The 2022 college football season has finally reached the halfway point, and there will be plenty of games in Week 8. Fourteen games will feature Top 25 teams, including five games between two ranked teams and one game between two Top 10 teams.
One of the marquee matchups on the schedule will be an ACC battle between No. 14 Syracuse and No. 5 Clemson at noon Saturday on ABC. Other intriguing matchups feature ranked teams on their way back, with No. 11 Oklahoma State hosting No. 20 Texas and No. 6 Alabama hosting No. 24 Mississippi State.
Can No. 9 UCLA remain the only unbeaten team in the Pac-12 when it travels to Autzen Stadium in Eugene to face the No. 10 Oregon Ducks?
There are a lot of questions and games to bet on this weekend, and we have everything you need to make your picks ahead of Week 8.
Saturday
No. 2 Ohio State visits Iowa (-29, 49.5)
12:00 p.m. ET, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- The 29-point spread makes Ohio State the biggest favorite against Iowa since the FBS/FCS split in 1978.
- Since the FBS/FCS split in 1978, Ohio State is 5-1 ATS (5-1 SU) when favored by 20 or more points against Iowa.
- Under Kirk Ferentz, Iowa is 11-7 ATS (6-12 SU) against AP Top 5 opponents.
- This season, Iowa is 5-1 to the under, tied with Michigan for the highest under percentage in the Big Ten.
Clemson hosts No. 14 Syracuse (-13.5, 51)
Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina, noon ET on ABC
- Syracuse is 5-1 ATS this season, tied for the best ACC cover percentage with Wake Forest.
- Syracuse has won four of its last five games against teams ranked in the AP Top 5.
- Over the last five seasons, Clemson is 27-14 ATS against ACC opponents, the best such cover percentage in the ACC.
- Since the FBS/FCS split in 1978, Clemson is 4-1 ATS (5-0 SU) as a double-digit favorite against AP Top 15 opponents.
No. 21 Cincinnati (-3) at SMU
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas, 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
- This season, SMU is 1-5 ATS, giving them the lowest cover percentage in the AAC.
- The total has been under in the last six meetings between Cincinnati and SMU.
- Under Luke Fickell, 20 of Cincinnati’s 29 road games have gone under the total. Since the start of the 2017 season, this is the sixth-highest under percentage on the road in the FBS.
- Under Luke Fickell, Cincinnati is 7-12-1 ATS on the road against AAC opponents.
No. 7 Ole Miss vs. LSU (Even, 64.5)
3:30 p.m. Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 3 p.m. ET
- Since the start of the 2017 season, LSU is 14-4-1 ATS against AP Top-10 teams, the best such cover percentage in the SEC.
- LSU’s last five games have all gone under the total.
- Four of the last five Ole Miss-LSU games have gone under the total.
- Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss is 12-18 to the over. Since the start of the 2020 season, this is the SEC’s third-lowest over percentage.
No. 9 UCLA vs. No. 10 Oregon (-6, 70.5)
3:30 p.m. Eugene, Oregon (ET), Autzen Stadium
- UCLA’s last six games against AP Top-10 opponents have all gone over the total.
- UCLA is 5-1 ATS on the road since the start of last season, the Pac-12’s best road cover percentage during that time.
- The last three meetings between UCLA and Oregon have all gone over the total.
- In its last eight games as a favorite, Oregon is 6-1-1 ATS.
Texas (-6.5, 65) vs. No. 11 Oklahoma State
3:30 p.m. Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma, ET on ABC
- Since the start of last season, Oklahoma State is 5-0 ATS as an underdog, the best such cover percentage in the Big 12.
- Oklahoma State is 10-1-1 ATS in Big-12 play since the beginning of last season, the highest such cover percentage in the Big 12.
- Since the start of the 2018 season, Oklahoma State is 16-4-1 ATS against AP-ranked opponents. Over that time period, that is the best such cover percentage in the Big 12.
- Texas is 1-5 ATS on the road since the beginning of last season, the lowest road cover percentage in the Big 12.
No. 13 Wake Forest vs. Boston College (-21, 61.5)
3:30 p.m. Truist Field, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, ET on ACC Network
- Since the start of the 2020 season, Wake Forest is 5-1 ATS after a bye week.
- Wake Forest is 5-1 ATS this season, tied for the best ACC cover percentage with Syracuse.
- The total has been under in 10 of the last 11 meetings between Boston College and Wake Forest.
- Since the start of last season, all four of Boston College’s games against AP-ranked opponents have gone under the total.
No. 25 Tulane hosts Memphis (-7, 56.5)
3:30 p.m. Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
- Tulane is 6-1 ATS this season, tied for the second-best cover percentage in the FBS with Arkansas State.
- This season, Tulane is 4-1 ATS as a favorite.
- Over the last five seasons, Memphis has gone 1-9 ATS as a road underdog. That is the lowest such cover percentage in the FBS over that time period (min. 5 games).
Since the start of the 2019 season, Memphis is 1-6 ATS against AP-ranked teams.
No. 24 Mississippi State takes on No. 6 Alabama (-21, 62)
7 p.m. Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, ET on ESPN
- Alabama has been a favorite in 78 consecutive regular-season games against FBS opponents (excluding conference championship games), the longest such streak since the FBS/FCS split in 1978.
- Alabama has covered four straight games after a straight-up loss.
- Over the last three seasons, Alabama is 12-3 ATS as a home favorite, the best such cover percentage in the FBS (min. 10 games as favorite).
- Mike Leach is 0-2 ATS and SU in his career against Nick Saban.
No. 16 Penn State vs. Minnesota (-4.5, 44.5)
7:30 p.m. Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania, ET on ABC
- Minnesota has not been favored this season, but the Gophers were 8-3-1 ATS as an underdog the previous two seasons, with seven outright victories.
- The last two seasons, Minnesota has gone 5-2 ATS on the road, the best cover percentage for a Big Ten team.
- Under James Franklin, Penn State is 7-22-1 ATS after a loss (since 2014), the worst cover percentage in the country.
- Following its rout of Auburn, Penn State has failed to cover three consecutive games. Since 2020, the Nittany Lions have not failed to cover four consecutive games.
No. 17 Kansas State takes on No. 8 TCU (-3.5, 59)
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas, 8 p.m.
- Since 2015, Kansas State is 8-2-1 ATS against top-10 opponents, the best cover percentage in the country (min. 10 games).
- Kansas State has covered the spread in four straight games against TCU, including outright victories as a more than 3.5-point underdog in 2019 and 2020.
- TCU is 8-22-1 ATS as a home favorite since 2016, the lowest in the country (min. 20 games).
- TCU’s three home games have all gone over by an average of 10.5 points.
