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The best and worst situational betting spots for teams in Week 8

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Another week of college football, another handful of situational spots. There should be no shortage of letdown or hangover spots this week given the surplus of major upsets and near upsets in Week 7.

Every team off a significant upset win or crushing loss could realistically fit the mold. However, we'll take each individual situation and point spread even more into account to narrow it down.

Before crunching the numbers for Week 8, be sure to keep these notes in your back pocket.

Potential letdowns/hangovers

North Carolina (at Syracuse)

Line: Syracuse -9.5

North Carolina was on the brink of a season turnaround at home last week against Virginia Tech. It was a good spot for the Tar Heels, too, as the Hokies were coming off a prime-time home loss to Notre Dame. Up five late in the fourth, North Carolina fumbled on the goal line and then watched a stagnant VT offense drive down the length of the field to win.

The Tar Heels now have to go on the road to face a Syracuse team coming off a bye week. At home, the Orange are outscoring opponents by more than 35 points per game. S&P+ sees a clear advantage, ranking Syracuse 42 slots better than North Carolina in its ratings.

Bowling Green (at Ohio)

Line: Ohio -16.5

One-win Bowling Green is officially in spoiler mode. The Falcons nearly upset Western Michigan last week as 14.5-point underdogs before letting a fourth-quarter lead slip through their hands to fall to 1-6.

A Falcons defense that's been gashed for 325.1 rushing yards and 47.6 points per game figures to get crushed again this week; Ohio is averaging 34.2 points per contest while having faced Cincinnati, Virginia, and NIU this season - the third-, 17th-, and 46th-ranked scoring defenses in the country, respectively.

Vanderbilt (at Kentucky)

Line: Kentucky -11

Vanderbilt was another in a long line of near-spoilers Saturday. The Commodores raced out to a 21-3 lead over ranked Florida, but eventually fell 37-27.

Vanderbilt now has to go on the road to face a Kentucky team off a bye week. The stakes won't be all too high this time around for the Wildcats after hosting - and beating - Mississippi State and South Carolina, but Lexington has been a tough place for teams to play this season.

Penn State (at Indiana)

Line: Penn State -14

Last Saturday's loss to Michigan State was the final blow to Penn State's season. In the blink of an eye, the program went from College Football Playoff hopeful to having two losses on its resume.

PSU coach James Franklin heads into Week 8 against Indiana having gone 2-12-2 against the spread following a straight-up loss. Fourteen points is a lot of chalk to be laying on the road - especially in Penn State's situation - but if that narrative gets driven into the ground all week, it could potentially open up value on the Nittany Lions if the spread sees a major dip.

Sandwich/Lookahead spots

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Central Florida (at East Carolina)

Line: Central Florida -21

Sandwich, lookahead, letdown - you name it, it applies to Central Florida this week. The team is on the road as three-touchdown chalk and off its biggest win of the season, with another big game - at home versus Temple - on deck. The talent gap is pretty wide against 2-4 East Carolina, though the Pirates figure to have some external advantages working in their favor.

Alabama (at Tennessee)

Line: Alabama -28.5

Alabama is facing its toughest scheduling spot of the season. With a road game at LSU in Week 9, the Crimson Tide must go into Knoxville as four-plus-touchdown favorites and play a Tennessee team that just beat Auburn on the road.

LSU (vs. Mississippi State)

Line: LSU -6.5

The strength of the SEC has resulted in certain programs facing grueling three-week stretches. Kentucky was put to bed at Texas A&M in Week 6 in what was essentially its third straight prime-time game, while Florida was caught off guard at Vanderbilt following two of its own. In the case of LSU, it'll be the team's third straight crucial matchup after playing Florida and Georgia, with arguably its biggest test on deck against Alabama. Mississippi State comes into Week 8 off a bye week, though its two recent losses versus ranked Florida and Kentucky could have the Tigers overlooking the Bulldogs.

Travel

Western Michigan (at Central Michigan)

Line: Western Michigan -4.5

Western Michigan "travels" all but two hours and 12 minutes to Mount Pleasant to face off against in-state rival Central Michigan, but it'll be the fourth true road game in five weeks for the Broncos, who've failed to cover the spread in three straight contests.

Akron (at Kent State)

Line: Akron -4

Akron will do Western Michigan one better: The Zips only have to travel a mere 19 minutes for their "road game" Saturday when they take on Kent State.

But like Western Michigan, Akron is in a fourth-in-five situation and isn't trending in the right direction - the Zips have been pasted in their first two conference games, losing both against the spread while being outscored 65-23.

Army (vs. Miami (OH))

Line: Army -7.5

Army did a terrific job of weathering the storm on a three-game road trip. The Black Knights nearly tripped up Oklahoma before blasting both Buffalo and San Jose State in consecutive blowouts. They're back at Michie Stadium on Saturday with momentum to begin a three-week home stretch that starts with Miami (Ohio).

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