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Welcome to college football Week 8.
For the ninth straight season on our college football betting podcast, Big Bets on Campus, Collin Wilson and Stuckey pick their two favorite moneyline underdogs for each week's slate.
For Week 8 of the season, they're rolling with a Group of 6 option team and a near-double-digit Big Ten underdog.
If you're feeling lucky, a parlay of both pups pays out at over 14-1 at the time of writing.
Let's dive into our college football moneyline underdogs for Rice vs. Florida Atlantic and Illinois vs. Oregon on Saturday, October 24.
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College Football Moneyline Underdogs for Week 8
Rice ML +275 vs. FAU
| Rice Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -111 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | +275 |
| FAU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -109 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | -350 |
FAU got steamrolled by Army last week, and as someone who was holding an Owls ticket, that result was a tough one to watch. Army ran the ball down Florida Atlantic’s throat, averaging eight yards per carry, which brings me to Rice.
Rice runs the triple option too, and that means this is another spot where the Owls could be stuck defending 10-minute possessions. FAU just showed it can’t stop that style of offense, and Army’s success was about as clear a sign as you can get.
The weather doesn’t help FAU either. With 15 MPH winds expected, the Owls may not be able to throw the ball the way they want to.
Everything about this matchup points toward Rice and its run-heavy approach. FAU can’t defend the run, and the conditions favor a ground-based game.
Take the Owls from Houston, not the Owls from Boca.
Illinois ML +290 vs. Oregon
| Oregon Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | -375 |
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | +290 |
By Stuckey
I’m gonna go with Illinois against Oregon. There’s just a lot of uncertainty in this game.
We don’t know who’s gonna play quarterback for Oregon. The Ducks' offensive line is still a mess, they can’t run the ball, and they really miss former offensive coordinator Will Stein. On top of that, you’ve got all the drama with their wide receivers.
Illinois, meanwhile, just fired its defensive coordinator coming off a bye, and it's starting freshman quarterback Michael Clayton II because Katin Houser is hurt. Uncertainty galore.
Maybe Illinois comes out with a different defensive game plan here and surprises Oregon a little bit. But the Ducks offense has been such a mess, and at this point, they just might be a fade-on team the rest of the year.
Too much uncertainty here. Give me the Illini at home.
