NCAA Football 2018 Week 8 picks

We'll see if we have another week like last week.  We rarely have two upset Saturdays in a row, so it should be a more stable week.

Thurs Oct 18
Stanford Cardinal at Arizona State Sun Devils:  Stanford may be every national analysts' favorite, but the Sun Devils just keep getting better each week.  I have to pick Herm Edwards to engineer an upset in this game.  ARIZONA STATE

Fri Oct 19
Colorado State Rams at Boise State Broncos:  Boise isn't dominating like they often do, but they are winning, and that's all that matters.  BOISE STATE

Air Force Falcons at UNLV Running Rebels:  UNLV is running for cover most weeks, as they have been struggling.  The Falcons aren't flying as high as they usually do, but they should have sharp enough claws to beat UNLV.  AIR FORCE

Sat Oct 20
Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Tennessee Volunteers:  The Vols just won their first conference game in eleven tries.  Unfortunately they won't get their second this week.  ALABAMA

#2 Ohio State Buckeyes at Purdue Boilermakers:  Purdue may have burned Illinois this week, but the Buckeyes defense is a lot tougher.  Ohio State will likely spot them ten point in the first quarter, but then it'll be Ohio State all the way.  OHIO STATE

#18 NC State Wolf Pack at #3 Clemson Tigers:  Both Clemson and NC State may have needed the bye week (anyone else wonder if this game was originally designed to be the Thursday night special?) to prepare for this one, as this will likely be their greatest test.  Both come in unbeaten, both have the toughest defenses in the conference.  The main difference?  Clemson has the better offense.  However, if the Wolf Pack defense can make things hard for them, since Clemson is used to having it fairly easy (except against Syracuse), that might cause an upset.  CLEMSON

#5 Michigan Wolverines at Michigan State Spartans:  This in-state rivalry can be intense, but this year it looks like Michigan should own it.  Yes, the Spartans shocked the Nittany Lions last week, but I'm not sure they can work that miracle two weeks in a row.  Besides, the Wolverines are pumped for this, as they've been fighting for Coach Harbaugh's job all year long.  Beating State is important, and beating Ohio State is crucial.  First step should be achieved.  MICHIGAN

#6 UCF Golden Knights at East Carolina Pirates:  The Knights should get a nice large margin of victory here, as East Carolina is having a tough season.  UCF

#8 Oklahoma Sooners at TCU Horned Frogs:  The Sooners took a bye during last week's series of upsets; not that TCU would have been that much of a threat.  Won't be this week, either.  OKLAHOMA

Maryland Terrapins at #9 Iowa Hawkeyes:  Maryland can be a dangerous team (just ask Texas), but Iowa is the strongest team that nobody is noticing.  Maybe they'll look more carefully after this game.  IOWA

#24 Mississippi State Bulldogs at #11 LSU Tigers:  After what LSU did to Georgia last week, I can't imagine the Bulldogs are looking forward to this game.  The Bulldogs have a good offense, but LSU will control this game.  LSU

#12 Oregon Ducks at Washington State Cougars:  On paper, these two teams are fairly evenly matched.  However, after a dynamic start the Cougars have been faltering.  Oregon started slowly but has gained speed.  If the Cougars sorted out their woes during their bye week, this could be a close game.  I'll wait and see.  OREGON

#13 Penn State Nittany Lions at Indiana Hoosiers:  The Hoosiers love big plays, but nobody shuts down big plays better than Penn State.  Since Indiana relies on them so much, they won't have much else to throw at the Lions.  PENN STATE

#16 Colorado Buffaloes at #25 Washington Huskies:  Washington wants a win to help ease the pain of the overtime loss to Oregon.  Colorado, on the other hand, wants to reverse their only loss of the season.  One of these teams will be disappointed.  This will be a close game, and those tend to be losers for Washington.  COLORADO

#17 Cincinnati Bearcats at Temple Owls:  The Owls have silently established a strong presence in the American Athletic Conference this season.  They could engineer an upset here.  However, I think the bye week gave Cincy time to heal and they'll be strong for this game.  CINCINNATI

Illinois Fighting Illini at #19 Wisconsin Badgers:  Illinois got their heads handed to them by Purdue last week.  Look for blowout #2.  WISCONSIN

#20 Fresno State Bulldogs at New Mexico Lobos:  New Mexico can surprise, but Fresno State has been a powerhouse this season.  Despite impressive offensive showings by Utah State, Fresno State may be the best team in the Mountain West.  FRESNO STATE

Vanderbilt Commodores at #22 Kentucky Wildcats:  Vandy is looking for their first SEC win of the season.  Keep looking, guys!  KENTUCKY

North Carolina Tar Heels at #23 Syracuse Orange:  Despite two conference losses, Syracuse is still a dangerous team.  Of course, with the struggles experienced by the Tar Heels this season, they wouldn't have to be in order to win this game.  SYRACUSE

Big Ten
Northwestern Wildcats at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Even the inconsistent Wildcats should have no trouble trouncing the struggling Knights.  OF course, I thought that about their game against Nebraska and they almost gave the Cornhuskers their first win of the season.  Still, I'll stick with the 'Cats.  NORTHWESTERN

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Nebraska Cornhuskers:  The Cornhuskers barely missing achieving their first win last week.  Will that inspire them, or deflate them?  Against Minnesota, I'm afraid they'll get deflated.  MINNESOTA

Other Games of Interest
Virginia Cavaliers at Duke Blue Devils:  The winner of this game represents the best challenge to Virginia Tech for the Coastal division title.  Virginia has been impressive recently, but Duke has been a player all season long.  That tenacity will be good for something.  DUKE

Utah State Aggies at Wyoming Cowboys:  Utah State is a real force of nature, sweeping over opponents.  Wyoming will be next.  UTAH STATE

Houston Cougars at Navy Midshipmen:  The American Athletic West division is so weak this season, being unbeaten on top is not a difficult task.  Thus, Houston may not be generating much attention.  Sinking the Navy squad, though, might help their Q rating.  HOUSTON

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at Appalachian State Mountaineers:  Let's just crown the Sun Belt champion right now, shall we?  With both the best offense AND the best defense in the conference, does anyone really stand a chance?  APPALACHIAN STATE

UConn Huskies at South Florida Bulls:  Who is playing even worse than East Carolina in the American Athletic Conference?  How about UConn.  Easy win for the Bulls.  SOUTH FLORIDA

North Texas Mean Green at UAB Blazers:  This game likely decides the Conference USA West division champ.  North Texas has an explosive offense, but UAB has a tough defense.  Defense usually betters offense, so I'm picking the upset.  UAB

USC Trojans at Utah Utes:  USC found some life recently, but Utah has a chance to firmly take second place in the South division with a win.  They will find a way to win this game, if only by a hair.  UTAH