In this article, we’ll provide you with our top NCAAF Week 8 betting picks. There are three great matchups between the 9 Florida Gators at South Carolina Gamecocks, 12 Oregon Ducks at #25 Washington Huskies and 16 Michigan Wolverines at #7 Penn State Nittany Lions. We study the betting lines, teams, and players to give you our recommended college football betting picks to beat the New Jersey sportsbooks!
#9 Florida Gators (-5) at South Carolina Gamecocks – O/U: 48.5
Saturday, October 19th, 2019 – 12:00 p.m. EST
Betting Pick: Florida (-5)
Florida won last season’s meeting by the score of 35-31, but this is a much better team than South Carolina is getting this time around. Even though the Gamecocks had a miraculous upset win on the road last week, our top betting pick is for the Gators to cover the spread in Columbia. Let’s dive into the numbers to see what will ultimately happen in this one.
Week 8 Betting Lines Analysis: Florida at South Carolina
We’ve got plenty agreement on Florida in this one, as 80 percent of public bets and 70 percent of all money wagered is going in that direction. Evidently, people don’t think South Carolina can do the unthinkable twice in as many weeks. Then again, if Georgia didn’t turn the ball over four times last week, we wouldn’t even be talking about this “twice in two weeks” thing.
Florida Betting Form
This will be the third consecutive quality opponent that the Gators faced in the last three weeks. Florida nearly covered the spread against LSU last week on the road but failed to capitalize on eight opportunities inside the 10-yard line on the final drive. Up until that point, the Gators’ offense was like a prizefighter going shot-for-shot with the powerful Tigers’ offense – one that might get their QB a Heisman Trophy at the end of the season.
Speaking of QBs, Kyle Trask has filled in admirably for Florida after Feleipe Franks went down for the season. Although the South Carolina defense forced so many turnovers last week, we shouldn’t look at that as a constant occurrence – because it hasn’t been this season. Numerous offenses have been able to move the ball against them, and we should expect Florida to have a solid time of possession in this game.
Florida failed to record a sack last week against LSU but don’t expect that to happen again – if anything, it should make them more hungry. This defense is one of the best in college football, and after getting torn apart last week, they’ll remind the country what type of force they bring to the table.
South Carolina Betting Form
The Gamecocks are coming off one of the biggest road victories in their program’s history, defeating the then-No. 3-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. What was even more impressive is that they did it without QB Ryan Hilinski at the end of the game. He’s dealing with a knee injury that will certainly keep him limited in mobility, and that won’t bode well against a ferocious pass-rush.
If South Carolina wants to have a chance in this game, they’ll need to force turnovers like they did last week. As we mentioned earlier, this probably won’t happen against a focused Florida team; South Carolina basically caught Georgia sleepwalking in an early Saturday game.
Betting Pick: Florida (-5)
Florida’s defense will be the key to victory in this game. After getting shellacked at LSU, expect a few of these future-NFL players to make some key plays and lead their team to victory. Seeing what happened to Georgia, we can expect Florida to be fully prepared.
#12 Oregon Ducks (-2.5) at #25 Washington Huskies – O/U: 50
Saturday, October 19th, 2019 – 3:30 p.m. EST
Betting Pick: Oregon (-2.5)
Oregon won last year’s meeting at home by the score of 30-27, so we should see a very inspired game. However, Washington has only covered the spread once in its last five meetings with Oregon at home, and that’s one of the reasons why the Ducks will be our betting pick in this contest. Let’s dive into the facts and figures to see why we’re heading in this direction.
Week 8 Betting Lines Analysis: Oregon at Washington
Once again, we’re getting plenty of agreement on this selection. We’re seeing 60 percent of public bets and 67 percent in Oregon’s direction. The Ducks are the only undefeated team in Pac-12 play so far this season and it’s easy to see why with a loaded amount of talent on this roster. While Husky Stadium is a very tough place for road teams, Oregon has fared well in there on previous trips.
Oregon Betting Form
Had it not been for a miraculous play by Auburn in the season opener, Oregon could be coming into this game at 6-0. Last week’s 45-3 thumping over a decent Colorado team proves that this team is heading in the right direction.
There are usually big moments in a player’s run to a Heisman Trophy or a number one overall selection in the NFL Draft. Well, QB Justin Herbert has that opportunity when the Ducks invade Seattle on Saturday. Herbert has 17 touchdowns and one interception this season, and has only thrown four interceptions in his last 15 games. All of these numbers certainly bode well heading into a hostile road setting.
The Ducks’ defense was expected to be a solid unit heading into this season, but ranking third in the country for fewest points allowed per game (8.7) and eighth in total yards allowed per game (267.7) was certainly something that no one saw coming. In fact, Oregon’s defense hasn’t allowed more than seven points in each of the last five games.
Washington Betting Form
While the Huskies are 5-2 overall, they have only managed to go 2-2 in Pac-12 play. Desperation could be the biggest benefactor for Washington in this one, as they could kiss any hope of a Pac-12 title game appearance goodbye.
The offense had a few up-and-down performances against conference opponents but did hang 51 points on an always-weak Arizona defense; that many points certainly won’t be put up against this stingy Oregon defensive unit. QB Jacob Eason will need to have the game of his life in order to keep the contest close. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns and three interceptions, so increasing those numbers is vital since the running game has been mediocre, at best, this season.
Washington’s defense has done a fine job of keeping points off the board this season, but they’re still allowing more yards than they’d like. Against a buttoned-up team like Oregon, expect this offensive unit to be able to get the ball in the end zone.
Betting Pick: Oregon (-2.5)
All in all, Oregon is just the more talented team here. Also, the 2.5-point number that we’re getting is a much better spot than having to worry about a push on the field goal. Look for the Ducks to take care of business on the road and get us the W!
#16 Michigan Wolverines at #7 Penn State Nittany Lions (-8.5) – O/U: 47
Saturday, October 19th, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. EST
Betting Pick: Penn State
Michigan absolutely clobbered Penn State by the score of 42-7 in Ann Arbor last season, so expect the Happy Valley faithful to be geared up for this one. While that lopsided score may have some concerned about Penn State, we have no worries. Our betting pick is for the Nittany Lions to take care of the Wolverines and cover the spread in the process. Let’s dive into the numbers to see why the home team will win this game convincingly.
Week 8 Betting Lines Analysis: Michigan at Penn State
We don’t have as much agreement on the Penn State pick as the others, with only 61 percent of public bets and 51 percent of all money wagered going that route. A lot of that probably has to do with last year’s meeting between the teams, but we really need to look at what’s been happening this season. There’s a distinct matchup advantage in this one, which we’ll get to below.
Michigan Betting Form
In matchups against four unranked teams (Middle Tennessee, Army, Rutgers, Illinois), the Michigan offense has scored an average of 39.5 points per game. However, in two matchups against ranked teams (Wisconsin, Iowa), the offense has scored a total of 24 points. Just to let you know, Penn State is ranked.
It’s truly haunting that the Wolverines can’t get it going on offense in these marquee matchups, considering their head coach and elite talent all over the roster. We’ve seen way too many disappointing performances over the years from Michigan, and we’ll probably see it again on Saturday. Not to mention, a matchup at home next week with Notre Dame looms large in the wings. Perhaps, that’s a spot the Wolverines will be looking ahead to.
If Michigan has any chance in this game, it’ll come from the defensive side of the ball. After all, that’s the reason why they’re 5-1 up to this point in the season.
Penn State Betting Form
Penn State hasn’t played too many quality opponents this season, but the team did get an important road win at Iowa last week. The well-balanced offense, with 424.4 yards per game, could keep this Michigan defense on its toes. Last week, before getting out to a huge lead, Michigan allowed Illinois to post a scoring-frenzy on them. Look for Penn State to find the mistakes on tape and take advantage of those during the game.
Michigan has been very careless with the ball, and that should give this Penn State defense some opportunities to give the offense great field position. We have absolutely no faith at all in this Michigan offense and feel like the field position will be so crucial in this game. Against Iowa, the Michigan defense was put in a number of different tough positions. Look for Penn State’s offense to take advantage of these scenarios in what could be a very similar type of game.
Betting Pick: Penn State (-8.5)
We’re really not sure how anyone could have confidence in Michigan at this point. After all, it hasn’t gone well for this team any time it faces a quality opponent. Not to mention, going into Happy Valley is one of the most daunting tasks in all of college football. Look for Penn State to thrive in every aspect of this game and win convincingly in front of the home faithful.
