College Football Week 8 Lines: Plenty of Movement This Week
7 Games See Significant Line Movement
Week 8 of the college football season sees a return to a number of line moves throughout the week. Some are due to injuries, while others are bettors who think the sportsbook has it wrong. But whatever the reason, there are a number of moves in the college football betting lines for NCAAF players to track. Here, we’ll look at some of the more significant college football Week 8 lines and movement.
SMU Mustangs at Temple Owls 
Day/Time:
Line: SMU -21
Total: 55.5
Streaming: ESPN
The SMU Mustangs opened as 14.5-point favorites at Temple, and the line has climbed to Mustangs -21. Temple was without quarterback E.J. Warner last week, and it showed in the team’s 45-14 loss to North Texas. He’s officially listed as questionable for Friday’s game, but the line movement suggests several people think he won’t play.
SMU is 4-2 on the season and 3-3 ATS, while Temple is 2-5 and 1-6 against the spread. SMU has a good offense and a pretty solid defense, while the Owls are below average offensively and somewhat weak on defense. Temple, which averages almost 270 passing yards per game, threw for just 105 yards last week.
With Warner’s status not completely settled, it’s a bit tough to take a stand until something concrete is known about his status. With SMU tied for first place in the American Athletic Conference’s NCAAF standings, you can expect a good effort from the Mustangs. But the line is definitely on the high side.
Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State Buckeyes 
Day/Time:
Line: Ohio State -4.5
Total: 45.5
Streaming: FOX
No. 7 Penn State visits No. 3 Ohio State in the best game of the day on Saturday. The Buckeyes opened as 7.5-point favorites, and now the line is down to 4.5. Penn State is 6-0 straight-up and against the spread. The Buckeyes are 6-0 and 3-2-1 against the college football lines. The Nittany Lions have the scoring differential edge. But the Buckeyes have played the more demanding schedule. Both NCAAF teams will see their strength of schedule ratings increase after this game.
Both teams are allowing fewer than 10 points a game. Penn State is a better rushing team, while Ohio State gets the nod in the passing game. It’s too hard to pass up 4.5 points on the college football Week 8 lines with a team that allows just 8.0 points per game, so we will have to side with Penn State in this one.
Army Black Knights at LSU Tigers 
Day/Time:
Line: LSU -32.5
Total: 59.5
Streaming: SEC Network
The LSU Tigers take a break from Southeast Conference play to host Army in a game that should be a mis NCAAF match. LSU opened as 28.5-point favorites, and now the line is up to 32.5. Army is just 2-4 straight-up this season, and the scores and odds show the Cadets 2-3-1 against the spread.
The LSU Tigers are 5-2 straight-up and 4-3 against the spread. The Tigers have gone 7-0 in totals, scoring 45.3 points per game and allowing 30.3 points. Army is scoring 24.2 points per game and allowing 20.5. However, LSU has played the No. 3 schedule in the country. Army has played the 104th-toughest slate.
Still, it’s hard to lay the points with the Tigers in this one. There’s something about blowing out one of the service academy teams that coaches don’t like to do. Army is 25-15-3 against the spread as an underdog of 21 or more points since 1980. The Cadets are 16-9-1 ATS since 2000 when, getting at least 21 points, and 4-1-1 ATS since 2010. Army plus the points is the play in this one.
Arizona State Sun Devils at Washington Huskies 
Day/Time:
Line: Washington -26
Total: 60
Streaming: FS1
The No. 5 Washington Huskies host the ASU Sun Devils, and the college football Week 8 lines have moved from UW -31.5 down to Huskies -26. You can’t blame those backing the Sun Devils. Washington is due for a letdown after the win against Oregon, and Arizona State isn’t that bad defensively. The Sun Devils leave a bit to be desired on the offensive side of things, but they won’t have to score much to stay with a reasonably generous spread.
The Huskies can run the ball, but they prefer to pass, and you can’t blame them. Michael Penix is that good. But a few red flags that pop up when looking at the Huskies this week, such as their 2-7 ATS record after playing Oregon. The Sun Devils have dominated this series from a point-spread standpoint, going 13-1-1 against the spread in the last 15 meetings. A bit of the value is gone with the line move, but the Sun Devils should be the right side in this game.
For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
