Outspoken sports personality Clay Travis shares his betting picks for Week 8 of the 2023 college football season. Coming off a 9-5 record last week that improved his season tally to 43-39, Travis highlights matchups like Penn State-Ohio State, Tennessee-Alabama, and Michigan-Michigan State. Travis provides his reasoning behind each of his 8 selected wagers for the week ahead.
Clay Travis’ Week 8 College Football Picks
- Penn State (+4.5) at Ohio State
- Tennessee at Alabama (-46.5)
- South Carolina at Missouri (over 58.5)
- Minnesota at Iowa (under 32.5)
- Ole Miss at Auburn (over 56.5)
- Michigan (-24.5) at Michigan State
- Duke (+14) at Florida State
- Clemson (-3.5) at Miami
Penn State (+4.5) at Ohio State
Travis thinks Penn State has a real chance of winning this game outright. He knows it’s hard to win at the Shoe, but believes Penn State is the better team across the board and will win outright. This means, of course, he absolutely loves Penn State plus the points.
Tennessee at Alabama (-46.5)
Last year Tennessee and Alabama played an epic offensive showdown, with the Vols ultimately winning 52-49 on a last-second field goal. This year Travis thinks the opposite occurs – a defensive struggle. Neither team is as good at quarterback and the passing games are shells of what they were. Travis doesn’t think Alabama’s running game is as good either, but believes Tennessee’s is better. And both teams, especially Tennessee, are way better on defense. But so far Jalen Milroe has been the more accurate downfield passer, which is why Travis can’t pick Tennessee to cover or win on the road. He thinks Alabama wins, but loves the under because barring defensive touchdowns, it will be a low scoring game similar to Alabama and Tennessee’s games against Texas A&M.
South Carolina at Missouri (over 58.5)
Travis thinks he should have picked the over in Florida-South Carolina last week. South Carolina has given up a lot of points in recent SEC games. He would almost guarantee Missouri scores 35+ since they’ve put up high totals in conference play. Missouri has also given up at least 19 to every FBS team. A 38-30 score feels likely, giving you a ten point buffer on the over. That’s why Travis’ blood bank guarantee is the over in the battle of the Columbias.
Minnesota at Iowa (under 32.5)
Travis has never seen a college football total this low. It’s absolutely bonkers. But not as bonkers as betting an Iowa over. The under is the play.
Ole Miss at Auburn (over 56.5)
Lane Kiffin going to Auburn has a high fun factor given the flirtation last offseason. Ole Miss should be rested and healthy after the bye while Auburn’s defense has faded. Coming off a tough LSU loss, Auburn is likely dinged up. Travis thinks Ole Miss will score 35+ and Auburn 24+, easily hitting the over.
Michigan (-24.5) at Michigan State
Travis doesn’t think Michigan State will score over ten since no one has against Michigan all year. The only question is if Michigan will score 35+. Travis thinks yes since Michigan put up 45 and 52 in recent Big Ten road games while Michigan State just gave up 27 to Rutgers. He knows it’s a rivalry but believes the rout is on given how badly Michigan State has lost every game since firing their coach.
Duke (+14) at Florida State
Travis thinks Duke will try to run the ball and take the air out of the game due to quarterback health issues. This makes a big number hard for Florida State to cover. He doesn’t think an upset will happen but believes it will be a single digit game, making the Blue Devils a good bet to cover on the road.
Clemson (-3.5) at Miami
Clemson is coming off a bye while Miami has shown real deficiencies since the Georgia Tech loss. Travis doesn’t think Clemson is great but believes they’ll play their best game of the year in Miami. He thinks the Tigers win by a touchdown or more.