Six undefeated teams fell during the Week 7 action in college football, leaving just nine unbeaten squads remaining. With a handful of close lines set on the Week 8 docket, a few more will join the club come next weekend.
No. 5 Clemson and No. 14 Syracuse face off in a battle of undefeated teams after both survived upset attempts from Florida State and NC State, respectively. Undefeated No. 8 TCU and No. 9 UCLA also face talented ranked opponents in Week 8 with clean slates in conference play.
Elsewhere, No. 6 Alabama and No. 11 Oklahoma State get bounce-back games against talented ranked opponents to begin the process of rebuilding credibility after losses. Six other ranked teams are also in action on Saturday.
Below is a quick look at opening betting lines for some key Week 8 games.
All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (-5.5): The two final undefeated teams in the Pac-12 will vie for control of the conference title race. UCLA has beaten No. 20 Utah and Washington in its last two games behind a powerful effort from quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Oregon's wins are Stanford and Arizona, along with a tight battle against Washington State. The Bruins are the more battle-tested team, but the game could go either way.
No. 8 TCU (-5) vs. No. 17 Kansas State: The Horned Frogs have won three straight games against AP Top 25 opponents after edging out Oklahoma State 43-40 on Saturday behind 180 yards receiving from wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Kansas State has played well with Adrian Martinez at quarterback but has won its three Big 12 games by a combined 17 points.
No. 5 Clemson (-14) vs. No. 14 Syracuse: Clemson survived an upset bid from Florida State, but the Tigers don't get much rest with undefeated Syracuse coming to town. The Orange have quietly been outstanding and feature a top-10 defense to complement star quarterback Garrett Schrader and running back Sean Tucker. Syracuse ranks top 20 nationally in sacks, which could cause issues for Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.
No. 6 Alabama (-21.5) vs. No. 24 Mississippi State: The Crimson Tide lost their first game against Tennessee since Nick Saban took over the program, but few teams have been as good after a loss as Alabama. The Tide have not lost consecutive games since 2013, nor have they dropped consecutive regular-season games since 2007. Ironically, Alabama has played Mississippi State after each of its last two regular-season losses in 2021 and 2019. The Crimson Tide won those games by a combined 87-16.
No. 11 Oklahoma State vs. No. 20 Texas (-3): The Longhorns narrowly survived an upset attempt from Iowa State, and Oklahoma State will provide a fiercer challenge. The Cowboys boast one of the most physical defensive lines in the Big 12 and have a quarterback in Spencer Sanders who can keep the ball moving against an inconsistent Texas offense. It will be up to Quinn Ewers and the receivers to connect with consistency downfield against an inconsistent Cowboys secondary.
Best of the rest
- No. 2 Ohio State (-28) vs. Iowa
- No. 7 Ole Miss (-2) at LSU
- No. 13 Wake Forest (-20.5) vs. Boston College
- No. 16 Penn State (-5.5) vs. Minnesota
- No. 21 Cincinnati (-3) at SMU
- No. 25 Tulane (-6) vs. Memphis
- Boise State at Air Force (-4)
- UAB at Western Kentucky (-2.5)