College Football Week 8 2021 Predictions

Week 7 gave College Football fans yet another big-time upset with then #2 Iowa getting beat by Purdue along with 6 Top-25 teams getting knocked off. On paper, Week 8 doesn’t seem all that eventful without a single ranked versus ranked matchup. However, there are several games flying under the radar that could produce more drama or at the very least entertainment in the 4th quarter.

Marquee Matchups

#8 Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State: A week after Oklahoma State beat Texas the chance of a letdown is in play facing a somewhat surprising 7-point favorite Cyclones. Iowa State has a way of losing a game or two they probably shouldn’t but then upending someone’s season. This game will likely come down to quarterback play which leans a tad bit towards the Cyclones QB Brock Purdy based mainly on experience in big games. Iowa State is due for a complete performance against a creditable squad whereas OKST has slithered by in most of their tough games. This might not be the most exciting game but it will be on the table for both in the last 5 minutes.

The Pick: Iowa State 23 Oklahoma State 20

#10 Oregon vs. UCLA: Oregon has been living on the edge in their last two outings having to go to overtime to beat a scrappy Stanford club and last week barely getting by Cal. UCLA (like the rest of the Pac-12) has been hit or miss as well making it a bit of a crapshoot to predict this outcome. The Ducks will look to increase their lead in the North division while the Bruins are chasing now 3-0 Utah in the South division of the conference. These two teams are equally matched with Oregon’s defense a little better and with no overwhelming fanbase for the Bruins I’ll side with the Ducks by a hair on the road.

The Pick: Oregon 31 UCLA 30  

Under The Radar 

#23 Pittsburgh vs. Clemson: It’s super strange seeing Clemson on the outside of the Top-25 but in truth that’s exactly where they belong. Since losing to Western Michigan, the Panthers are putting up lots of points & got a key win in Week 7 at Virginia Tech. It’s almost unbelievable that Clemson’s offense is this bad but it feels like the Tigers will breakout at some point. Clemson does have a distinct advantage on defense that said Pitt is averaging 28 more points a game on offense. Pitt’s QB Kenny Pickett is having an outstanding year throwing for 21 TD’s with only 1 pick. The good times keep rolling for the Panthers and the random down year for Clemson continues.

The Pick: Pittsburgh 27 Clemson 23

Saturday Upset Special 

Army protects home field in West Point in the process upsets #16 Wake Forest as a 3-point dog.

(Honorable Mention: Don’t be shocked if a struggling Clemson gets their stuff together on offense and beats Pitt as a 3-point road dog.)

Hardcore Barnburner

#25 Purdue vs. Wisconsin: Coming off a big win over Iowa can the Boilermakers stay grounded against a Badger team that’s dying for a much-needed victory.

#22 San Diego State vs. Air Force: This would’ve been my upset of the week but Las Vegas beat me to it favoring Air Force by 3-points. The best run offense versus the best run defense making for the perfect ingredients for a barnburner.

Against The Spread 

With Ole Miss QB Matt Carrol banged up and not a sure thing to start LSU could lose by less than 9-points.

Take it to the window

#18 N.C. State will beat a spiraling Miami team & cover as a 3-point favorite.

Quick Hits Recap

-Purdue’s upset of #2 Iowa was the Boilermakers first road win over at Top-10 team since 1974.

-Purdue WR David Bell had 240 receiving yards good for 2nd most in school history in the victory over the Hawkeyes.

-LSU RB Tyrion Davis-Price had 36 carries for 287 rushing yards & 3 TD’s breaking Leonard Fornette’s single game LSU record in a 48-41 win over #10 Florida.

-Oklahoma State’s 32-24 victory over Texas gives the Cowboys their first 6-0 start since 2015. Also, OKST moves to 6-1 at Texas over the last 11 years.

-The Texas Longhorns got outscored 41-7 in the 4th quarter over the last 2 games.

-Ole Miss got their first win at Tennessee dating back to 1983. Heisman Candidate Matt Corral threw for 2 TD’s and carried the ball 30 times for 195 rushing yards.

-UCONN’s losing streak lasting 722 days is over with a 21-15 victory over Yale.

Written by Chris Carlson Host of The College Ball Show Podcast available at blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio & Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio