Upsets were a common theme during college football in Week 7. 4 teams inside the AP Top 10 all suffered losses, unleashing pandemonium and a big shakeup moving into Week 8.
No. 1 Georgia fell to unranked Auburn at home, No. 2 Notre Dame lost to No. 8 BYU, No. 6 Alabama fell to No. 14 Tennessee, and No. 7 Texas lost its second straight game to Florida. No. 3 Miami had to rally to beat unranked Florida State in 2OT, and No. 5 Indiana lost its first game in 2026 to No. 4 Ohio State due to a literal inch.
My College Football Week 7 Picks: Best Early Bets (2026) wound up going 1-2. Under 50.5 cashed relatively sweat-free between Ohio State and Indiana for a good win between top-10 ranked scoring defenses. Alabama -6.5 and BYU -10.0 never stood a chance, with both previously unbeaten road favorites unable to break through against tough competition.
Let’s bounce back for another loaded college football slate in Week 8. Based on early line movement, I’ve identified a few high-value sides and totals to bet on this upcoming Saturday.
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College Football Week 8 Best Bets & Early Line Movement Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
| Home | Away | Open Spread | Current Spread | Open Total | Current Total | Spread +/- | Total +/- |
| UCF | BYU | -9.5 | -6.5 | 45.5 | 43.5 | +3.0 | -2.0 |
| Texas | Ole Miss | -6.5 | -3.5 | 53.5 | 52.5 | +3.0 | -1.0 |
| Utah | Houston | -7.0 | -6.5 | 55.5 | 56.5 | +0.5 | +1.0 |
BYU (2) vs. UCF
Following a controversial ending in Provo, BYU takes its undefeated record on the road to face a 3-3 UCF Knights team. This could be an emotional letdown spot for the Cougars, who just knocked off Notre Dame in a hard-fought, physical tilt.
However, UCF has averaged just 3.5 YPC against its last 3 Big 12 opponents. The Knights’ defense is going to have its hands full against a BYU offense that is averaging 5.7 YPC, including 4.0 YPC and 2 rushing touchdowns against a stout Fighting Irish defense.
Lines have moved from BYU -9.5 to -6.5. This creates value on the Cougars, who are now just a touchdown road favorite in Orlando. Let’s jump on this number now before it reverses course.
Bet BYU -6.5 for the first early best bet in Week 8.
Pick: BYU -6.5 (-115)
Ole Miss (7) vs. Texas (19)
Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns will try to erase a blown lead in a home loss to Florida in Week 7. They’ll host No. 7 Ole Miss, led by star QB Trinidad Chambliss, who just throttled a quality Missouri defense, 31-3.
The Rebels have a top-20 scoring offense. They showed much better play defensively against the Tigers in Week 7, and now face a Longhorns offense that is averaging under 4.0 YPC and has thrown for less than 200 passing yards in 3 games this season.
Chambliss is the best quarterback on the field in this matchup. Momentum is fully with Ole Miss in this spot, even on the road, which is why lines have moved from -Texas -6.5 to -3.5.
It’s a premium now, but we’re still getting a field goal on Ole Miss at +3.5. Let’s bet on the Rebels to cover the point spread as a field goal underdog in Austin in Week 8.
Pick: Ole Miss +3.5 (-112)
Houston (14) vs. Utah (10)
Houston just held off a red-hot Oklahoma State offense in Week 7, scoring 35 points, led by QB Connor Weigman’s 5 passing touchdowns. Defensively, Willie Fritz’s Cougars are legitimate, holding opponents to 1 or fewer rushing touchdowns in 4 straight games, while giving up just 3.2 YPC.
Utah’s undefeated record is likely a result of a soft schedule. However, the Utes have a star quarterback in Devon Dampier, who will test every bit of Houston’s defense at home in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.
Dampier and the Utes’ offense are averaging 5.5 YPC and have thrown for 3 touchdowns in back-to-back wins over Kansas and Colorado. This will definitely be Utah’s toughest opponent yet, but the Utes have a top-10 offense and a top-20 scoring defense.
The home-field edge should help Utah. Line movement has trended down a half point toward Houston at +6.5, while the point total has gone up from 55.5 to 56.5.
This feels like a lot of points, even with two of the nation’s premier offenses. Houston’s defense bends but doesn’t break, while Utah is allowing a stingy 49 percent completion rate and 3 total rushing touchdowns since Week 1.
Take advantage of the line movement. Bet Under 56.5 at -105 odds.
Pick: Under 56.5 (-105)
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