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Mike's Week 8 college football betting picks against the spread for Tuesday, October 20 through Friday, October 23, 2026. Free CFB betting predictions, odds analysis, and ATS picks from RotoBaller.
Week 7 gave us more Big Ten referee incompetence, but that was overshadowed by a ton of upsets. The SEC is the only major conference without an undefeated team. This year, those upsets still mean something. Next year, they won't. Let's enjoy it while it lasts.
Weekday Conference USA gives us some action on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. It's a little lighter of a week overall with 56 total games. We have a lot of action before Saturday with 12 of those 56 games. There is money to be made before Saturday.
If you have questions about any of these games, you can jump into our Discord channel, and I can try to help you out. You can also reach out to me on X at @mikemarteny.
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CFB Betting Picks for Week 8
I will pick every college football game every week. Not a top five. Not a top 10. All of them. Big deal, right? Lots of people make picks. Well, I do them all against the spread. I take the odds for each game, average them across all Vegas casinos, and round to the nearest half. There will be no ties here. Ties are for the other (European) football.
I think you should know who you're listening to. I've been doing this since 2014, and I have most of my record available for viewing here. This can help you determine which teams I usually pick correctly or incorrectly.
I've had trouble finding the articles from 2019 and 2020, so the page is still under construction. All of the picks from 2014-2018 and 2021-2025 are accurate and accounted for. The all-time totals are still under construction, but I will omit 2019 and 2020 for now.
If any of you know how to recover old WordPress documents or how to get back into broken internet links, I would love to hear from you. Ideally, I would like to make my stats as complete as possible.
I finished at .500 with picks, but still lost some points thanks to overconfident bets on some teams. I know that happened at least twice this week, so I don't have high hopes of getting out of the hole I'm in this week.
Let's tackle the 10 picks before the Saturday games before we check out the results of Week 6.
Middle Tennessee State at Florida International (-10.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Wait a minute...is it Vice Night again? The FIU defense is good enough to do this, but I don't trust it. That's a lot of points for a team that doesn't move the ball particularly well.
Pick: Florida International -10.5
Missouri State at Delaware (-3.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
True freshman Tyler Bell looked solid in place of Nick Minicucci last week. Minicucci is still listed as week-to-week. If I had to guess, I would say that he doesn't play. Give me all of Henry Belin IV tonight. I'm flipping if Minicucci plays.
Pick: Missouri State +3.5
South Alabama (-3.5) at Marshall
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
Zion Turner looked a lot better than Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, but not enough for the line to be this low.
Pick: South Alabama -3.5
New Mexico State (-2.5) at Sam Houston
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I still believe in Landyn Locke, even though he hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in almost a month.
Pick: Sam Houston +2.5
James Madison (-10.5) at Appalachian State
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Henry Hasselbeck helped out the Mountaineers a lot, but this JMU defense is going to eat him alive.
Pick: James Madison -10.5
Liberty (-10.5) at Kennesaw State
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The only team that has been able to slow down the Flames is James Madison.
Pick: Liberty -10.5
East Carolina at Memphis (-10.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Marcus Stokes really needs a rebound. I think he gets it.
Pick: Memphis -10.5
Duke at Virginia (-1.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
Virginia is still one of the more undisciplined teams I've watched. I don't want anything to do with this one.
Pick: Duke +1.5
Massachusetts at Connecticut (-14.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This line likely means that Pop Watson is out. He has been upgraded to a game-time decision. If Watson plays, expect this line to shift. I'm tempted to take UMass now and bet on him playing.
Pick: Massachusetts +14.5
Army at Tulsa (-1.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I don't trust this. Army has been running through people lately, and beat the Tulane team that sucker-punched Memphis last week.
Pick: Army +1.5
Air Force (-4.5) at Wyoming
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Air Force has thrown four passes in two games without Liam Szarka. Wyoming has a pretty good run defense. We might see that come to an end here.
Pick: Wyoming +4.5
North Carolina State (-6.5) at Stanford
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
I understand that North Carolina State is inconsistent, but this feels like a gift for under a touchdown. Stanford has allowed 115 points against the last two FBS teams they played.
Pick: North Carolina State -6.5
CFB Betting Picks - Week 7 Results
I promised transparency, and you will get it, warts and all. I don't like to be wrong, but I will admit when I am. Why listen to someone if they won't admit the good or the bad?
You can track my wins and losses on this sheet. I have everything updated from 2014-18 and 2021-present. I'm still looking for missing articles from 2019 and 2020 to get a running total of all of my picks. Winners against the spread will be in bold. My results will follow.
Delaware (-1.5) at Middle Tennessee State: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I backed off after Nick Minicucci was ruled out, but I forgot to come back and change it...
Florida International at Jacksonville State (-2.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
If JJ Kohl can ever cut down on the interceptions, he'll be a lot more fun to watch.
Kennesaw State (-3.5) at Missouri State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Henry Belin IV looked much more comfortable this week. I wish he had been healthy enough to play against SMU. The Bears only lost by 10 in Dallas with Skyler Locklear as the quarterback.
Western Kentucky (-1.5) at Sam Houston: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I'll be honest. It's weird seeing Western Kentucky with a run-first offense and a defense. They were all air raid all the time for 30 years.
East Carolina (-4.5) at UAB: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
It's really, really hard to lose by two scores in overtime, but East Carolina pulled it off.
UAB had 9 points with under a minute left in regulation and finished with 30. https://t.co/7fiXDMhVXb
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 16, 2026
Georgia Southern (-3.5) at Old Dominion: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The Turner Helton vs. Max Johnson QB controversy should be interesting for the Eagles. Maybe they should just loan one of them to the Monarchs for the rest of the season.
Colorado State at Texas State (-14.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
You can't even blame this on K'Saan Farrar. Colorado State, who infamously fired the defensive coordinator during the Oregon State game, hasn't gotten any better. Texas State set a school record with 503 yards of offense in this one.
Memphis (-6.5) at Tulane: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Maybe Kadin Semonza was the problem after all. Trace Johnson wasn't perfect in his first start, but he turned in a decent outing. Marcus Stokes was terrorized by the Tulane defense. He committed five turnovers by himself.
Washington at Purdue (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Is Washington really going to take the ball away from Elijah Brown when Demond Williams Jr. is healthy? Brown has been much better so far.
Appalachian State (-1.5) at Coastal Carolina: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Changing the quarterbacks worked for Appalachian State. Matt Hasselbeck's son Henry has wheels that Matt could only dream of.
(4) Ohio State (-3.5) at (5) Indiana: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
We were this close to not only busting the cover, but to getting that outright moneyline win. Ouch.
INDIANA WR NICK MARSH WAS OUT OF BOUNDS ON WIDE-OPEN TD ?
OHIO STATE WINS, 19-15 ? https://t.co/a4f5eDajLo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 17, 2026
Ohio State won, but ended up with a devastating loss. QB Julian Sayin will miss at least a month, with some reports saying that he could miss the rest of the season.
Florida at (7) Texas (-10.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
It happened again. Arch Manning had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game. This time he fumbled instead of throwing an interception.
This year it's even worse. Florida won in Austin with a backup quarterback making his first career start. This isn't all on Arch. Yeah, he needs to play better, especially with the game on the line, but Texas was sloppy for the entire game.
(16) Mississippi State at (22) LSU (-14.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
I came back and switched this after Kamario Taylor was ruled out. Mississippi State was dominated in every facet of this game without Taylor and Fluff Bothwell.
Virginia at (24) SMU (-9.5): MISS
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I knew that I didn't like that half. SMU is not a good team offensively right now. The defense is surprisingly solid.
(25) Northwestern (-7.5) at Michigan State: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
Michigan State converted only three of 12 third downs, and still led in the fourth quarter. The defense did a good job against the Northwestern offense.
Cincinnati at West Virginia (-1.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
It was a party in Morgantown. I think I'm going to smash the over in every West Virginia game going forward. Michael Hawkins Jr. threw for 464 yards in this one. That's the most for a QB in FBS this year. He's not just a runner after all!
Kansas at Kansas State (-4.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Kansas looked like they were going to reverse the curse in the first half, but the Kansas State defense buckled down after traitor Dylan Edwards scored in the third quarter for Kansas.
Pittsburgh (-6.5) at Boston College: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I didn't expect an outright win for Boston College, but that defense is getting after people. Mason McKenzie has turned out to be a dog at QB for Boston College. He's a lot of fun to watch.
Florida Atlantic at Army (-2.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Cale Hellums could not be stopped in this one.
Army QB Cale Hellums Week 7
? 25 CAR
? 195 YDS
? 5 RUSH TDArmy defeats Florida Atlantic 56-24 https://t.co/jInBvixWXq
— Rafters (@RaftersHQ) October 18, 2026
Ball State at Bowling Green (-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Keldric Luster is the Ball State offense. Against Bowling Green, that's enough.
Georgia State at James Madison (-11.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I really wish that Virginia Tech hadn't backed out on James Madison this year. That's likely going to keep a deserving Dukes team out of the CFP.
Rutgers at Maryland (-4.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
If Mike Locksley isn't fired after losing to Rutgers, he never will be.
Charlotte at Temple (-21.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Uh, I guess Charlotte isn't the worst FBS team. Conner Harrell led a massive second-half comeback in which Charlotte outscored Temple 31-17.
Massachusetts at Buffalo (-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
I knew better.
Western Michigan (-6.5) at Central Michigan: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Western Michigan is winning, but they are making everyone sweat it.
Auburn at (1) Georgia (-20.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was impressive defense by Auburn, and Byrum Brown made plays at critical times. I figured that Auburn would knock off at least one team that was heavily favored this year. I never thought it would be this one. Well done, Auburn.
That Auburn magic is back. This is the scene at Toomer's Corner tonight. https://t.co/Vguzpl28ML
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) October 17, 2026
(6) Alabama (-8.5) at (14) Tennessee: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was a seriously impressive outing by the Tennessee defense. The Vols did something that they couldn't do in 2025, even with Joey Aguilar. They beat a ranked team.
?This is the full Dixieland Delight that was played in Neyland after Tennessee beat Alabama ?
The Skycam feed had the stadium audio connected, so Dixieland Delight came in crystal clear as it was played for fans. It was slightly out of sync but I think I fixed it. https://t.co/WN5mTW6ERm
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) October 18, 2026
If they get the quarterback situation figured out, Tennessee could win the SEC. DeSean Bishop is an underrated back, and this defense is really good.
(13) Missouri at (9) Mississippi (-5.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was the best defensive game that Mississippi has played this year. Kewan Lacy completes the whole offense. Ole Miss is going to use him sparingly unless they really need him, but they will need him to make another CFP run.
Arizona State at (10) Texas Tech (-14.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
This is what I expected the Texas Tech offense to look like. This wasn't as close as the score indicated, and Tech still won by 28.
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech (-9.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Que'Sean Brown is becoming a star for the Hokies.
North Carolina at Duke (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
It was clear that Nate Sheppard wasn't at 100% in this one, but he still carried Duke. The guy needs some help. This is ridiculous.
Penn State at Michigan (-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Tommy Carr wasn't much better than Bryce Underwood. At least he didn't throw interceptions...
Northern Illinois at Wyoming (-7.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was the first time Wyoming has scored 40 points in a game in nearly two years. The last time was November 2, 2024, against New Mexico.
UNLV (-1.5) at Air Force: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
Air Force threw a whopping three passes in this one. It didn't matter because UNLV couldn't stop the option.
Toledo (-6.5) at Eastern Michigan: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
All may be right in the MAC once again. The SEC is already a disaster. We don't need that spreading to the MAC.
Akron at Miami (OH) (-9.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Since the Redhawks lost David McComb, they have been running the ball like a service academy.
Tulsa (-4.5) at Rice: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Baylor Hayes needed a get-right game.
Troy at Louisiana (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Goose Crowder got hurt on the second drive. It was all over from there.
Washington State at Oregon State (-17.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Washington State finally has their quarterback. Unfortunately for the Cougars, he's not Braden Atkinson. Atkinson leads FBS in passing, and true freshman Jesse Legree already has over 1,000 receiving yards.
JESSE LEGREE TOUCHDOWN OMG
HE’S UP TO 1,000+ YARDS ON THE SZN https://t.co/y4qR6j0t3e
— GUCCE (@gucceCU) October 17, 2026
Florida State at (3) Miami (FL) (-21.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Miami was bailed out by the officials again. It wasn't the last play. That was an interception. I'm talking about the previous play when Duce Robinson scored the touchdown. There is no way you can call that weak of a holding call with the game in the balance.
You're gonna call this holding??? https://t.co/QWag3NmnYl
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) October 18, 2026
Arkansas at Vanderbilt (-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
How in the world do you lose by double digits to Arkansas AT HOME?! The SEC tried to kick the wrong team out in August...
TCU at Baylor (-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Man, did TCU miss Jordan Dwyer. The Baylor offense was absolutely miserable.
Kent State at South Florida (-20.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
A two-run homer in the bottom of the first was all that Kent could muster.
Nevada at North Dakota State (-14.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I knew that half was going to get me. I teased the line to 14 in my bets.
Arkansas State (-6.5) at Southern Mississippi: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I'm a fan of Trey Owens. It was the Arkansas State defense that brought this one home.
(2) Notre Dame (-10.5) at (8) BYU: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was a big time win for the Cougars.
One of the strangest turnovers you’ll see all season ?
Notre Dame fumbles a spike while in chip shot field goal range. https://t.co/elTmOoJUdy
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 18, 2026
It was one of those games for Notre Dame, but they still had a chance to win this one. There were more clock issues, with the Big 12 saying there should have been one second left. Duh! We all saw it...
At some point, we need to assign officials as we do in bowl games. We need to get rid of conference-affiliated officials in non-conference games.
Wisconsin at (12) UCLA (-2.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
The thing is...I don't think Wisconsin played poorly. The UCLA defense is just that good.
(15) Kentucky at Oklahoma (-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I am so done with this team. It's the same errors by the same people on offense. Oklahoma won't even make a QB switch since the offensive line play has been so bad. At some point, that's on the OL coach.
Ben Arbuckle decided to stop running the ball. Oklahoma, with the lead, didn't hand the ball off to a running back in the last 12 minutes of the game. It's inexcusable that the same dumb things keep happening.
Brent Venables is wasting a really strong defense out of loyalty to his offensive coaches. It needs to stop. I refuse to let this team hurt me anymore. I'm pledging my allegiance to Oregon State. At least they're fun to watch...
(18) Oklahoma State at (20) Houston (-4.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This game was everything it should have been. Oklahoma State stormed back in the second half. Conner Weigman, the wily veteran, had a monster day. He should be in the Heisman conversation. If Weigman had a different name on the front of his jersey, he would be.
CONNER WEIGMAN JUST WENT OFF IN THE BIGGEST GAME HOUSTON HAS HOSTED IN A DECADE ?
24/33, 343 YDS, 5 TDS, 1 INT vs Oklahoma State
First top-20 matchup at TDECU since 2015. He threw 5 TDs and ran for the first down that iced it. https://t.co/TBaaza9BJs
— CFB Performances (@performancesCFB) October 18, 2026
Louisville (-14.5) at Syracuse: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Malachi Nelson is making a strong case that he should keep the starting QB job even when Steve Angeli and Amari Odom are healthy.
Navy at UTSA (-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Jackson Gutierrez can throw too. There goes the neighborhood.
Louisiana Tech (-15.5) at Louisiana-Monroe: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
ULM, come on down! You're the worst team in FBS. Well, maybe. They need to play Sacramento State just to make sure.
San Jose State (-7.5) at UTEP: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Viliame Teu could be a fun back to watch for the next couple of years. Maybe it's just the UTEP effect. Who knows?
Ohio (-15.5) at Sacramento State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I should have maxed this out. The Hornets don't belong at this level yet.
(11) Utah (-15.5) at Colorado: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
It is strange to see a Utah defense struggle. I don't care if this is a rivalry. It has been really one-sided since they got back into the same conference.
(21) Wake Forest (-9.5) at California: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
You think Cal wants back in the Pac-12 yet? Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele should have his job back, at least.
Fresno State (-7.5) at San Diego State: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I see we got the Fresno State team that played against USC and not the one that pushed Boise.
New Mexico (-14.5) at Hawaii: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
The New Mexico offense is so frustrating sometimes.
Nebraska at Oregon (-7.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Nebraska should have won the outright bet too. Oregon had an illegal formation on the game-winner. Big Ten refs, I tell you...
This should have been illegal formation on Oregon on the 4th down before the winning score.
Five players in the backfield. https://t.co/lny4boOOxS
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 18, 2026
I guess it makes up for the Kwazi Gilmer touchdown before halftime. His ass literally landed on the out-of-bounds line.
College Football Betting Season Results
27-32 was a hair better than last week, but it's still not good. I'm 178-210 on the season. I need a good second half. I don't want to check the points, either. I know I missed both max bets.
The weekly totals follow the bet. Season totals are in parentheses.
1. 0-2 (19-19) = 0
2. 11-11 (60-74) = -28
3. 12-13 (74-63) = 33
4. 4-4 (17-40) = -92
5. 0-2 (8-14) = -30
I lost 15 points this week thanks to both max bets. I don't have a good feeling about this week. Maybe this is where it turns around.
More College Football Analysis
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