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Brant's best college football predictions and upset picks for Week 8 of the 2025 season. His top CFB underdogs and favorites on upset watch, including South Carolina, BYU, Arkansas, and more.
Another week down, another handful of monster upsets complete. Pitt took down Florida State, handing the Seminoles their eighth straight ACC loss. What started as a promising season in Tallahassee has gone south quickly. Indiana knocked off Oregon on the road for what is one of the most impressive wins of the season. Penn State fell at home to Northwestern, solidifying an early exit for James Franklin. Ranked teams in Oklahoma, Michigan, Arizona State, and Iowa State all lost to unranked opponents.
The chaos never ends in college football, and with another stacked slate, it won’t end anytime soon.
With how stacked this upcoming week is, I’m delivering more than just five underdogs. I could see all seven of these teams pulling off big upsets this weekend. Let’s dive in.
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Army Black Knights (at Tulane)
Army has been a polarizing team this season. Switching between two quarterbacks in Cale Hellums and Dewayne Coleman, the Black Knights have won huge games (at Kansas State) and put up stinkers (vs. Tarleton State).
Jeff Monken is starting to get it rolling, but Army has to go into hostile territory this weekend as it plays at Tulane. The Green Wave are one of the favorites to make the CFP as the G5 representative after knocking off both Duke and Northwestern in non-conference play. They play exceptionally well at home.
However, when these two teams last matched up in the AAC title game a season ago, Army took care of business, 35-14. Both teams look different now, but Tulane’s defense is still suspect and may not handle the triple option well.
Army is a 9.5-point underdog, and while it certainly could get blown out, it could also put a huge damper on Tulane’s season. Keep your eyes on this kickoff on Saturday.
South Carolina Gamecocks (vs. No. 14 Oklahoma)
Shane Beamer’s team has been unable to get the offense rolling all season, scoring 24 points just once in games against power conference opponents. On the flip side, Oklahoma has also had a fairly stagnant offense, topping 24 points zero times against power conference opponents. While John Mateer and LaNorris Sellers are considered two of the top quarterbacks in college football, the firepower has been lacking for both teams.
"We've got good players ... we're better than what we've shown."
I asked Shane Beamer why he's confident in the #Gamecocks managing Oklahoma's defense Saturday, despite the issues and changes that have come to their offensive line.@abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/L2bmpSfsqp
— Noah Chast (@NoahChastTV) October 14, 2025
The Sooners are coming off a loss in which they were dominated against rival Texas, while the Gamecocks have lost three of their last four and own just one SEC win over Kentucky. They’ve been close, but have been unable to put opponents away.
That changes this Saturday. South Carolina has to win this one, as its next three games come against No. 6 Alabama, No. 5 Ole Miss, and No. 4 Texas A&M. It is a very winnable game, and behind a crowd in Columbia that still believes in and loves its team, I see the Gamecocks coming out on top.
Arkansas Razorbacks (vs. No. 4 Texas A&M)
Arkansas’ last home game was a disaster, as it fell 56-13 against Notre Dame and promptly fired Sam Pittman afterward. The Razorbacks have lost four straight, but were competitive last Saturday on the road against Tennessee. The offense looked back in sync, and while the defense is still a sore subject, this team can score with anybody.
Last time Bobby Petrino coached against Texas A&M as head coach of Arkansas 😎
One of the most fun games I ever attended. pic.twitter.com/FQK9dGvi6z
— John Nabors (@JohnNaborsShow) October 14, 2025
Texas A&M appears to have fixed its defensive woes after giving up 40 to Notre Dame earlier in the season, but the Aggies haven’t seen an offense nearly as dynamic as Arkansas’ since the huge Week 3 win. The Aggies are talented and will put points up on Arkansas’ defense, but do not discredit Bobby Petrino’s team to hang right with A&M in this one.
SMU Mustangs (at Clemson)
SMU has won 19 straight conference games. Let that sink in. The streak dates all the way back to 2023, when it was in the American Athletic Conference. That, of course, does not count last year’s ACC Championship Game. Despite the longstanding regular-season streak, SMU is a 9.5-point underdog on the road against a struggling Clemson team this weekend.
KEVIN JENNINGS GOES BEHIND THE BACK 😱 pic.twitter.com/GIKmZj0PuB
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 11, 2025
Clemson has looked better in recent weeks, but take into account the fact that it has played two of the biggest dumpster fires in college football in North Carolina and Boston College. After losing at home to Syracuse earlier in the season, anything is possible with Dabo Swinney’s team.
SMU cannot be overlooked. Quarterback Kevin Jennings has been sneakily good, and with the season on the line, I expect him to turn it up a notch on Saturday.
Arizona State Sun Devils (vs. No. 7 Texas Tech)
This pick is obviously contingent on whether Sam Leavitt plays or not. Jeff Sims has proved time and time again that he is not capable of running a college offense, and Arizona State would be in deep trouble if he were starting.
Leavitt is practicing with the starters as of Monday, which is a good sign for his availability this weekend. Should he be available, this game becomes a danger zone for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been dominant thus far on both sides of the ball, but going into Tempe in front of a fired-up crowd is not an easy task.
Kenny Dillingham needs a signature win, and what better spot to notch one than against the clear-cut Big 12 favorite? Just when you think you have the Big 12 figured out, it always zigs the other direction, and this is a clear spot where that can happen this weekend. Expect the Sun Devils to be fired up coming off a 42-10 loss to Utah and to give Texas Tech its absolute best shot.
Penn State Nittany Lions (at Iowa)
After falling in probably the two most shocking upsets of the season, Penn State now finds itself as an underdog against Iowa. This was always going to be a tough game for the Nittany Lions. Going into Kinnick is not easy to do, and this Iowa team is competitive, losing by only five in a tight game against Indiana a few weeks back. It can also score, topping 37 points in Big Ten play twice already.
:55 seconds of head-turning, “good lord, he can sling it,” arm talent from Penn State Freshman QB Ethan Grunkemeyer. Enjoy! #WeAre#QBX🎯💪🌪 pic.twitter.com/DoSGVddrDz
— Brad Maendler (@BradMaendler) July 26, 2024
However, there is something to be said about a team coming off a coach getting fired. First games with interim coaches always tend to go well. Missing both James Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar, this team may feel as if it has something to play for.
The Nittany Lions are still full of talent, and while it will be redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer’s first start in a hostile environment, it is a great opportunity for the Nittany Lions to bounce back and shock the world in the opposite direction.
No. 15 BYU Cougars (vs. No. 23 Utah)
One of college football’s biggest rivalries will be one of the headliners on a packed Saturday night slate. Utah travels in-state to face BYU. After all of the player swapping via the transfer portal, these two teams know each other very well.
Utah is favored despite being on the road against an undefeated Cougars team. My gut tells me to avoid sketchy Vegas lines, but this one just makes no sense to me. I understand Utah is probably the more talented team, but we have to knock down last week’s win a peg. Arizona State is not the same team without Sam Leavitt under center, as mentioned above.
BYU is coming off an emotional overtime win over Arizona on the road, and will certainly carry that momentum with it on Saturday against the Utes. Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier has made winning plays all season, and that should continue into Saturday night.
Both teams will be fighting to stay alive in the CFP race, stacked on top of a rivalry. Do not let this game fly under your radar despite being on at the same time as Tennessee-Alabama and USC-Notre Dame.
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