College Football Week 8 Rewind

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

It was a topsy-turvy day in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). If you love your MACtion, and you like to bet it, hopefully you played the 'dogs. In five of the six games, underdogs won outright, and underdogs were a perfect 6-for-6 in Week 8. For the second consecutive weekend, too, we saw home teams win at a 36-18 clip, or (66.7%).

We had some ridiculous bad beats, as usual, and it was especially prevalent in the aforementioned MAC. There weren't any monumental upsets, although FIU, Duke and Marshall would beg to differ.

It was also another weekend for the underdogs, with 18 winning outright, and a whopping 31 cashing in 54 games, or a solid 57.4% cash rate.

Updated on 12/22/2024

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 7 RESULTS

WAGER (Favorites-Underdogs)
Straight Up (SU): 36-18
Against the Spread (ATS): 23-31
WAGER (Home-Away)
Straight Up (SU): 36-18
Against the Spread (ATS): 31-23
WAGER (Totals O/U)
Over-Under: 23-31

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON RESULTS

WAGER (Favorites-Underdogs)
Straight Up (SU): 417-122
Against the Spread (ATS): 255-284-1
WAGER (Home-Away)
Straight Up (SU): 374-161
Against the Spread (ATS): 280-255-1
WAGER (Totals O/U)
Over-Under: 265-274

BIGGEST UNDERDOGS TO CASH

FIU (+14.5, ML +400) 34 @ Charlotte 15
Duke (+9.5, ML +300) 45 @ Miami-Florida 21
Marshall (+9.5, ML +265) @ James Madison 12
Bowling Green (+6.5, +185) 34 @ Central Michigan 18
Buffalo (+6.5, ML +185) 34 vs. Toledo 27
Liberty (+6.5, ML +205) 41 vs. BYU 14
Western Michigan (+6.5, ML +210) 16 @ Miami-Ohio 10
East Carolina (+5.5, ML +170) 34 vs. UCF 13

BIGGEST FAVORITES TO CASH

Tennessee (-37.5) 65 vs. Tennessee-Martin 24
Ohio State (-24.5) 54 vs. Iowa 10
Oregon State (-23.5) 42 vs. Colorado 9
Alabama (-21) 30 vs. Mississippi State 6
Wake Forest (-20.5) 43 vs. Boston College 15

BIGGEST ROAD FAVORITES TO CASH

Fresno State (-12.5) 41 @ New Mexico 9
San Diego State (-9.5) 23 @ Nevada 7

BIGGEST BAD BEAT OF THE WEEK

Bowling Green was one of those MAC underdogs to win outright, closing as a 6.5-point underdog while hitting on the money line (+185). But that's not where the bad beat comes in, and total bettors know it.

This game closed with a total of 50.5, and stayed rather steady all throughout the week. UNDER bettors were feeling good, as we had just 10 points on the board after 15 minutes, another 10 points on the board in the second quarter, as Bowling Green took a 17-3 lead to the break at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant.

In the third quarter, Central Michigan came alive for its first touchdown of the day, cutting it to 17-10 early in the third quarter. But that was the only score of the third. UNDER bettors were feeling good going to the final quarter with more than three touchdowns of cushion.

There was just a field goal from the Falcons early in the final quarter, and with 10 minutes to go, Bowling Green led 20-10. UNDER still looking good. But then we had a 45-yard scoop and score from the Falcons, extending it to 27-10. A small bead of sweat starts forming on the forehead of UNDER bettors. It got worse.

The Chippewas answered with a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 6:13 to go, cutting it to 27-18. Just like that, it was nervous time.

Instead of running out the clock, taking a knee, being happy with a two-score win, Bowling Green was looking for more inside of a minute to go. QB Matt McDonald hit WR Tyrone Bolden for a 31-yard touchdown with just :49 left in regulation, flipping the total to an OVER. Ouch.

BAD BEAT HONORABLE MENTIONS

TOLEDO at BUFFALO (Total - 56.5)

So Toledo appeared to be cruising to a win, up 27-10 after three quarters, and that was making side bettors of the Rockets feel pretty good laying the seven and a hook. But, the Rockets ran out of fuel in the fourth quarter, and it was rather inexplicable.

Buffalo outscored Toledo 24-0 in the fourth quarter to totally turn the tables, not only ruining the cover for the Rockets, but stealing the win outright. We told you, 'dogs were barking in the MAC all day.

But that's where the bad beat occurred. It was on the total. With a closing total of 56.5, with just 37 on the board after 45 minutes, UNDER bettors were feeling good. And really, this isn't a textbook bad beat. Buffalo scored three touchdowns in the first seven minutes, flipping the total to OVER when UB took a 31-27 lead at 8:06 to go. But with just 37 on the board in the first 46:47, and then 21 points scored in a 5:07 span, it was worth honorable mention, as things turned on a dime.

CINCINNATI (-3.5) at SMU

If you were on the Bearcats, you were on the right side nearly all day, until you weren't.

Cincinnati lead 10-0 after 15 minutes, and it took a 20-14 lead to the break. In the third quarter, it was all Cincinnati, as the Bearcats grabbed a little insurance with three field goals to push the lead to 29-14. But it was still a two-score game, and SMU wasn't going away, much to the dismay of Bearcats side bettors.

If you were a SMU bettor, you especially weren't feeling good when QB Tanner Mordecai went down with an injury. But then the Mustangs to turned to stone - QB Preston Stone.

The Mustangs couldn't muster any offense until 5:09 to go, when Stone hit TE RJ Maryland for a 16-yard score to close it to 29-21. The Mustangs got the ball back, and yeah, with 1:57 to go, RB Tyler Lavine punched in a 1-yard run to flip the cover to SMU, and the 'Stangs nearly forced OT, but misfired on the 2-point conversion.

ARKANSAS STATE at LOUISIANA (Total - 51.5)

The Sun Belt Conference is fun, and you'll often hear "Sun Belt, Fun Belt" attached to the conference for football, basketball, etc. And it is fun, unless you play totals like in the Arkansas State-Louisiana game.

The total opened, and closed, at 51.5, with a little movement down to 50.5 at one point. But everyone was in the same boat in this one.

Louisiana fired out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter, but then we had a high-scoring second quarter. A pair of long touchdowns from QB Ben Wooldridge in the final five of the second quarter gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 24-9 lead at the break. UNDER (51.5) bettors weren't feeling too good.

However, two more Wooldridge scoring strikes, including a third straight of 36 or more yards, really had UNDER bettors feeling ill. It was 38-9 with 6:57 left in the third quarter. But then, ULL took its foot off the gas. We had an Ark State field goal with 1:59 to go, making it 38-12 to end the third quarter.

UNDER bettors needed no more scoring, and for the nearly 13 minutes of the fourth quarter, UNDER bettors looked like they would get a miracle finish. Instead, it was OVER bettors who got the score. Dane Motley of the Red Wolves had the 12-yard scoop and score with 2:02 left in regulation, slicing the Cajuns' lead to 38-18, and that's how things would finish.

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish