Michigan and Ohio State are once again emerging as the class of the Big Ten, even though (since they’re in the same division) they can’t meet for the conference championship. Michigan routed Penn State at home last week, 41-17. The Nittany Lions only had the ball for 18:04 of the game, and it seemed that Penn State spent most of that time playing behind the chains. Michigan has an old-school approach that is working: pounding the ball on the ground. Blake Corum ran for 166 yards against Penn State, and Donovan Edwards picked up 173. Both tailbacks had carries of greater than 60 yards. Ohio State is still the flashier team, relying more on a high-octane pass offense (and hoping that their defense is good enough), which sets us up for that Michigan-Ohio State clash once again. Looking to Week 8, don’t sleep on our online betting picks.
NCAA News: Sure Losers for Week 8
→ Saturday, October 22
#9 UCLA Bruins (+6) at #10 Oregon Ducks
(3:30 pm ET, ABC)
UCLA (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) took down then-#20 Utah, 42-32, before going into the bye week. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson went 18 of 23 for 299 yards with four touchdown passes, and he ran for another touchdown, perhaps adding his name to the Heisman Trophy conversation, but it’s hard for the Pac-12 to get through the noise coming from the Big Ten and the SEC these days. Oregon (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) has definitely righted the ship since that dreadful opener against Georgia. They routed Arizona last week, 49-22, as Bo Nix ran for three touchdowns and threw for 256 yards. Oregon gained 580 yards on the day (306 rushing). This line opened at Oregon -4.5 and has just opened since then. UCLA’s win over Utah looks even more impressive after the Utes stopped USC last week. Bruins to cover.
Boston College Eagles (+21) at #13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
(3:30 pm ET, ACC Network)
Both of these teams come out of the bye to face off in ACC play. Boston College took a 31-3 drubbing at home from Clemson in their last action on October 8, and they have also lost convincingly at Virginia Tech and Florida State in conference play this season. In comparison, Wake Forest went down to Tallahassee and beat Florida State by ten. The Demon Deacons have also lost to Clemson, but instead of getting throttled, they pushed the Tigers to double overtime, falling, 51-45. Their offensive firepower comes thanks to quarterback Sam Hartman, who had to miss the first game but since has thrown for 1,442 yards, with a 16:2 TD:INT ratio. Jahmal Bank and A.T. Perry have combined to pick up half of those passing yards. Is a three-touchdown line going to hold, though, coming out of the bye? The only FBS program that Wake Forest has beaten by that many points is lowly Army (45-10 before the bye). I see BC staying within 21. Eagles to cover.
Memphis Tigers (+7) at Tulane Green Wave
(3:30 pm ET, ESPN2)
Watch out now, but the Green Wave is 6-1 (3-0 American Athletic Conference) after winning at Houston in overtime and then beating East Carolina and South Florida convincingly. Memphis (4-3, 2-2 AAC) lost to Houston at home (by one) after surrendering a huge comeback in the fourth quarter, and then they lost in quadruple overtime at East Carolina, 47-45. East Carolina generally features a high-octane offense, and the fact that Tulane could hold them to nine points is impressive. The Green Wave have long been a tough team to play down in New Orleans, and the Tigers could well be their next victims. Green Wave to win and cover.
College Football Betting Odds
Love betting NCAA football? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date college football lines
