College Football Futures Bets and Rooting Guide- Week 8 2026
New Bets
Tennessee to make the Playoff +154 (5 units)
I don’t get this line at all. Tennessee just dominated Alabama- they honestly should’ve won by more, but struggled in the red zone. They’re up to 8th in my power ratings. They only have 1 (close) loss, and they’ll be a playoff lock at 10-2 and in the mix at 9-3. Yes, they have plenty of opportunities to step on rakes (they’re only a small favorite at South Carolina this weekend), but so does everyone in the SEC. They look like one of the best teams in the country on the line of scrimmage and I expect them to make the playoff.
Alabama to miss the Playoff +198 (4 units)
My model didn’t blink when Alabama lost to Georgia, but it was very concerned by the loss to Tennessee. The Crimson Tide were massively inferior at the line of scrimmage- they couldn’t run the ball at all. They’re still a good team (they’re 9th in my ratings), but even their blowout win over Mississippi State has lost some luster. I also think they’ve used their margin for error- their SEC schedule is weaker than most, and that works against them. They’re likely to end up in a logjam of 9-3 SEC teams, and they’ll be building their resume off of wins over Kentucky and Auburn while others have wins over Georgia and Ole Miss. 9-3 Tennessee or 9-3 Florida gets in over them.
Indiana to miss the Playoff +475 (4 units)
Indiana is 6-1 with 5 games left. They’ll be a playoff lock at 11-1, but I have a lot of doubts about their chances at 10-2. Suppose they lose to USC and win the rest of their games. Their best wins would be road wins over Michigan and Nebraska and a home win over Northwestern. It’s conceivable they’d have 0 or 1 wins over teams that finish ranked. I can see say, a 9-3 Ole Miss or even a 10-2 BYU jumping them.
UCLA to make the Playoff +150 (2 units)
This line only makes sense if (a) you think UCLA has no chance of getting in at 10-2 and (b) you think backup QB Ty Diffenbach sucks. I disagree with both. Certainly the market thinks 10-2 Indiana has a good chance of getting in- see my blurb above- and I think 10-2 UCLA’s resume would be similar. Diffenbach was great at Cal Poly last year and went for 7.5 yards per dropback against a previously stout Wisconsin defense. I’m already incredibly long UCLA but I’ll happily add more here- this line barely moved despite an impressive win over Wisconsin.
Louisiana Tech to win the Sun Belt +700 (2 units)
Louisiana Tech is undefeated against G6 teams this year and already holds a head to head win over their main competition in the Sun Belt West (Louisiana). These odds are so long partially because the market prices the Bulldogs as a heavy underdog in a hypothetical Sun Belt title game against James Madison- I think JMU is overrated and La Tech would only be a field goal underdog on a neutral field.
Ohio to win the MAC +350 (1 unit)
Ohio is one of the most consistent G6 programs in the sport and has shown it again this year with a 3-0 start in the MAC. The Bobcats also have a nice schedule down the stretch, they’ll be double digit favorites in 3 of their remaining 5 games.
Wake Forest to win the ACC +800 (1 unit)
I got this at +7500 in the preseason but unfortunately only did 0.1 units there. They’re up to 18th in my power ratings, just above Auburn and Florida. They had two drives in Miami territory end without points in the 4th quarter back in mid-September. If a few plays went differently, we’d be having a very different conversation about the Demon Deacons right now.
Army to win the American +900 (1 unit)
Army QB Cade Hellums threw 2 passes, completed 1, and racked up 2 passing yards this week. He also ran for 195 yards and 5 TDs as Army racked up 479 rushing yards in a blowout win over FAU. Army is really cooking now after a slow start to the season. In an American where none of the high-spending teams (Memphis, USF, Tulane) have separated themselves from the pack, it opens the door for a service academy like Army.
Rooting Guide
Indiana -7 @ Michigan
We make 29 units if Indiana misses the playoff. A loss here would make that more likely than not.
Ole Miss @ Texas -3.5
We’re short both teams but much shorter Texas. We make 16 units if the Longhorns miss the playoff and this would be their third loss.
Tennessee @ South Carolina -2.5
We win 10 units if Tennessee makes the playoff. I am pretty shocked to see them as an underdog here.
Michigan State @ UCLA -14
We make 23.5 units if UCLA makes the playoff and need them to take care of business here.
Houston @ Utah -6.5
We have a few different tickets on Utah. This is their biggest game of the season so far.
Texas A&M @ Alabama -14.5
We make 7 units if Alabama misses the playoff and would love an upset here.
Western Michigan @ Toledo -3.5
We win 10 units if Toledo wins the MAC. These are probably the two best teams in the conference- the winner has a clear path to the conference title game.
USC -3 @ Wisconsin
We make 19.4 units if USC makes the playoff. This is a lookahead spot before the big game against Ohio State the following weekend.
LSU -8.5 @ Auburn
We’re a bit long Auburn and a bit short LSU and would love an upset here.
Vanderbilt @ Kentucky -10.5
We’re short Vanderbilt and long Kentucky and want the Wildcats to take care of business here.
Iowa State @ Arizona -10
Our Iowa State over 6.5 wins ticket is live but we need them to pull an upset somewhere.
NC State -7 @ Stanford
Our Stanford over 4.5 wins ticket is somehow alive, which is surprising since Stanford is awful. This would be win number 4.
East Carolina @ Memphis -10.5
Our East Carolina tickets are probably cooked, and they’re definitely cooked with a loss here.
Old Dominion @ Louisiana Tech -10.5
We want Louisiana Tech to keep rolling, they should easily here.
Iowa -6.5 @ Minnesota
We have a ticket on Minnesota over 6.5 wins, and Iowa is also a blocker for other potential playoff teams we’ve bet on.
North Dakota State @ New Mexico -4.5
This is one of the games of the year in the G6. Our North Dakota State tickets will be in excellent shape with a win.
UTSA -1.5 @ Tulane
We have a few tickets on the secondary American contenders- UTSA is the main contender and we want them to slip up.
Middle Tennessee @ FIU -10.5
Our FIU stocks took a hit with their loss to Jacksonville State and we need a rebound here.
Colorado @ Oklahoma State -13.5
Despite their loss last week, our Oklahoma State to win 10+ and 9+ games tickets from the preseason are still looking decent. They should roll here.
Liberty -10.5 @ Kennesaw State
We have tickets on most of the other CUSA contenders and thus could use a loss from lead contender Liberty.
Other results to root for: Florida Atlantic -10,Cincinnati +10.5, Nevada -5.5, Texas State -11.5, West Virginia +8.5, Kansas +1.5, Northwestern -16