College Football Picks Against the Spread, Week 8: Five Upsets
My College Football picks against the spread for Week 8 include five upsets that might shock you.
The BCS No. 1 team, Oklahoma, is favored by a mere three points, but they are certainly in danger of being knocked off by a really good Missouri team.
But are the Tigers good enough to pull it off?
Here are my picks for this week, and if upsets tickle your fancy, get ready to be excited.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+13) over Pittsburgh Panthers
1 of 5
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+13) over Pittsburgh Panthers
Any time you have a chance to pick a good defensive team with one of the nation’s top coaches (Greg Schiano) AND you are given almost two touchdowns, you have to at least consider an upset.
Pittsburgh is the better team, no doubt about it, but Rutgers seems like one of this week’s best bets to cover.
The Scarlet Knights offense isn’t great, but they only allow 15.3 points per game, good for 12th in the nation.
They have a better record than Pitt at 4-2, and their two losses were by a combined seven points.
And the Panthers (3-3) have been an enigma this year, not performing up to their potential so far.
Rutgers has kept every game close this year, and there’s no reason to think this game will be any different.
And keep in mind, they’ll have some extra motivation this week, playing for Eric LeGrand, who suffered a terrifying injury last week and has yet to be released from the hospital.
Kansas State Wildcats (+6) over Baylor Bears
2 of 5
Kansas State Wildcats (+6) over Baylor Bears
Kansas State is on the fringe of the top 25, and they beat UCLA with relative ease in its season opener.
The Wildcats' only loss was to a clearly superior Nebraska team, and outside of that game, they’ve beaten who they’re supposed to beat.
Baylor’s best win, on the other hand, came against Colorado. Their resume also includes a loss to an under-performing Texas Tech squad.
Robert Griffin III(Baylor) is really good, and that’s why the line is in Baylor’s favor, but Daniel Thomas (Kansas State) is also a superstar.
This game should be pretty high scoring, but I expect Kansas State’s rushing attack (219.5 yards per game) to be the difference, as they win this one outright, and certainly cover the six points.
Wisconsin Badgers (+6) over Iowa Hawkeyes
3 of 5
Wisconsin Badgers (+6) over Iowa Hawkeyes
Here’s another case where the better team is the underdog.
A whopping six point underdog.
Wisconsin just manhandled the country’s former No. 1, Ohio State, and now sets its sights on Iowa and its stout defense.
The Hawkeyes' defense thrives on turnovers, forcing a staggering 13 in its last five games.
But the Badgers are one of the most disciplined teams in the country, turning the ball over just once in their last five games.
I trust Wisconsin’s consistent, methodical attack behind Scott Tolzien, John Clay, and James White, over Iowa’s offense, which is led by a quarterback in Ricky Stanzi, who is bound to revert back to his erratic ways.
This is the best defense Stanzi has faced all year (no disrespect to Arizona’s stellar unit), and he will turn the ball over.
The turnover battle will be the difference, as Wisconsin wins this one outright, covering the six points and more.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Arizona State Sun Devils (+3) over California Bears
4 of 5
Arizona State Sun Devils (+3) over California Bears
Arizona State is one of the most underrated teams in the nation, with its three losses coming to Oregon, Oregon State, and Wisconsin.
The Sun Devils played Oregon closer than anyone has this year, and only lost to Wisconsin on a crazy blocked PAT in the final quarter.
Led by the talented Michigan-transfer Steven Threet, Arizona State is averaging just about 300 yards per game through the air. They should be able to put up a lot of points against a Cal defense that just let USC score 48 last week.
The Bears aren’t a bad team, but they are clearly inferior to the Sun Devils, and should not be favored in this one.
Arizona State wins outright.
Missouri Tigers (+3) over Oklahoma Sooners
5 of 5
Missouri Tigers (+3) over Oklahoma Sooners
Missouri’s best win came in a blowout last week against an average Texas A&M squad. But the Tigers are undefeated nonetheless.
Oklahoma has some marquee wins against Texas and Florida State, and certainly owns a more impressive resume because of their stronger schedule thus far.
But Blaine Gabbert is good…really good.
He put up 361 yards, with 3 TDs and 0 INT against an Aggies squad that nearly took out Ryan Mallett and Arkansas. He is more than talented enough to torch the middling Oklahoma secondary.
Also, the Tigers defense has been great this year, holding teams to a ridiculous 0-4 in goal-to-go situations.
Jump on Missouri’s bandwagon now, because after they prove themselves in this game, they won’t be underdogs in too many games, if any.
Missouri covers, and knocks off the BCS’s No. 1 team.
Matt Rudnitsky is a student at the University of Michigan and a writing intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mattrud
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
