In week seven of the college football season, I went 14-10-1 against the spread.
The Indiana Hoosiers had a coming-out party last year, but they were still getting no respect from the sportsbooks. After last week’s upset win at Oregon, they see their first bloated betting line of the year. Can they cover it against Michigan State?
Can USC travel to Notre Dame and upset the Irish?
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 8 of the 2025-26 NCAA Football season (October 18th, 2025).
Washington Huskies at Michigan Wolverines (-6) – My pick is Washington Huskies +6
The Washington Huskies (5-1, 3-3 ATS) are coming off a 38-19 home win over Rutgers, which covered the -9.5 spread.
The Michigan Wolverines (4-2, 2-4 ATS) are coming off a 31-13 road loss to USC, which wasn’t close to the +3 betting line.
Washington QB Demond Williams Jr. is one of the best under-the-radar dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. He put the team on his back late in the Rugers game. Michigan’s defense will have trouble corralling him on Saturday. I’m taking the points in this game.
LSU Tigers at Vanderbilt Commodores (-2.5) – My pick is LSU Tigers +2.5
The LSU Tigers (5-1, 3-3 ATS) are coming off a 20-10 home win over South Carolina, which covered the -7.5 spread.
The Vanderbilt Commodores (5-1, 42 ATS) are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, they lost to Alabama 30-14.
Vandy nearly made it two wins in-a-row against Bama, but they couldn’t hold their first-half lead. Alabama owned the second-half and extended a double-digit lead. It’s probably been over a decade since Vanderbilt has been favored against LSU, and it’s strange to see. I could see the same thing happen this week against LSU. Vandy can come out hot, but LSU makes adjustments to extend a lead. I’m taking the points in this game.
Oklahoma Sooners at South Carolina Gamecocks (+5.5) – My pick is Oklahoma Sooners -5.5
The Oklahoma Sooners (5-1, 2-3-1 ATS) are coming off a 23-6 against Texas, which was also lost against the +3 betting line.
The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3, 3-3 ATS) are coming off a 20-10 road loss at LSU, and lost against the +7.5 point spread.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer had a bad game against Texas, and he clearly came back too soon from his hand injury. Coming back two weeks after hand surgery is wild. I think they’ll come out with a more-conservative passing gameplan, and I think they can still cover against a team like South Carolina.
Michigan State at Indiana Hoosiers (-27.5) – My pick is Indiana Hoosiers -27.5
The Michigan State Spartans (3-3, 2-4 ATS) are coming off a 38-13 home loss to UCLA, and wasn’t close to the -7 betting line.
The Indiana Hoosiers (6-0, 4-2 ATS) are coming off an impressive 30-20 win at Oregon, which easily won against the +7 spread.
Indiana has a rather easy schedule through the rest of the regular season. Will the Hoosiers slip up against one of the lower-tier Big Ten teams? If last week was any clue, the Spartans will not be said team. Their performance against the Bruins was awful. I think the Hoosiers will cover this bloated point spread.
Ole Miss Rebels at Georgia Bulldogs (-7.5) – My pick is Ole Miss Rebels +7.5
The Mississippi Rebels (6-0, 4-2 ATS) are coming off a 24-21 home win over Washington State, but failed to cover the large -33 betting line.
The Georgia Bulldogs (5-1, 2-3-1 ATS) are coming off a 20-10 win at Auburn, which also covered the -4.5 spread.
This will be the first road game for Ole Miss since early September. They’ve had a rather easy SEC conference schedule up to this point. I really like Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, and he at the very least, will keep things tight down the stretch. Georgia may win this game outright, but I’m taking the points.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Wisconsin Badgers (+25) – My pick is Ohio State Buckeyes -25
The Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0, 5-0-1 ATS) are coming off a 34-16 road win at Illinois, which covered the -14.5 spread.
The Wisconsin Badgers (2-4, 2-4 ATS) are coming off a bad 37-0 home loss to Iowa, and wasn’t close to the +5.5 betting line.
The Badgers have had trouble scoring against any Big Ten team this year. They’ve barely crossed double-digits in most losses. Wisconsin couldn’t stop Iowa’s ground attack. Ohio State’s offense AND defense are better than Iowa’s, so it will be a long day for the Badgers. I’m taking Ohio State to cover in Madison.
SMU Mustangs at Clemson Tigers (-9.5) – My pick is SMU Mustangs +9.5
The SMU Mustangs (4-2, 1-5 ATS) are coming off a 34-10 home win against Stanford, which covered the -19.5 spread.
The Clemson Tigers (3-3, 2-4 ATS) are coming off a 41-10 road win at Boston College, and easily covered the -14 spread.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik starts out the year cold, but gets hot right when the weather starts to get cold. He will have his work cut out for him, as the Mustangs bring a pretty darn good defense into town. I think SMU will hang with Clemson, but may come out short for the outright win, so I’m taking the points.
USC Trojans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-9.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish -9.5
The USC Trojans (5-1, 3-3 ATS) are coming off a 31-13 home win over Michigan, which covered the -3 spread.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-2, 3-2-1 ATS) are coming off a 36-7 home win over NC State, and covered the -24 betting line.
It’s been a few years since a USC vs Notre Dame game meant something. It just seemed when USC was hot, the Irish weren’t, and vice versa. I like the way Notre Dame rebounded after dropping their first two games. QB CJ Carr is a legit weapon and could extend a lead against the Trojans. This betting line could be close to the final score. I think the Irish will squeak out a cover at home.
Tennessee Volunteers at Alabama Crimson Tide (-8) – My pick is Tennessee Volunteers +8
The Tennessee Volunteers (5-1, 2-3-1 ATS) are coming off a 34-31 home win against Arkansas, but failed to cover the -10 spread.
The Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1, 4-1-1 ATS) are coming off a 27-24 road win over Missouri, which was a push against the betting line.
I like the strides Alabama QB Ty Simpson has made this year, but I’m not sure Alabama can beat the Vols by more than a touchdown. The Vols have a dynamic offense, and can beat you in the air and on the ground. Alabama may win outright, but I’m taking the points.
Northern Illinois Huskies at Ohio Bobcats (-11) – My pick is Ohio Bobcats -11
This is the section where we pick a smaller conference game.
The Northern Illinois Huskies (1-5, 1-5 ATS) are coming off a 16-10 road loss to Eastern Michigan, which failed to cover the -1 spread.
The Ohio Bobcats (3-3, 3-2-1 ATS) are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, lost at Ball State 20-14.
Both of these teams are coming off poor performances. The Bobcats couldn’t do anything in the second-half of their loss to Ball State. The Cardinals are just a different team at home. I think there’s a better chance of Ohio rebounding than Northern Illinois disappointing loss to one of the worst teams in the MAC. I’m taking Ohio to cover at home.
QUICK HITS
Hawaii at Colorado State (-2.5) – My pick is Hawaii +2.5
Arizona at Houston (+1) – My pick is Houston +1
UConn at Boston College (-1.5) – My pick is Boston College -1.5
Georgia Tech at Duke (-1.5) – My pick is Duke -1.5
Army at Tulane (-9.5) – My pick is Army +9.5
Oregon at Rutgers (+17) – My pick is Rutgers +17
FAU at South Florida (-21.5) – My pick is South Florida -21.5
Texas at Kentucky (+12.5) – My pick is Texas -12.5
UTSA at North Texas (-4) – My pick is North Texas -4
Nevada at New Mexico (-11.5) – My pick is New Mexico -11.5
BONUS PICKS!
Eastern Michigan at Miami (OH) (-13) – My pick is EMU +13
Central Michigan at Bowling Green (-4.5) – My pick is BGSU -4.5
Troy at Louisiana-Monroe (+6) – My pick is Troy -6
Akron at Ball State (-1.5) – My pick is Ball State -1.5
Georgia State at Georgia Southern (-6.5) – My pick is Georgia Southern -6.5
Sweetbob’s college football picks against the spread record in previous seasons:
2013: 134-79-8
2014: 148-118-4
2015: 149-118-3
2016: 196-145-6
2017: 183-159-13
2018: 177-157-6
2019: 187-141-8
2020: 170-160-5
2021: 167-151-8
2022: 185-150-5
2023: 155-144-10
2024: 183-164-11
2025: 90-82-3
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on X at @Sweetbob