College Football Predictions & Best Bets for Week 8

I lost both of my college gridiron bets last week by half a point. Gambling sucks. But I’m not quitting. For my college football predictions and best bets for Week 8, we’re off to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. Let’s hit the gridiron!

College Football Predictions & Best Bets for Week 8

Michigan State Spartans vs #9 UCLA Bruins

Start Time: 3:30 PM EST

The wheels have come off the Michigan State Spartans’ season. After starting the season off 2-0 (albeit against MAC opponents Toledo and Eastern Michigan), the Spartans have dropped five straight games. Will they ever win another?!

Maybe, but not this week; that’s for certain (I hope). Not much was expected from MSU this season, but with only five games left on their schedule, they may even struggle to reach the modest projections placed on them heading into this season (four or five wins).

And, as stated already, this isn’t the week to add to the win total. The UCLA Bruins are running the table this season, winning all six of their games thus far, rising from unranked to their current perch at #9 in the national polls. With a 60-year (!!) four-game win streak against Michigan State, look for UCLA to pound the ball on the ground and possibly run up the score.

Running the score up would be ideal for our bet. I’ve got the spread here as UCLA -21.5, so the Bruins on the official spread is my play.

Best Bet: UCLA -13.5 (-118)

Vanderbilt Commodores vs #12 Kentucky Wildcats

Start Time: 7:30 PM EST

The second game I’m zeroing in on this week will hopefully also be a blowout. We’ve got an SEC matchup between the sinking Vanderbilt Commodores (3-4, 0-4 SEC) and the surging Kentucky Wildcats (6-1, 4-1 SEC).

Heading into this season projected at 4.5 wins, the Wildcats already cashed the over on that bet by Week 6. With two wins over ranked opponents already (at #9 Texas A&M and vs #10 LSU), Kentucky is having a dream season under first-year head coach Will Stein, and has legitimate hopes for a College Football Playoff spot.

But the key to the Wildcats’ playoff push is avoiding overlooking the Commodores this week, which may be even more difficult with a bye week looming on the schedule. Plus, history is not on Kentucky’s side, as Vandy has won the two programs’ last two meetings. However, this is not a good Commodores team, as they’ve dropped four straight games (all in conference play) after winning their first three games against overmatched opponents.

I think Kentucky’s strong offense will eat on Saturday against Vanderbilt’s porous defense (115th in the nation in points allowed). After crunching the numbers, my line is Kentucky -20.5, so the Wildcats should cover at home and cash our bet.

Best Bet: Kentucky -10.5 (-112)

2025/6 College Football Overall Record: 6-8 (43%)
Profit (based on $100/bet): -($263.56)
Return on Investment: -19%