We turned in a profitable day with our college football best bets during Week 7 after cashing two wagers at +280 and +165, and we offer a new foursome of college football best bets for the Saturday of Week 8 based on the best NCAAF odds.
The College Football Playoff landscape will change greatly following Week 8, especially after the result of the top-seven matchup between Penn State and Ohio State. Elsewhere, the Tennessee-Alabama and Utah-USC clashes are de facto playoff elimination games, as all four teams enter with one loss.
Nine of the remaining 11 unbeaten teams are in action, including No. 22 Air Force, which plays its first game as a ranked team since 2019.
To accompany our college football predictions for Week 8, here are our college football best bets for Saturday of Week 8 (odds via our best college football betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
College football best bets for Saturday: Week 8
- Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma) Over 0.5 rushing touchdowns vs. UCF (-115 via DraftKings) ????
- Jase McClellan (Alabama) Under 69.5 rushing yards vs. Tennessee (-115 via Caesars, bet365) ????
- Air Force Over 2.5 team total touchdowns vs. Navy (+115 via DraftKings) ???
- Appalachian State-Old Dominion Over 53.5 (-110 via FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, bet365) ????
Not intended for use in MA
Affiliate Disclosure: Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook
Week 8 college football schedule and odds for Saturday
(Odds via Caesars)
- Penn State vs. Ohio State (-4.5)
- Air Force (-10.5) vs. Navy
- Tenne ssee vs. Alabama (-9.5)
- South Carolina vs. Missouri (-7.5)
- Duke vs. Florida State (-14.5)
- Utah vs. USC (-7)
College football predictions
Oklahoma's offense was converting third downs at a 54% clip (seventh-best) prior to its Week 6 triumph over Texas in the Red River Showdown, and its 6.3-yard average conversion distance ranked 15th.
Additionally, Sooners quarterback and Heisman hopeful Dillon Gabriel was responsible for 19 touchdowns at the time, which was tied for second-best in the FBS. The Sooners proceeded to torch a good Longhorns defense for 34 points and 486 total yards (201 of which came on the ground), with Gabriel notching both a rushing and passing touchdown.
Gabriel and the Sooners' offense enjoyed a whole bye week to prepare for a UCF defense without leading receiver Andrel Anthony, who suffered a season-ending knee injury. That a lone should lead to Gabriel getting the ball in his hands more, and we expect the Sooners' coaching staff to devise a plan for their quarterback to score against his former team that he played for during the first three years of his college career. We're getting great odds on Gabriel to score, especially considering he's one of three Sooners with 200-plus rushing yards and has tallied at least one rushing touchdown in four of six games during 2023 and 10 of 18 contests throughout his Sooners career.
Perhaps we're getting creative while finding this wager under DraftKings' rushing touchdowns category. Gabriel's anytime touchdown odds, which he would only cash while scoring either a rushing or receiving touchdown, are as short as -188 at bet365 and a whopping -270 through FanDuel.
Visit our Google News page and click “Follow” (?) for the latest odds, picks and news!
One thought is that Alabama head coach Nick Saban will lean on the ground game when his team possesses the ball since Tennessee plays at one of the fastest paces in the country. However, the Volunteers have been holding up well in the trenches even while spending lots of time on the field. Tennessee ranks in the top seven in defensive line yards while allowing 3.1 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, this is not the mauling Crimson Tide offensive line we've come to know, as the unit ranks 43rd in offensive line yards (fifth among SEC schools) and 95th in offensive stuff rate.
This is Jase McClellan's first game as the featured back against Tennessee after he gave way to Jahmyr Gibbs and his 24 carries in 2022. However, Tennessee possessed the ball for fewer than 23 minutes but still racked up 567 yards of total offense, which bodes well for the Volunteers' chances of offensive success again and limiting McClellan's opportuniti es.
We're getting better value at Caesars and bet365 compared to DraftKings' -120 price for the same number. The total of 69.5 gives us more flexibility to hit the Under than FanDuel's line of 64.5.
This is a value play at plus-money odds, considering Air Force's team total is 22.5 points and it's juiced to the Over at -115 (it's even higher at 23.5 thorugh bet365).
The Under is 43-10-1 since 2005 in games with two service academies playing one another. However, Air Force's offensive dominance is a significant reason for the team's rare AP Poll ranking in 2023, as the unit averages 37 points per game and leads the country with 334.2 rushing yards per contest (nearly 60 more yards per matchup than the next-closest team). Though Navy is familiar with how to defend the triple-option attack, the Midshipmen have allowed 31.3 points per game in their only three clashes agai nst opponents ranked in the top 100 of SP+.
This is a three-star play, as the Falcons have scored 23-plus points in six of the last seven meetings with Navy, and this may be their best offense compared to all those other teams.
With the new clock rules shortening games in college football, we like Overs in games involving teams that play fast.
Old Dominion ranks in the top 10 among FBS teams in pace, which is a significant reason it's averaging 25 points per game against non-Power Five teams. The Monarchs boast an efficient offense despite being run-dominant while calling for a run on over 56% of their plays. That should feed right into their strength against an Appalachian State defense that allows nearly 5.5 yards per carry and is in the bottom 15 in rushing success rate allowed. Running back Kadarius Calloway could therefore produce a similar massive day to the one he put up against Marshall with three touchdown runs of 69-plus yards.
We also expect Appalachian State to enjoy offensive success against an Old Dominion defense that gives up far too many big passing plays while ranking seventh-worst in passing explosiveness. The Over is 3-1 in the Mountaineers' four games as a favorite, and it's cashed in two of Old Dominion's three conference games.
Bettors can choose from four of our top five best sportsbooks for the best number and price, as Caesars is the only shop sitting slightly higher with a total of 54.
College football best bets made 10/19/2023 at 4:19 p.m. ET.
Kentucky sports betting launched on Sept. 28 – so sign up with the best Kentucky sportsbook promos now! And check out our list of the best Kentucky sports betting apps!
21+ and present in KY. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Colleg e football betting odds pages
| CFP National Championship Odds | SEC Odds | Big 12 Odds |
| Heisman Trophy Odds | Big Ten Odds | Pac-12 Odds |
| College Football Playoff Odds | Mountain West Odds | ACC Odds |
Check out our best college football betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Related pages
- Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)