College football week 8 betting preview: Top players to watch and ranked spread picks

Week 8 arrives with no shortage of college football betting action, from early-week Sun Belt and CUSA matchups to the loaded Saturday slate, which means we're back with another look at the most notable angles from Saturday's slate.

Last week was an insane weekend of college football, with four top-ranked teams falling, and our model correctly identifying all of them as unlikely to cover the spread.

In our Week 7 betting preview, we also found a +1500 3-TD winner on Texas State's Brad Jackson, and touchdown value on Indiana WR Nick Marsh backed by an early-week edge highlighted by our model.

That's where Dimers Pro comes in, utilizing our full suite of college football prediction tools to leave no angle uncovered in Week 8.

Dimers' spread picks for ranked games in Week 8

These are the Dimers model's cover probabilities for the favorite in every Week 8 game involving a ranked team.

Indiana and Tennessee have the lowest probability to cover out of all ranked teams, while both USC and LSU have over a 55% probability to cover their spreads.

No. 1 Miami -20.5 vs. Pittsburgh (48.5%)

No. 2 BYU -8.5 @ UCF (42.1%)

No. 6 Indiana -9.5 @ Michigan (40.1%)

No. 8 Texas Tech -11.5 @ Cincinnati (42.4%)

No. 10 Utah -6.5 vs. No. 14 Houston (48.2%)

No. 11 Tennessee -1.5 @ South Carolina (40.8%)

No. 12 Kentucky -10.5 vs. Vanderbilt (53.4%)

No. 13 Alabama -15.5 vs. Texas A&M (47.4%)

No. 15 Iowa -7 @ Minnesota (50.6%)

No. 16 USC -1.5 @ Wisconsin (55.2%)

No. 18 LSU -6.5 @ Auburn (55.2%)

No. 19 Texas -3 vs. No. 7 Ole Miss (53.3%)

No. 21 Boise State -16.5 @ Washington State (46.1%)

No. 23 SMU -19.5 vs. California (50.0%)

No. 24 Northwestern -16.5 vs. Rutgers (49.9%)

No. 25 Arizona -9.5 vs. Iowa State (53.0%)

Best college football games to watch in Week 8

There's a lot at stake this week, even with just two games between ranked squads. Several teams sit with two losses and in danger of missing the playoff if they drop another.

No. 19 Texas vs. No. 7 Ole Miss

Texas has lost back-to-back games by the same 27-24 score, first to Oklahoma and then to Florida, and its season can’t take a third loss.

The Longhorns did beat Ohio State in September, but this looks like a different team lately, and they host Ole Miss as a 3-point favorite, one of the shortest spreads on any ranked favorite this week.

Dimers gives Texas a 59.9% chance to win and projects a 28-25 final. The model’s lean is Texas -3, which covers in 53.3% of simulations.

No. 18 LSU @ Auburn

Unranked Auburn is coming off the biggest win of its season, a 27-24 upset that handed No. 1 Georgia its first loss on a walk-off field goal, and will look to do the same in LSU vs. Auburn.

LSU arrives at 5-2 after shutting out Mississippi State 31-0, with Sam Leavitt throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns.

Another loss would all but end LSU’s playoff hopes, however our model likes the Tigers at 72.5% to win, projects a 29-22 final, and has LSU -6.5 covering in 55.2% of simulations.

No. 10 Utah vs. No. 14 Houston

Outside of Texas-Ole Miss, Utah vs. Houston is the week’s only matchup between two ranked teams.

Utah is 6-0 after beating Colorado 27-24, and its defense allows just 14.8 points per game. Houston (6-1) has won four straight and is trying to avoid a second loss.

Conner Weigman has thrown 20 touchdowns against only two interceptions on an offense averaging 39.3 points per game. Dimers has Utah winning 67.4% of the time with a projected 31-25 final, but Houston +6.5 is the side to watch, covering in 51.8% of simulations.

Top college football players to watch in Week 8

These are players who need to be on your radar this weekend, whether for player prop betting or keeping tabs on the Heisman race:

RB Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss)

Lacy didn’t score last week for the first time this season, but it was still his best rushing day of the year: 16 carries for 122 yards.

He has five rushing touchdowns in five games and averages 70.4 yards per game. and this week, Dimers’ model has an edge on him clearing 58.5 rushing yards (64.1%, 10.9% edge), scoring a touchdown (58.3% at +105) and scoring 2+ touchdowns (18.2% at +600).

With Ole Miss a 3-point underdog at Texas in one of the week’s biggest games, we expect Lacy to get the ball early and often as they look to dictate the pace of the game.

WR Malachi Toney (Miami)

Toney has slipped in the Heisman race to +2800 on bet365, but he’s still one of the best WR in the nation.

He ranks third nationally in receptions, fourth in receiving yards and fifth in receiving touchdowns, and he’s coming off 11 catches for 154 yards and two scores against Florida State.

Miami is the biggest favorite of any ranked team this week at -20.5 against Pittsburgh, and Dimers’ model projects Toney to go over both 7.5 receptions (67.9%) and 103.5 receiving yards (62.9%), with over a 9% edge on each.

WR Charlie Becker (Indiana)

Becker leads Indiana in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, and he already has three multi-touchdown games this season.

He just had 9 catches for 165 yards against Ohio State, and while Michigan has one of the nation’s best pass defenses, the Dimers model still has an edge on him to clear 77.5 receiving yards (75.8%) and to score (52.5% at +112).

The yardage line carries our "Caution" signal for edges above our usual range, so the anytime touchdown at plus money with a tighter edge may be the market to stick with.

Dimers' Sweet Spots to look for in Week 8

The "Sweet Spot" is a Dimers Pro feature that identifies the specific betting markets and edge ranges where our model is returning a positive profit over the course of the season.

Across game lines and props, these markets below are where we are seeing the biggest returns so far this season.

What stands out the most is that every market with a positive ROI is landing in an edge range of at least 5%, with the majority and both of our most profitable markets overall with at least a 10% edge.

We've said it before, but that really drives home that when we most disagree with the books, we're also the most right.

College Football National Championship update: Who will win it all?

After 7 weeks of college football, the Dimers model has a new favorite to win the National Championship, Ohio State at 20.0%, up from 12.8% two weeks ago. At +500, the Buckeyes now carry a 3.3% edge over the market.

The headline this week is that three other contenders in the top five lost on Saturday, Georgia, Notre Dame and Indiana, Miami needed overtime to stay unbeaten, and Ohio State won the only top-five head-to-head matchup, against Indiana.

Here’s how the top five stack up after Week 7 according to Dimers’ National Championship Predictions.

Fair odds are what each team’s price should be based on its Dimers probability; when the best available odds are longer than fair odds, there’s value.

Ohio State (20.0%, +500)

The Buckeyes ended Indiana’s 22-game winning streak with a 19-15 win in Bloomington. Ohio State moved up to No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 1 in our model, and their previously negative edge has flipped to positive. 

Georgia (17.5%, +500)

The No. 1 Bulldogs lost their first game, 27-24 to Auburn and the Bulldogs fell to No. 5 and dropped from 21.0% to 17.5%. At +500, they are essentially fair odds.

Notre Dame (13.2%, +460)

The No. 2 Irish lost 28-24 at No. 8 BYU, where Bear Bachmeier accounted for three touchdowns. Notre Dame slipped only to No. 4 in the AP poll, while the model actually raised the Irish from 11.8% to 13.2%. At +460, though, the market is still well ahead of +658 fair odds, which leaves a -4.7% edge, the worst in the top five.

Miami (FL) (12.5%, +625)

The Hurricanes are the last unbeaten team in this group after a 43-35 overtime win over Florida State. Darian Mensah threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, and Malachi Toney caught 11 passes for 154 yards and two scores. Miami is now No. 1 in the AP poll and rose from 11.0% to 12.5%, but the price shortened from +750 to +625, leaving a -1.3% edge.

Indiana (12.1%, +1100)

The loss to Ohio State knocked Indiana from 15.6% to 12.1%, but the market didn’t move, giving the Hoosiers a +3.8% edge, which is still the biggest on the board even after their first loss.

Bet on college football in 2026 with Dimers Pro

Every single player, team and betting insight in this article comes straight from Dimers Pro, your go-to resource for the college football season.

You can find picks, props and predictions for every single college football game this season via Dimers' college football predictions.

Dimers Pro subscribers can also access recommended bets, edge ratings, Signals, and the best available prices throughout the season with a Dimers Pro football season pass, giving complete access to both college football and NFL, as well as all in-season sports during that time.