Latest College Football Odds and Picks Factoring in New Weather Forecasts for Week 8 Schedule
The state of Utah is at the center of the college football universe for the second straight week.
In Week 8, the No. 10 Utah Utes are the team with the prove-it game at home against the No. 14 Houston Cougars.
Utah and Houston are two of four Big 12 programs inside the top 15 of the AP Top 25. Saturday's late-night showdown in Salt Lake City will be a good litmus test for both teams.
Week 8 as a whole most likely won't meet the drama that Week 7 delivered, but it still has two fascinating ranked matchups, the other being a clash between the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 19 Texas Longhorns.
Both Top 25 clashes are projected to have fantastic conditions, which is all any college football fan can ask for in late October.
All of the forecasts for Week 8's top games can be found on The Weather Channel.
Week 8 Top 25 Schedule, Odds and Weather
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Saturday, October 24
Pittsburgh at No. 1 Miami (-20.5)
Schedule: Noon ET, ESPN
Forecast: Mostly Sunny, Showers Likely, High of 82°F
Prediction: Miami 34, Pittsburgh 17
No. 6 Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan
Schedule: Noon ET, Fox
Forecast: Sunny, High of 66°F
Prediction: Indiana 24, Michigan 16
No. 8 Texas Tech (-10.5) at Cincinnati
Schedule: Noon ET, FS1
Forecast: Sunny, High of 71°F
Prediction: Texas Tech 37, Cincinnati 21
No. 18 LSU (-7.5) at Auburn
Schedule: Noon ET, ABC
Forecast: Sunny, High of 72°F
Prediction: LSU 31, Auburn 21
California at No. 23 SMU (-19.5)
Schedule: Noon ET, CW
Forecast: Mostly Sunny, High of 85°F
Prediction: SMU 37, California 10
Rutgers at No. 24 Northwestern (-16.5)
Schedule: Noon ET, Peacock
Forecast: Mostly Sunny, High of 67°F
Prediction: Northwestern 31, Rutgers 14
No. 2 BYU (-6.5) at UCF
Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Forecast: Sunny, Chance of Showers, High of 81°F
Prediction: BYU 21, UCF 17
Michigan State at No. 9 UCLA (-14.5)
Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Forecast: Sunny, High of 76°F
Prediction: UCLA 27, Michigan State 10
No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina (-2.5)
Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Forecast: Sunny, High of 69°F
Prediction: Tennessee 21, South Carolina 16
Texas A&M at No. 13 Alabama (-13.5)
Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Forecast: Sunny, High of 76°F
Prediction: Alabama 30, Texas A&M 10
No. 15 Iowa (-6.5) at Minnesota
Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1
Forecast: Partly Sunny, Chance of Showers, High of 75°F
Prediction: Minnesota 21, Iowa 20
No. 21 Boise State (-13.5) at Washington State
Schedule: 6 p.m. ET, USA
Forecast: Mostly Sunny, High of 55°F
Prediction: Boise State 38, Washington State 21
No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas (-3.5)
Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Forecast: Mostly Sunny, High of 87°F
Prediction: Ole Miss 34, Texas 27
Vanderbilt at No. 12 Kentucky (-10.5)
Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Forecast: Sunny, High of 70°F
Prediction: Kentucky 31, Vanderbilt 17
No. 16 USC (-2.5) at Wisconsin
Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Forecast: Partly Sunny, High of 72°F
Prediction: USC 28, Wisconsin 21
Iowa State at No. 25 Arizona (-10.5)
Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Forecast: Sunny, High of 78°F
Prediction: Arizona 35, Iowa State 27
No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah (-6.5)
Schedule: 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Forecast: Partly Sunny, High of 56°F
Prediction: Houston 27, Utah 24
No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah (-6.5)
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Utah cruised through the first six games of the season with five double-digit wins and all victories against unranked opponents.
Saturday's home clash with the Houston is the first true test for Utah under first-year head coach Morgan Scalley. Scalley's been involved in many high-profile games as Utah's defensive coordinator, but this is his first Top 25 matchup as the head coach.
Senior quarterback Devon Dampier comes into Week 8 with 1,412 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, but he's thrown three of his four interceptions in the last two weeks.
Dampier was ineffective with his legs for the first time this season in Week 7 against the Colorado Buffaloes.
Houston is as battle-tested as it comes in the Big 12. It lost by two points to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in September and beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys last week.
Conner Weigman threw for at least 280 yards in each game and had eight total touchdown passes in both Top 25 clashes. He's even scored six touchdowns with his legs.
Houston also has a very good ground attack that is shared by Makhi Hughes and Re'Shaun Sanford. Both running backs have over 450 yards and average more than 4.5 yards per carry.
The Cougars have the edge in big-game experience and you could argue that Weigman is better, or at least comparable, to Dampier.
Utah has the home-field advantage on its side in Salt Lake City, but it is unproven and may be caught out by the quality of the Cougars.
If Houston wins, there's a scenario in which four Big 12 teams have legitimate playoff cases, but that's only if Utah beats BYU in November.
Prediction: Houston +6.5
No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas (-3.5)
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The Texas Longhorns are in the spotlight more ahead of their Saturday clash with the Ole Miss Rebels because of their two-game losing streak and questions at quarterback.
Arch Manning is still the starter, for now, but he has to prove he can right the ship and avoid a third consecutive loss and a drop out of the AP Top 25.
Manning had two interceptions in the loss to the Oklahoma Sooners and then struggled to make an impact until it was too late versus the Florida Gators.
Texas' defense didn't hold up either, as that unit allowed 37 second-half points to Oklahoma and Florida.
Ole Miss rolls into Austin off a 31-3 over the Missouri Tigers and with a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
Chambliss ranks in the top 25 in the FBS in passing yards and touchdowns. He's already faced four Top 25 defenses in 2026 and he's 7-3 against ranked sides since he joined Ole Miss last season.
Chambliss is a proven winner and it's a bit surprising that Ole Miss is an underdog with all of Texas' struggles.
You'd think Texas snaps out of its funk at some point, but if you objectively look at the quarterback play for both teams, Ole Miss has a very clear advantage.
Winning on the road in the SEC is difficult, but Chambliss hasn't been fazed by much in his Ole Miss tenure and he'll make fewer mistakes and more big plays than Manning.
Prediction: Ole Miss +3.5
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