College Football Week 8 Look-Ahead Lines: Georgia vs. Texas, Alabama vs. Tennessee

Written By Road to CFB | Last Updated October 11, 2024

college football look-ahead lines week 8

Don’t look now, but the college football season is growing long in the tooth. Week 8 offers another dense slate of blockbuster games with heavy College Football Playoff odds implications. Top college football betting apps already offer look-ahead lines. The biggest games of Week 8 include No. 5 Georgia at No. 1 Texas, No. 7 Alabama at No. 8 Tennessee, and Nebraska at No. 18 Indiana. However, with a marquee Week 7 on tap, expect these odds (and rankings!) to change in a big way. Looking to get ahead of the market? This would be a great time to take advantage of the look-ahead lines.

Other games of interest include No. 6 Miami (FL) at Louisville, No. 24 Michigan at No. 23 Illinois, and No. 13 LSU at Arkansas. Let’s dive into the full slate of advanced odds for Week 8.

College Football Week 8 Look-Ahead Lines

Here are the best available opening odds across several betting apps.

Nebraska at No. 18 Indiana, Saturday (12:00 p.m., FOX)

How about those Indiana Hoosiers?! Curt Cignetti immediately instilled a brand new culture in Bloomington, propelling Indiana to a 6-0 start. Nebraska’s offense stalled after the first couple of weekends, but the Huskers sit at 5-1. Both teams are on bye in Week 7, so most movement from here on out is purely market-driven. This game turned into one of the more exciting of the weekend despite it not being apparent before the season started. QB Kurtis Rourke has quietly seen his Heisman odds drop in the first half of the season – while still a longshot, this national game could have big implications on his future outlook.

Opening odds: Indiana -3.5, O/U 50.5

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No. 6 Miami (FL) at Louisville, Saturday (12:00 p.m. ET, ABC)

Miami enters this game with a rest advantage, sitting on a bye in Week 7. Meanwhile, Louisville looks to rebound against a frisky 4-1 Virginia, coming off a loss to SMU that dropped the Cards out of the AP Top 25. Another national game for QB Cam Ward likely only helps his Heisman campaign–where he currently leads all QBs–barring a disastrous game. Louisville’s defense hasn’t lived up to the preseason expectations yet, allowing more than 30 points in each of their last two outings (at Notre Dame and vs. SMU). However, Miami is 0-2 against the closing spread in ACC play, needing late-game heroics to beat Virginia Tech and Cal.

Opening odds: Miami -3.5, O/U 59.5

South Carolina vs. No. 18 Oklahoma, Saturday (12:00 OR 12:45 p.m. ET, ESPN or SEC Network)

South Carolina visits the state of Oklahoma for the first time since 1948. This is the third of a difficult three-game stretch for the Gamecocks, which includes Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma, in between bye weeks. Both teams’ results will send this line moving significantly. The Sooners take on No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry, while South Carolina visits the Crimson Tide. Wins here send this game to ESPN while losses relegate it to SEC Network. Watch for the availability of OU’s wide receiver room; for the second straight game, the Sooners will be without their top five receivers.

Opening odds: Oklahoma -5.5, O/U 44.5

No. 24 Michigan at No. 23 Illinois, Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Michigan sits on bye in Week 7 while Illinois hosts a reeling Purdue team. Barring a real surprise from the Illini–Purdue has a Big Ten MOV of -64 through two games–this line likely won’t move much without market influence. In their last meeting (2022), Illinois took Michigan to the brink, nearly knocking them out of the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines prevailed late, 19-17, in Ann Arbor. Illinois is 4-2 ATS in its last six games against Michigan.

Opening odds: Michigan -2, O/U 40.5

No. 11 Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech, Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

This game is technically a neutral-site one as Georgia Tech upholds its agreement to play a game a year at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. However, it is still played in the city of Atlanta. These two have only played five matchups since 2006. Notre Dame plays a rivalry game against Stanford in Week 7, while Georgia Tech plays at North Carolina. Though the Irish are -23.5 favorites and the Jackets are -4.5 road favorites, these games offer high-variance outcomes. Watch for this line to move at re-open Sunday.

Notre Dame is also suffering from a rash of injuries to starters. Several starters on the offensive and defensive lines are out a handful for the season.

Opening odds: Notre Dame -6.5, O/U 50.5

No. 7 Alabama at No. 8 Tennessee, Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

It is, indeed, the Third Saturday In October. Alabama has dominated this series, winning 16 of the last 17 editions. The last time at Neyland, though? Hendon Hooker led the Vols (+9) to a huge upset win, prompting a field storming, subsequent field goal post teardown, and those posts sunk to the bottom of the Cumberland River. This is Kalen DeBoer’s first rivalry match against Tennessee. Last year, Jalen Milroe led Alabama (-9) to a 34-20 win in Tuscaloosa. Before getting to this one, Tennessee will play Florida in Knoxville while Alabama hosted South Carolina. The Vols are on a 13-4 ATS run at Neyland and are -14 favorites over the Gators in Week 7.

Opening odds: Alabama -1.5, O/U 57.5

USC at Maryland, Saturday (4:00 p.m. ET, FS1)

A true coast-to-coast matchup here and the first-ever meeting between USC and Maryland. Heading into Week 7, Big Ten teams traveling two-plus time zones are 1-8 straight up, including USC being 0-1 in such instances (lost at Minnesota in Week 7). The Trojans host Penn State, while Maryland hosts Northwestern. Expect the former of the two matchups to be one that moves this line at re-open, as the Terps are -11 favorites on Friday night.

USC is notably down its best defenders, LB Eric Gentry (injury, missed the last two games) and DT Bear Alexander (redshirted, will transfer this winter).

Opening odds: USC -5.5, O/U 55.5

Colorado at Arizona Saturday (4:00 p.m. ET, FOX)

Last year, this Pac-12 matchup came down to a last-second field goal; Arizona won 34-31. The Wildcats are 9-3 in the last 12 meetings with Colorado. In Week 7, both teams had pivotal matchups: Arizona played at ranked BYU, while Colorado hosted ranked Kansas State. Given K-State’s poor road performances the last couple of years, Colorado is very likely to win outright. Watch for an overcorrection to either Week 7 result, especially if Arizona loses and Colorado wins. Arizona sits 3-2 with a win at Utah (losses to Texas Tech and Kansas State, a combined 9-2 on the season).

Opening odds: Arizona -3.5, O/U 58.5

No. 13 LSU at Arkansas, Saturday (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)

The Battle For The Golden Boot! While LSU is 3-1 in the last four meetings, all four were decided by exactly three points each. The last time in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was without its starting QB, and the turf froze over before starting. That led to a clunky 13-10 finish and a push (LSU was favored -3). Luckily for the Hogs, they rest on bye following a huge upset win over Tennessee in Week 6. LSU (+3.5) hosts Ole Miss in one of the biggest matchups of Week 7 – advantage Arkansas. Watch for that game to shape this line and move it, barring LSU playing exactly to expectation.

Opening odds: LSU -6.5, O/U 60.5

No. 5 Georgia at No. 1 Texas, Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

One of the biggest matchups of the year. Appointment television and the second blockbuster for Texas in a row.

Find a full assessment of Georgia at Texas opening odds here.

UCF at No. 11 Iowa State, Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX or FS1)

This is the first-ever meeting for two fanbases that have been at each other’s throats online for the last two years. Iowa State started the year 5-0 (2-0 in Big 12 play) with a win over Iowa. However, the Cyclones face just their second challenge of the year, on the road at West Virginia. UCF looks to stop the bleeding of two consecutive losses, both as favorites, against a familiar foe in Cincinnati. The Bearcats come off a bye in that game. Expect this line to shift at re-open depending on both teams’ Week 7 outcomes.