NCAAF Week 8 Early Bets

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I feel like I say this every week, but it is hard to believe we are already in Week 8 of the college football season. We have three early week plays for this week. Let's get right to it.

Tulane at SMU

It is interesting looking at the statistics for what Tulane does on offense and what SMU is allowing on defense. They are almost identical. To me, that means that Tulane will have a fairly typical game and score somewhere around 30 points. SMU, the 21st ranked team in the country, loves to sling it. Tanner Mordecai has thrown for 26 touchdowns on the year, but my concern for this game is he won't be as sharp after not playing since October 9th. I have no doubt that SMU is the better team, and perhaps the rest helps. Tulane also hasn't played since October 7th, so their offense could struggle. I'm taking SMU to cover the -13.5 spread.

Colorado State at Utah State

Colorado State travels to Utah to take on the Aggies. They have a really impressive offensive unit, racking up just under 400 yards per game. All of those yards are only resulting in a little less than 25 points per game. Utah State also is moving the ball with ease - they average almost 500 yards of offense per game. The problem is they are also allowing 441 yards to their opponent. They are giving up 206.5 rushing yards a game, this is a good spot for Colorado State, a team averaging 169 yards on the ground. I like Colorado State to win this game, and -3 would make me more comfortable, but I'll take them -3.5 at -102.

Washington at Arizona

This game has a pretty low total, but there is good reason for that. Both of these teams struggle to put up points. Neither defense is something super stellar, but with the offensive shortcomings, the defense should have an easier time. Quarterback Dylan Morris on Washington is at best, turnover-prone. He's already allowed eight interceptions on the season. I'm not sure who is going to be under center for the Wildcats, but their options are less than impressive anyway. The three quarterbacks they've used this season have thrown 11 interceptions and just seven touchdowns. I'm playing the under 46.5 despite the line moving up on the total.