We move forward into Week 8 after more and more upsets at the very top of the College Football Rankings.
Picks can be read below.
Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Cincinnati Bearcats Pick: There would have been plenty of tension around this Big 12 game if Brandon Sorsby had not been caught up in a gambling scandal in the same off-season where he chose to transfer from the Cincinnati Bearcats (4-2) to the Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-0).
Both teams will likely play down that situation with Sorsby ineligible to play in 2026, but this is still a big game with the Red Raiders looking to improve to 4-0 within the Conference.
Back to back defeats means the Cincinnati Bearcats are 1-2 in the Big 12, but they are hosting an opponent that have filled some of the void that had been left when the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns left the Conference to join the SEC. The game is one that many would have circled before the season began and that should mean a motivated Cincinnati team enters the field.
They are facing a Red Raiders team that have had a winning record in each of the last five seasons and who finished with a 12-2 record in 2025, which included competing in the College Football Playoff. Texas Tech won the Big 12 Championship with a dominant win over the BYU Cougars to earn a spot in the Quarter Final of the Playoffs, although the Red Raiders were well beaten in that game.
A perfect start to the season will give the Red Raiders a lot of confidence and they do look to have the balance on the Offensive side of the ball that makes them very dangerous.
The Red Raiders Offensive Line have helped the team open up some huge running lanes, which has eased any pressure that may have been felt by Quarter Back Will Hammond who may not have been expected to be the starting player in that position. You have to expect the Red Raiders are going to be able to establish the run very effectively against this Cincinnati Defensive Line, while Hammond has done enough at Quarter Back to force teams to respect the passing game and not sell out at the Line of Scrimmage.
Will Hammond will feel he can carve up a Bearcats Secondary that has been struggling to stop the pass, especially from third and manageable spots and with the protection offered by his Offensive Line. The only aspect the Quarter Back needs to control is looking after the ball and avoiding Interceptions should see Texas Tech have a lot of success with the ball in hand.
Cincinnati will feel they can at least keep up on the scoreboard with their own Offensive game plan working well in recent games, but they did only score 7 points in a loss to the Arizona Wildcats earlier this month.
There has been a pretty strong balance on the Offensive side of the ball, but the Bearcats test will be at the Line of Scrimmage and trying to establish the run against this Red Raiders Defensive Line. If they can do that, JC French IV can have a solid game from the Quarter Back position to give his team an opportunity to earn an upset, but third and long spots are always that much more difficult to convert.
Even if the Bearcats are in that third and long spot, French IV has shown he can expose a Red Raiders Secondary that have given up plenty of yards through the air.
Where Texas Tech would win is that they could unleash the powerful pass rush to put JC French IV under pressure and see if they can force any mistakes from a Quarter Back that has simply not made many this season. In recent games, the Red Raiders have forced a number of turnovers through the air that have swung momentum in their favour and that may be the key to the outcome of this one.
A real road test is going to be challenging, but the Red Raiders have a couple of solid wins away from home this season and they can do enough to win and cover in this Big 12 contest.
LSU Tigers @ Auburn Tigers Pick: The two Tigers of the SEC meet in a big game in Week 8 and both the LSU Tigers (5-2) and Auburn Tigers (4-2) are 2-2 in the Conference.
Both of the LSU defeats have been on the road in the Conference at the Ole Miss Rebels and Kentucky Wildcats, while Auburn have split a couple of home games having followed the defeat to the Florida Gators by beating struggling Vanderbilt Commodores.
However, Auburn come into this game having created a big upset in winning at the Georgia Bulldogs last time out and both Head Coaches have spoken about the challenges of getting players to be able to lift the level after such an emotional performance.
In the United States it is described as 'relief syndrome' and Auburn have to find a way to use that momentum from the win over one of the top teams in the Conference.
Last week the Auburn Tigers finished with over 80 yards fewer than the Bulldogs, but they picked up three turnovers and that proved to be the key to the outcome of the game. They are once again going into a game where they will struggle for consistency on the Offensive side of the ball, but Auburn will look to use the momentum to start as fast as possible.
Running the ball against the LSU Defensive Line will not be easy but Auburn have to keep trying knowing the passing game is going to have another tough time moving the ball without being in third and manageable spots. In recent games the Defensive Line work completed by LSU has not been completely stout against the run, although they will still feel they have the edge at the Line of Scrimmage and that will give them the belief to force drives to stall.
Byrum Brown is likely going to have to deal with some pass rush pressure, but he should be credited for avoiding making mistakes in the win over Georgia. However, Brown has been guilty of throwing a few too many Interceptions with 7 already this season and the LSU Secondary will be well aware of that fact.
The LSU Tigers are not expected to have it much easier when they have the ball in their hands, but there is a bit more balance Offensively and they should have a touch more belief in Sam Leavitt at Quarter Back.
He has not had a stellar season, but Sam Leavitt has thrown 8 Touchdown passes with just 2 Interceptions in the last three SEC games played and LSU are going to be confident they can have enough success running the ball to put the Quarter Back in a comfortable position. The Auburn Secondary allowed 272 passing yards to Gunner Stockton last week, but they are able to create turnovers and 2 Interceptions gave them the edge in a narrow win.
This is the one concern for Sam Leavitt in another big road game.
However, if the LSU Tigers come out and put Auburn under early pressure, they are the team who can move above 0.500 within the Conference and they may have enough big plays in them Defensively to lead to a cover of this spread set.
Texas A&M Aggies @ Alabama Crimson Tide Pick: It is the first time in almost twenty years that the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2) have lost consecutive games in the regular season and they have been dropped to 3-2 in the SEC. These defeats to the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers are not fatal to their hopes of making the College Football Playoff, but the Crimson Tide are also well aware that they can ill-afford another defeat.
They will be going into a Bye Week following this game against the Texas A&M Aggies (4-3) who effectively were in a Bye last week when playing against an overmatched opponent.
The Aggies won, but they are just 1-3 in the SEC games played this season and they are in danger of failing to secure a winning record for the first time since 2022, while the defeats in the Conference means Texas A&M are unlikely to reach the College Football Playoff this season having secured a spot in 2025.
Marcel Reed was expected to display plenty of improvement in 2026 having put together a solid 2025 season, but the Quarter Back has struggled in 2026 and that has been one of the reasons the Aggies have had big issues on this side of the ball.
Running the ball to keep the pressure away from Reed is going to be tough for the Aggies against this Crimson Tide Defensive Line and that means it will be up to the Quarter Back to make his plays out of third and long spots. Some encouragement can be taken from the fact that the Alabama Secondary have run out of gas as they have been forced to spend a lot of time on the field and so Marcel Reed can make some big throws, although he will also need to be aware of the turnovers that can bee created by the Crimson Tide.
Texas A&M will want to see a bit more from the Offensive unit and the same can be said for the Crimson Tide who have scored twenty-seven points in the consecutive losses to the Bulldogs and Volunteers. Keelon Russell has struggled at Quarter Back, but he may feel this is a match up that is more favourable to Alabama as long as the Offensive Line can dig in and establish the run.
The Offensive Line struggled in run blocking against Georgia and Tennessee, but the Aggies Defensive Line have not been as consistently stout as those two teams and that is something the Alabama Crimson Tide will be looking to exploit. Ensuring Russell is in third and manageable spots will give Alabama a chance to bounce back from the consecutive defeats as they return to Tuscaloosa.
It is also important for the run to be established to help the Offensive Line in pass protection as they have allowed Keelon Russell to be harassed relentlessly in the last couple of games.
Making plays from third and manageable spots will give the Crimson Tide an opportunity to keep the chains moving, even against an Aggies Secondary that have played at a decent level all season.
This is a big spread for a team that may be lacking some confidence to cover, but the Texas A&M Aggies have suffered a couple of blowouts on the road at the LSU Tigers and Missouri Tigers. If Marcel Reed is not able to look after the ball, this could end up being another game that gets away from the Aggies in the second half and the Number 13 Ranked Alabama Crimson Tide can get back on track.
MY PICKS: Texas Tech Red Raiders - 11.5 Points @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)
LSU Tigers - 7.5 Points @ 1.93 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Alabama Crimson Tide - 13.5 Points @ 1.87 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Tennessee Volunteers + 2.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Kansas State Wildcats - 1.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
No comments:
Post a Comment