Dantabase College Football Week 8 Weekday Games Preview & Top 25 Recap
The College Football Experience with Pick Dundee (@TheColbyD) and Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network continues its college football Week 8 weekday picks, plus a Dantabase Top 25 that keeps UCLA at number one for a second straight week.
Is Sark the first of the big names to go? Can App State ruin JMU’s season again as a 10.5-point home dog? Does Kennesaw State make it four straight over Liberty? Is ECU still Memphis’ kryptonite? Who wins the Army Tulsa battle? We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.
Hot Seats, Foxholes And Neutral-Site Debates
The Land Down Under opens on the hot seat, and it gets spicy fast. Colby Dant asked who gets fired or retires first among Steve Sarkisian, Brent Venables and Deion Sanders. Both hosts put Sark first. Ryan McIntyre slotted Venables second because Oklahoma just lost to Kentucky at home and blew a three-score lead. But Venables just got an extension and made the playoff last year. So the other ballot read Sark, Deion, Venables. Then the best foxhole spot of Week 8 landed on Texas as the number one answer. There was also the open question of whether benching Arch buys the Horns a one-game bump against Ole Miss.
The neutral-site game of who’s better right now is where the Big 12 loyalty showed up. Ryan McIntyre took Texas Tech over SMU and Utah over Tennessee in a hypothetical Dallas game. He also took Kansas over Illinois, which earned him the Big 12 Mac nickname for the night. Then he called the Big 12 the second-best league in America behind the SEC. The other chair leaned Tennessee in that Utah spot, although both agreed on Wake Forest over USC. So when the question turned to the game they want to see most, the split was predictable. Ole Miss at Texas won on one side because of the drama around the Horns. North Dakota State at New Mexico won on the other.
The Big 12 title game picks split too. Ryan McIntyre sees a Holy War rematch between Utah and BYU. The counter was Texas Tech and Houston, a rematch of a game Houston lost by two points in Lubbock. On the biggest disappointment list, Texas came out on top, followed by Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Michigan and Penn State got a pass because both have first-year head coaches. Then Urban Meyer’s NIL comments got a full airing. Meyer admitted he thought the rich would get richer, and instead he sees parity. The guys say they called that on this show, since letting everybody pay means backups go start somewhere else. Finally, the upset board had Auburn over LSU at the top of one ballot.
The Dantabase Top 25 Keeps UCLA At Number One
The Dantabase Top 25 is a resume ranking that tries to remove the eye test, and that drives some strange-looking spots. UCLA stays at number one for a second straight week, with BYU second. Ryan McIntyre agreed with that order because UCLA has done more on the road. Miami sits third, and the win at Wake keeps aging nicely. Texas Tech is fourth, then Utah at fifth as an undefeated team with a soft schedule. Ohio State comes in sixth. The Buckeyes also own great road wins at Iowa and Indiana, but the loss to Texas keeps looking worse.
Wake Forest at eight is the ranking worth arguing about. The Deacons have four road wins over Power Five opponents, the most in college football. Kentucky still lands one spot ahead at seven, because its SEC road environments have been tougher. Ryan McIntyre backed that call but said the margin is very thin. JMU checks in at ten as the lowest-ranked undefeated team, and he says the Dukes belong in the top ten because they haven’t lost. Georgia took the biggest fall, from second to fifteenth, after losing to Auburn as a three-touchdown favorite. Further down, Ole Miss sits at eighteen because of a blowout loss to Florida, one spot behind Northwestern.
The back half of the ranking rewards resumes over reputations. Oregon State moved past Liberty into the twenty-five spot after Liberty’s bye week, and USC holds at twenty-four. North Dakota State is twenty-third because it has dominated everyone except UNLV, a one-score loss where it had the yardage edge. New Mexico sits one spot higher, and Ryan McIntyre agreed the Lobos belong ahead. Their only loss came with a backup quarterback at Oklahoma, by one score. Then come SMU at twenty and Alabama at twenty-one after two straight losses. Boise State is nineteenth, and the Oregon loss now looks better for the Broncos.
College Football Week 8 Picks For Tuesday And Wednesday
The weekday card opens Tuesday with Missouri State at Delaware, two 2-4 teams trying to inch toward a bowl. Quarterback Minucci is listed questionable, and there were reports he could be out for the year. Colby Dant still took Delaware, though he admitted laying more than a field goal is rough. Ryan McIntyre went further and locked the Blue Hens. His case starts with the backup, who led 30 points at Middle Tennessee and now gets a first home start. Missouri State is also coming off a close win over Kennesaw State. That makes it a great fade spot, so Delaware is the pick.
Middle Tennessee at FIU produced the first battle of the night. FIU is laying nine and a half after beating the Blue Raiders 56-30 last year. Colby Dant grabbed Middle plus 10 and said the rain in the forecast helps the points. But Middle is 0-3 on the road, and Ryan McIntyre locked FIU. He likes Willie Simmons and this defense after FIU went toe-to-toe with Jacksonville State last week. Troy also brought a prop on JJ Cole rushing yards over 10 at plus 104. The quarterbacks who ran on Middle back it up, including Isaiah Marshall for 110 and Creel for 119.
South Alabama at Marshall closes Tuesday, and the forecast calls for 39 degrees at night. South Alabama is favored by three and a half. The guys are taking Marshall, and Ryan McIntyre calls it a foxhole spot off the bye week. Marshall trailed Coastal Carolina 27-0 after three quarters, then scored 21 unanswered and nearly came all the way back. So he thinks the Herd win this one outright. Gibby also said he will play the quarterback who throws it to his own team, which got a laugh. Marshall plus the points is the play, with the moneyline in play too.
Wednesday brings New Mexico State to the Bear Claw, and the Aggies are somehow a road favorite. Ryan McIntyre called Sam Houston the best play on the board. New Mexico State won this matchup by 27 last year, but this one is back at the Bear Claw. Colby Dant went double lock on Sam Houston State. Message boards were talking about Longo getting fired, and the pick is that he flushes those hopes with a dominating performance. Both hosts wanted to know who New Mexico State is to lay points on the road. So take the home dog and ride the Bearkats.
Thursday Night Dogs From Boone To Memphis
Thursday is the marquee night. The guys will be at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone for JMU at App State, and you’re invited. App is catching 10 and a half at home, and the forecast says 40s with no precipitation. Colby Dant is all over App plus the points and thinks the moneyline is live. The history is the reason. JMU once stormed back from down 28-7 at Kidd Brewer to wreck App’s season. App has also ruined Cignetti’s season and Chesney’s season. Ryan McIntyre figures Napier is next and named App State his best weekday play. It’s a double lock on App, moneyline included.
Liberty at Kennesaw State follows the same script. Kennesaw catches 10 and a half at home and has won three straight against the Flames. Back in 2024 the Owls were 2-10 and still knocked off an eight-win Liberty team, then stormed the field. Kennesaw has also dropped five straight, but one was a home loss to Jacksonville State after leading by nine late. Colby Dant double locked the Owls at plus the points. Ryan McIntyre went bigger with an App State and Kennesaw home dog moneyline parlay. He priced that ticket at 63 to 1, and it backs two rivalry-history angles at once.
East Carolina at Memphis rounds out Thursday with Memphis laying 10 and a half. The Pirates have won 10 of the last 12 meetings outright, including three in a row. Ryan McIntyre calls it a foxhole game after ECU choked one away on the road, and he says it is too many points. Colby Dant admits this is the one he is most nervous about because the other two dogs are at home. But the Memphis defense is aggressive and gives up big plays. That kind of defense keeps a 10 and a half point dog in the game. All three Thursday dogs sat around plus 330 on the moneyline.
Friday Night Picks From Charlottesville To The Farm
Friday opens with Duke at Virginia, a rivalry that goes back to 1890, and Virginia laying one and a half. Colby Dant thinks Duke is the more complete football team. But Duke threw everything it had at North Carolina to win that game, and this pick is all about the spot. Ryan McIntyre added the ACC title rematch angle and took the Wahoos too. So both hosts lay the one and a half with Virginia. Then UMass visits UConn in a series that goes back to 1897. Jason Candle’s UConn is laying 14 and a half, and UMass is plus 475 on the moneyline.
Colby Dant took the UMass moneyline along with the 14 and a half, and the guys double locked the Minutemen. Pop Johnson is questionable, and Ryan McIntyre thinks UMass wins outright if he plays. The Minutemen have lost three in a row, which makes it a foxhole spot against a big favorite. Army at Tulsa is the second battle of the night. Ryan McIntyre is on Army for revenge, because the Black Knights blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead in last year’s game. Colby Dant sides with Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane beat Rice by 21 last week, and Army is their third straight option opponent.
Air Force at Wyoming has first place on the line, and Wyoming is catching five and a half at home at plus 170. Air Force insider Rick Baum flags Laramie every year, and Air Force has not won there since 2010. The guys take Wyoming and also the under 45 and a half, with cold weather and wind expected. Then NC State heads to Stanford, where the Cardinal catch six and a half at plus 225. Colby Dant would play Stanford up to 13 and sees a world where they win by 14 or more. Ryan McIntyre is on the Stanford moneyline, so the Wolfpack get faded on the farm.
Watch: TNF QB Props – Broncos vs Seahawks
Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
01:13 Love Is a Battlefield
05:09 Boone Meetup, Cicadas & Sea Creatures
33:22 Best Foxhole Spot
36:25 Who’s Better Right Now On A Neutral Site
42:28 Game You Wanna See Most
48:21 Who Do You Trust More To Get To The Big 12 Championship
50:00 Who’s Been The Biggest Disappointment
51:23 Best FCS Matchup This Week
52:17 Best Of The Bunch Power Rankings
1:01:29 Urban Meyer on NIL
1:04:31 Best Team of the Bunch: Rice, Sam Houston, Kansas & Ole Miss
1:09:52 Texas Teams Power Rank
1:11:39 35-Point Blowout: Is He Fired?
1:15:03 Most Likely Upset This Weekend
1:18:54 Dumbest Game of the Week
1:22:06 Top 25: Oregon State, Alabama & Georgia
1:36:20 Weekday Action
1:36:45 Missouri State vs. Delaware Picks
1:38:40 Middle Tennessee vs. FIU Picks
1:40:43 South Alabama vs. Marshall Picks
1:42:09 New Mexico State vs. Sam Houston Picks
1:44:09 JMU vs. App State Picks
1:45:47 Liberty vs. Kennesaw State Picks
1:48:08 East Carolina vs. Memphis Picks
1:51:24 Duke vs. Virginia Picks
1:53:03 UMass vs. UConn Picks
1:54:14 Army vs. Tulsa Picks
1:56:01 Air Force vs. Wyoming Picks
1:58:40 NC State vs. Stanford Picks
1:59:34 Best Weekday Game
2:00:35 Sign-Off & Socials
