over
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
It’s American Athletic Conference Over Fun, Part 3.
Normally, you always, always, always assume the under on anything over 70, but not this year, and definitely not with this UCF team that put up 49 points or more in three of its four games.
Two of its games went over 71 – last week’s Memphis firefight got to 99 – one went to 70, and the one misfire was against a Tulsa team that can apparently play D this year.
Tulane games have obliterated the 71-points mark over the last three games.
Its defense isn’t doing much of anything right, the offense is able to get points in bunches, and all the makings are there for a fun American Athletic Conference game that finished up with about 80 combined points.
NEXT: ULM at South Alabama
3. ULM at South Alabama
Point Total: 57
PICK: Under
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
There was a time not all that long ago when you’d look at this game and make a killing on the over. ULM’s offense used to be a threat to hit the 57-point mark on its own, but not this year.
You’re banking on ULM being awful.
The 0-5 Warhawks have only managed more than 17 points once, and that was in a 35-30 loss to Georgia Southern that turned out to be a whole lot of fun. No other ULM game has hit the 57-point mark.
South Alabama has an offense, but not quite a dangerous enough one to get up into the 40s. Even if everything goes right, expect around 35 points while the defense does the rest.
ULM will push out of the teens, but assume this will be more like last week’s 30-20 USA win over Texas State.
If this a shootout that gets into 60 combined points or so, chalk it up to a strange anomaly this 2020 season.
NEXT: Hawaii at Fresno State
2. Hawaii at Fresno State
Point Total: 65.5
PICK: Under
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
Well that dropped like a rock in a big hurry.
These two opened up at 69.5, and it quickly sunk down to 65 before pushing back up a bit. And why?
Why are we all assuming these two teams with their new head coaches are going to get the offenses to blow up?
It’s entirely possible with Kalen DeBoer taking over the Bulldogs and Todd Graham at Hawaii both creatively offensive-minded coaches, but hitting 66 between these two might be a wee bit of a heavy lift.
These two combined for 79 last year in Honolulu, but this year’s Rainbow Warrior attack isn’t going to be as dangerous right out of the gate, and the Fresno State defense should be a whole lot stronger.
The Bulldogs will likely rely on what should be a strong ground game to kick this off – they might control the tempo even if they’re trying to operate with a quick pace.
Be careful, of course, because we don’t quite know what these two will be doing right away, but that’s a big number with so many variables to worry about.
NEXT: Maryland at Northwestern
1. Maryland at Northwestern
Point Total: 53.5
PICK: Under
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
Yeah, this is sort of dangerous for the No. 1 spot.
Offenses have been way ahead of the defenses so far, there are a whole slew of changes to both of these teams and their respective offenses, and it’s the start of the season. We really have no clue what these teams can do quite yet. However …
How can you not still be scarred by these two teams and what they weren’t able to do last year?
The Northwestern defense will still be good, if not better. Last season, Wildcat games failed to hit 54 points in ten of the 12 games, and one time was because Ohio State took care of most of the work by itself, and in the other, Minnesota went off a bit.
Northwestern’s offense failed to score more than 15 points seven times, and even when it did have some fun in the Big Ten, it was flirting – but not closing – with 30 points.
Maryland?! You mean the team that failed to score more than 16 points in any of the last five games?
Again, new year, new teams, but until these two offense prove otherwise, assume this is going to be played under 25 on each side.
