Things are starting to take shape in the 2022 college football season. Week 8 could prove to be either stiff or chaotic based on what has been seen in past seasons.
I took a week off from picks last week so I could give my daughter away at her wedding. Yes, a fall wedding on Saturday football. Something I may never live with.
As I worried about the details of the wedding and struggled with the feelings that come with seeing my daughter get married, the college football world decided to turn itself on its ear.
15 years of frustration in Knoxville has finally come to an end, as the Vols pulled out of a last-minute victory over Alabama. Pac-12 power USC was shot down by Utah. Oklahoma underwent a corrective game and handed Kansas its second straight loss of the season, and Notre Dame found a way to lose to a struggling Stanford team.
In no surprises for the seventh week, top-seeded Georgia topped Vanderbilt, and James Franklin continued his tough luck against the top 10 teams as Pennsylvania State was beaten hard by Michigan.
Let’s look back at Week 6 picks before moving on to this week’s prediction.
annoyed: Like many people across the country, I really wanted to believe in Kansas. Unfortunately, the TCU had other plans and topped the Jayhawks with a landing. While I just missed the spread, I got more than right to pick.
a lock: Mississippi took Arkansas to the woodpile shed, as I expected, with a 40-17 defeat from the Hobbs.
2-1 a week on picks leads me to 9-7 on the season. Here are my picks for Week 8 with odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
The game odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.
the match
Syracuse orange
6-0
Clemson tigers
7-0
Saturday October 22
12:00 PM Eastern Time
College Football Week 8 Surprise Pick: Syracuse Orange vs Clemson Tigers
There are two big questions swirling around the ACC now – is Clemson back, and is Syracuse for real?
We’ll get a good answer to both questions when the two meet at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina this weekend.
This game is probably quite surprising, and Clemson tends to leave a foul odor on the field at least once per season. With the Tigers being 4-3 ATS this year, and Syracuse leading 5-1, it’s hard not to pick Orange to at least win by 13.5 points, if not win the game.
We may see that number shrink in the next few days, but I’ll comfortably take advantage of Syracuse to beat any difference above 10. If this game were to be played in the Loud House, I’d comfortably pick orange in outright collapse.
Choice: A close defensive battle, possibly determined by a field goal at the last minute. Syracuse outperforms the spread.
SEC selection is available for our lock, and it doesn’t include Georgia (which stopped this week) or Alabama (which is apparently trying to find its defense among baggage lost on the road)
the match
Texas A&M Aggies
3-3
South Carolina Gamecox
4-2
Saturday October 22
7:30 p.m. Eastern time
College Football Week 8 Lock: Texas A&M Aggies vs South Carolina Gamecocks
An old saying, when looking at the differences in a game like this, says that “someone knows something”. In this case, the Aggies probably aren’t as bad as their 3-3, and the Gamecocks might be a little worse than their 4-2.
Texas A&M is simply the better team, but the question is, which team will emerge? On the other hand, South Carolina walked in some cupcake games and beat the struggling Kentucky team.
I simply trust Texas A&M to make fewer mistakes than Spencer Rattler, and defensively, the Aggies have more of an advantage. They will cover a difference of 3.5 points, but neither team will light the scoreboard. Over/Under is at 44.5, and while that’s a reasonably low number, we’ll probably see even lower.
Choose: Aggies by relegation with neither team scoring more than 20 points.
So what game to stay away from this week? Let’s continue the western trend.
the match
Texas long centuries
5-2
Oklahoma Cowboys
5-1
Saturday October 22
3:30 p.m. Eastern time
College Football Week 8 Bad Bet: Texas Longhorns vs Oklahoma State Cowboys
The only thing certain in the Big 12 this year is that the TCU can play up some defense. Beyond that, it’s a shooting every week. Case in point, the No. 20 pods in Texas Longhorns are a road favorite on No. 11 in the Oklahoma Cowboys.
what what?
The Texans have been by far one of the most unpredictable teams this season, looking intimidating at times and devoid of any tentacles at others. This is a classic Sarkisian cartography. Oklahoma has been in some shooting, and it may just be another casualty for Texas after an offensive week as they did against Oklahoma.
Then again, it’s entirely possible for both teams to mail this letter.
This is a game you just want to get away from and sit back and watch the carnage, because no matter the outcome, Big 12 will be upside down, with the potential for TCU expansion to lead the conference.
Choose: Lots of points. Like infinity points. The last one with the ball wins.
The strangest thing we saw in college football week 7
It might sound like hanging fruit to pick Tennessee’s upset from Alabama as the strangest thing in Week 7, the fallout from that win has certainly taken an odd turn.
Predictably, fans stormed the field, knocked down goalposts, threw them into the Tennessee River, and then turned Knoxville into a non-stop party for the foreseeable future (or at least until they met Georgia).
But going back to those rules, the University of Tennessee Department of Sports decided to beg the fans for money to replace those rules.
Are you serious, Tennessee?
Despite the warm, slang tone of the call, fans were arrogant in response.
Brass Vols is, if nothing else, a trimmer.
For more College Football news, analysis, opinions, and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football, be sure to bookmark these pages.
[ad_2]
