As Week 8 action in the 2021 college football season approaches, let’s take a look at some opportunities for you to win on straight up picks. When the line gets short — or when there is a wacky imbalance in the point spread — there is an opportunity for you to take advantage of the moneyline. As conference play wears on, the chances for major imbalances decrease as college football betting experts learn more about the teams. Even so, there are some opportunities here for you to make some money.
NCAA News: Top Straight Up CFB Picks for Week 8
Wednesday, October 20
Coastal Carolina (-200) at Appalachian State (+170) (7:30 pm ET)
The Chanticleers are a perfect 6-0 straight up and 4-1-1 against the spread. They originally were underdogs at line opening, but the action has come heavily in the Chanticleers’ direction in the intervening days. Coastal Carolina is the top team in the Sun Belt, and it is likely that they will want to send a message after opening as underdogs. Quarterback Grayson McCAll leads the nation with a 79.8% completion percentage. If that number can hold, it would set a new college football record. He’s not just doing checkdowns, either. He averages 13.6 yards per attempt, tops in the country.
Appalachian State started as a one-point favorite. They are hard to beat in night games at home. However, Coastal Carolina is in the top 35 in the nation in rushing and passing defense. Against the pass, the Chanticleers rank third in the nation. Appalachian State’s passing game has fallen off a bit this year, which could make things difficult. Coastal Carolina is the better side, and they come in out of the bye week. I would snag this before the moneyline creeps even further down for the Chanticleers.
Saturday, October 23
Kansas State (-105) at Texas Tech (-115) (12:00 pm ET)
K-State has beaten Texas Tech five straight times, but Henry Colombi has gone 2-1 since taking the starting quarterback job. He also took the field in Texas Tech’s humiliating loss to Texas, turning the second half into a showcase for his own potential. He has the perfect arm for the spread passing game — much better than his predecessor, Tyler Slough, did.
Kansas State has lost three straight since the opening of Big 12 play. They are 96th in the nation in terms of passing yards permitted per game, but they have only allowed seven touchdowns on pass receptions. The value isn’t on the Kansas State side, but the smart money certainly is.
Georgia Tech (+220) at Virginia (-270)
Georgia Tech’s passing defense has been very generous to opponents, and Virginia comes in with a stellar passing game. The Georgia Tech offense has some diamonds in the rough, but the talent on defense is quite limited. The defense has permitted 228.3 yards per game through the air, including 8.2 yards per catch. Virginia averages 405.9 yards per game through the year. Coming out of the slot, Virginia’s receivers do a ton of damage — and Texas Tech relies heavily on linebackers to cover receivers in those positions, which means that the mismatches could be epic in this game.
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