We’re now at the midway point of the regular season, and following a Week 7 that seemed to be the most stacked weekend of the year, Week 8 wastes no time throwing everyone back into the fire, because apparently, the sport has no interest in pacing itself when chaos can simply be scheduled. The weekend ahead reads like a trap disguised as opportunity, packed with ranked showdowns that could rewrite playoff hierarchies and expose every team that’s been pretending to have it all figured out. Friday night alone gives us fireworks as the second-ranked Miami Hurricanes face its first real scare against a dangerous Louisville squad whose coach is very well-known for taking down top-three giants, while Saturday delivers a buffet of national consequence that stretches from the Deep South to the Pacific desert. Ole Miss heads to Georgia in a top-ten showdown dripping with playoff implications, Tennessee and Alabama collide in their annual SEC identity crisis, and Georgia Tech’s unbeaten run faces a reality check at Duke. Even beyond the marquee matchups, upset alarms blare for LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech, because when October settles in, college football’s favorite tradition is ruining someone’s dream before Halloween. Let’s take a look at the key matchups for this weekend:

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Friday, October 17

Louisville @ #2 Miami (-13.5) (O/U: 49.5)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

7 pm, ESPN

Best Bet: Louisville +13.5

Prediction

Final Score: #2 Miami 31, Louisville 27

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Saturday, October 18

Washington @ Michigan (-6.5) (O/U: 50.5)

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI

Noon, FOX

Best Bet: Demond Williams o224.5 Passing Yards

Prediction

Final Score: Michigan 24, Washington 21

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#10 LSU @ #17 Vanderbilt (-2.5) (O/U: 48.5)

FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN

Noon, ABC

Best Bet: Under 48.5

Prediction

Final Score: #10 LSU 23, #17 Vanderbilt 17

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#12 Georgia Tech @ Duke (-1.5) (O/U: 60.5)

Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC

Noon, ESPN

Best Bet: Nate Sheppard o64.5 Rushing Yards

Prediction

Final Score: Duke 30, #12 Georgia Tech 24

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#14 Oklahoma (-5.5) @ South Carolina (O/U: 43.5)

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

12:45 pm, SEC Network

Best Bet: Isaiah Sategna o57.5 Receiving Yards

Prediction

Final Score: South Carolina 23, #14 Oklahoma 20

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#5 Ole Miss @ #9 Georgia (-2.5) (O/U: 54.5)

Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA

3:30 pm, ABC

Best Bet: Dae’Quan Wright o48.5 Receiving Yards

Prediction

Final Score: #9 Georgia 27, #5 Ole Miss 20

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#7 Texas Tech (-7.5) @ Arizona State (O/U: 52.5)

Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ

4 pm, FOX

Best Bet: Cameron Dickey Anytime TD

Prediction

Final Score: #7 Texas Tech 30, Arizona State 20

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#11 Tennessee @ #6 Alabama (-7.5) (O/U: 59.5)

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL

7:30 pm, ABC

Best Bet: Over 59.5

Prediction

Final Score: #6 Alabama 38, #11 Tennessee 31

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#20 USC @ #13 Notre Dame (-9.5) (O/U: 61.5)

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN

7:30 pm, NBC/Peacock

Best Bet: USC +9.5

Prediction

Final Score: #13 Notre Dame 34, #20 USC 28

—————————————————————————————————————————————

#23 Utah (-3.5) @ #15 BYU (O/U: 48.5)

LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT

8 pm, FOX

Best Bet: BYU ML

Prediction

Final Score: #15 BYU 27, #23 Utah 24

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Stay tuned this weekend for yet another stacked weekend of college football!