Spread Options: Dr. Saturday's Week 8 picks against the spread
Keep picking against us, keep winning money. This is simply a service to tell you what games to pick — assuming you pick against us. Overall record: 27-41-2
Marshall (-2.5) at Middle Tennessee State, 7 p.m. ET FRIDAY: Middle Tennessee still doesn’t have quarterback Brent Stockstill and Marshall is on a four-game win streak after losing to North Carolina State. The Thundering Herd are the only one-loss team in Conference USA and can potentially be all alone at the top of the East Division with a win Friday night.
Iowa State at Texas Tech (-7), Noon ET: What’s this line if Tech holds on to beat West Virginia? Last year’s game vs. Iowa State provided a massive embarrassment as ISU won 66-10 in Ames. Iowa State is playing very well but Tech’s homefield advantage should prevail. If ISU wins, it’ll be a win away from bowl eligibility with a massive game against TCU looming in Week 9.
Idaho at Missouri (OVER 63), Noon ET: If we got 10 of our friends and had a week to game plan an offense and practice we may be able to score against the Missouri defense. That’s an exaggeration, but the Tigers have given up 30 or more points in each game this season. The offense has shown flashes too and excels against teams that aren’t in the SEC.
Arizona State at Utah (UNDER 57), 3:30 p.m. ET: Arizona State’s defense was on a streak of allowing 30 or more points until the surprise win against Washington last week. Will that give the Sun Devils defense some confidence? Utah should keep Arizona State in check, so if Arizona State has actually turned a corner this could be low-scoring.
Tennessee (+36) at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET: Why the heck not, right? Alabama can’t beat Tennessee by more than five touchdowns and extra points. Right? Right? Right? We have no other analysis than that because this would be one of the biggest upsets in recent college football memory if Tennessee won.
Syracuse (+17) at Miami, 3:30 p.m. ET: This feels dangerous because Syracuse could be in for a letdown after beating Clemson in Week 7. But we think Syracuse hangs with Miami enough that it’s not a total blowout. Hurricanes win, but Syracuse keeps it fairly close.
Oregon at UCLA (-7), 4 p.m. ET: Oregon is coming off a blowout loss to Stanford while UCLA lost to an Arizona team that suddenly looks explosive with QB Khalil Tate running around opposing defenses. UCLA is getting a nice home boost with this line and the Bruins prevail thanks to QB Josh Rosen’s big game.
South Florida at Tulane (+11.5), 7 p.m. ET: Could Tulane win this outright? Don’t be entirely surprised. South Florida is on a roll, winning its last three games by more than 30 points. But the Bulls have only had one dedicated week to prepare for the option. And Tulane might have been looking ahead last week in an inexplicable 13-point loss to Florida International.
USC (+3.5) at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m ET: Sam Darnold has to stop turning the ball over at some point, right? The USC QB’s Heisman hopes are all but dashed thanks to his turnover tendencies in 2017, but a big game against the Irish could save USC’s College Football Playoff hopes.
Fresno State at San Diego State (-7.5), 10:30 p.m. ET: Fresno State is on a three-game win streak and drubbed New Mexico 38-0 last week. Meanwhile, San Diego State is coming off a loss to Boise State. We’re still taking the Aztecs for reasons we can’t explain. So you should probably pick Fresno State.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
