Week 8's afternoon slate features a major SEC clash, as No. 5 Mississippi visits Athens to face ninth-ranked Georgia, while No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Texas A&M, and No. 7 Texas Tech are all also in action.
We've got a best bet for each of those games, plus a few other matchups in the late-afternoon time slot — see below for our college football picks and analysis.
College football best bets for Week 8 afternoon games
| Game | Time (ET) Network |
Best bet |
|---|---|---|
 vs  |
3:00 | ESPN+ | +6 -110 |
 vs  |
3:30 | ABC | first to 10 +140 |
 vs  |
3:30 | CBS | TT u7.5 -154 |
 vs  |
3:30 | ESPN | Reed TD -160 |
 vs  |
3:30 | ESPNU | +2.5 -115 |
 vs  |
3:30 | BTN | +4 -110 |
 vs  |
4:00 | FOX | -7.5 -102 |
CFB Week 8 preview with Andrew Caley and Douglas Farmer
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Troy vs ULM best bet
ULM +6 (-110 at FanDuel)
This is more of a fade of Troy, which goes from winning back-to-back games as an underdog and catching opponents by surprise... to laying points, on the road, against a desperate ULM side.
See more picks and our college football Week 8 breakdown on the Covers YouTube channel.
Mississippi vs Georgia best bet
Mississippi first to score 10 points (+140 at FanDuel)
The Bulldogs have given up 62 first-half points in their last four games (and just 24 in the second halves, including a garbage-time touchdown to Kentucky). Lane Kiffin must be salivating — trust the savvy playcaller to have a strong opening script ready.
See our full analysis and Rebels/Bulldogs SGP in our Mississippi vs. Georgia predictions.
Ohio State vs Wisconsin best bet
Wisconsin team total Under 7.5 (-154 at FanDuel)
Ohio State has the best defense in the country, and the Badgers rank 131st in scoring at 15.5 points per game. That number is skewed by scoring 42 points against Middle Tennessee State; in their other five games, they averaged just 10.2 ppg, including getting shut out last week by Iowa.
See our full analysis and Buckeyes/Badgers SGP in our Ohio State vs. Wisconsin predictions.
Texas A&M vs Arkansas best bet
Marcel Reed anytime touchdown (-160 at FanDuel)
Reed’s designed run usage has climbed steadily over the past few weeks, particularly in redzone situations. The combination of his rushing volume, Arkansas’ inability to contain the ground game, and their overall lack of physicality gives this play a clear edge.
See our full analysis and Aggies/Razorbacks SGP in our Texas A&M vs. Arkansas predictions.
Old Dominion vs James Madison best bet
Old Dominion +2.5 (-115 at FanDuel)
Old Dominion's yards per play margin is 1.5 yards better than James Madison's, plus it has played a much tougher schedule.
See more early college football Week 7 picks from the Covers YouTube channel.
Purdue vs Northwestern best bet
Purdue +4 (-110 at FanDuel)
Purdue outgained Minnesota by 200 yards last week but lost (due to a few non-offensive turnovers), while we're fading Northwestern, who will be coming down off a big win over Penn State.
See more early college football Week 7 picks from the Covers YouTube channel.
Texas Tech vs Arizona State best bet
Texas Tech -7.5 (-102 at FanDuel)
The Red Raiders’ defense is too good. At worst, it is a Top-20 unit. Opponent-adjusted EPA numbers argue it may be the best defense in the country, and the idea of these defensive ends chasing Leavitt, if anything less than 100%, should be enough to encourage you to buy on Texas Tech.
See our full analysis and Red Raiders/Sun Devils SGP in our Texas Tech vs. Arizona State predictions.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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