2026 Week 8 College Football Predictions for Every Game

Week 8 holds the inglorious task of following the best, most chaotic Saturday in college football in recent memory.

Honestly, we could use a break. That was total madness.

But as the 2026 campaign enters the second half, yet another round of upsets may be surging over the horizon. Ten ranked teams—including No. 2 BYU, No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 8 Texas Tech—are hitting the road this weekend.

Mix in some rivalries with the ever-present conference stakes, and Week 8 figures to produce more standings-shaking results.

No. 6 Indiana (6-1) at Michigan (4-2), Noon ET

Michigan has yielded an FBS-low 4.1 yards per snap. Indiana's offense hasn't exactly dazzled in key games. But as Michigan deals with a question of whether to bench Bryce Underwood for Tommy Carr, the hosts are full of uncertainty.

No. 18 LSU (5-2) at Auburn (4-2), 3:30 p.m.

LSU probably won't surrender much defensively, but turnovers—including on downs—have played a major role in the results for both teams. Sam Leavitt needs to protect the ball on the road, or Auburn will be well-positioned for back-to-back upsets after stunning Georgia.

No. 11 Tennessee (6-1) at South Carolina (3-3), 3:30 p.m.

South Carolina is... favored? Yes, despite taking down Alabama, Tennessee is hitting the road as the underdog. South Carolina calmed a storm with a recent upset of Florida, and UT—like Michigan—is managing a QB conundrum. The outlook is understandable. If the Gamecocks' giveaway woes return against a disruptive defense, Tennessee will be heading back to Rocky Top with a win.

Prediction : Tennessee 27, South Carolina 21

No. 7 Ole Miss (5-1) at No. 19 Texas (4-2), 7:30 p.m.

As if Texas doesn't have enough problems with Arch Manning's subpar play, star edge rusher Colin Simmons (ankle) is now sidelined. Optimism has faded anyway, but a loss to Ole Miss would essentially remove Texas from the College Football Playoff discussion. Here comes the dagger.

No. 14 Houston (6-1) at No. 10 Utah (6-0), 10:15 p.m.

The gauntlet has arrived for Utah. They face three Top 25 opponents left on the schedule. Barely slipping past Colorado wasn't an encouraging sign before Houston's balanced, efficient offense comes to town. Utah should be able to hang on at home, but an upset wouldn't be close to surprising.

Pitt (5-2) at No. 1 Miami (6-0), Noon ET

For the first time since the 2002 campaign, Miami is No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Pitt has often been a nuisance in this matchup, but the Panthers are understandably reeling from the loss of QB Mason Heintschel (knee). After a nervy win over Florida State, Miami should avoid the drama in Week 8.

Duke (4-2) at Virginia (4-3), Friday, 7 p.m. Prediction: UVA 24, Duke 23

North Carolina State (3-3) at Stanford (3-4), Friday, 10:30 p.m. Prediction: NC State 31, Stanford 20

Cal (3-4) at No. 23 SMU (5-1), Noon Prediction: SMU 38, Cal 16

Boston College (3-3) at Georgia Tech (2-4), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: Georgia Tech 27, Boston College 20

Virginia Tech (5-2) at Clemson (4-2), 7 p.m. Prediction: Clemson 21, Virginia Tech 20

Syracuse (2-4) at North Carolina (4-2), 7:30 p.m. Prediction: UNC 30, Syracuse 17

No. 16 USC (6-1) at Wisconsin (4-2), Noon

On paper, Wisconsin shouldn't be able to keep up with USC's offense. These long journeys to the Midwest have routinely been a problem for the Trojans, though, as this contest is an early kick. I still expect USC to win, but it might be ugly.

No. 6 Indiana (6-1) at Michigan (4-2), Noon Prediction: Indiana 23, Michigan 13 (Top Matchups)

Rutgers (2-4) at No. 24 Northwestern (5-1), Noon Prediction: Northwestern 38, Rutgers 27

Oregon (4-2) at Illinois (3-3), 3 p.m. Prediction: Oregon 30, Illinois 14

Michigan State (2-5) at No. 9 UCLA (6-0), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: UCLA 24, MSU 13

No. 15 Iowa (5-1) at Minnesota (4-2), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: Iowa 20, Minnesota 17

Fresh off a massive win over Notre Dame, BYU is readying for a cross-country trip to Orlando. As long as the defense travels, the Cougs should be fine. UCF's offense is among the Power Four's worst at generating explosive plays. If that trend doesn't reverse, BYU will remain unbeaten.

No. 8 Texas Tech (6-0) at Cincinnati (4-2), Noon Prediction: Texas Tech 37, Cincinnati 24

West Virginia (4-3) at TCU (3-3), Noon Prediction: TCU 34, WVU 30

Baylor (4-2) at Kansas (2-4), 1 p.m. Prediction: Baylor 27, Kansas 23

Kansas State (4-2) at Arizona State (3-3), 3:45 p.m. Prediction: ASU 28, K-State 24

Colorado (2-4) at Oklahoma State (4-2), 7 p.m. Prediction: Oklahoma State 36, Colorado 17

Iowa State (3-3) at No. 25 Arizona (5-1), 7:30 p.m. Prediction: Arizona 31, Iowa State 20

No. 14 Houston (6-1) at No. 10 Utah (6-0), 10:15 p.m. Prediction: Utah 28, Houston 27 (Top Matchups)

Texas A&M (4-3) at No. 13 Alabama (5-2), 3:30 p.m.

During previous road losses to LSU and Missouri, Texas A&M mustered six points in each game. It's tough to justify an upset pick, even as Alabama comes off a dreadful offensive day in the setback at Tennessee.

No. 18 LSU (5-2) at Auburn (4-2), Noon Prediction: LSU 24, Auburn 20 (Top Matchups)

No. 11 Tennessee (6-1) at South Carolina (3-3), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: Tennessee 27, South Carolina 21 (Top Matchups)

Oklahoma (3-3) at Mississippi State (4-2), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: Oklahoma 20, Mississippi State 17

No. 7 Ole Miss (5-1) at No. 19 Texas (4-2), 7:30 p.m. Prediction: Ole Miss 26, Texas 23 (Top Matchups)

Vanderbilt (3-4) at No. 12 Kentucky (6-1), 7:30 p.m. Prediction: Kentucky 31, Vanderbilt 16

East Carolina (3-3) at Memphis (5-2), Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Prediction: Memphis 34, ECU 20

Army (4-2) at Tulsa (4-3), Friday, 8:30 p.m. Prediction: Tulsa 30, Army 28

Rice (1-6) at Florida Atlantic (4-2), Noon Prediction: FAU 33, Rice 24

North Texas (4-2) at Navy (2-4), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: North Texas 38, Navy 31

UTSA (6-1) at Tulane (3-3), 8 p.m. Prediction: UTSA 27, Tulane 20

Middle Tennessee (3-3) at Florida International (3-3), Tuesday, 7 p.m. Prediction: FIU 28, MTSU 20

Missouri State (2-4) at Delaware (2-4), Tuesday, 7 p.m. Prediction: Delaware 30, Missouri State 24

New Mexico State (2-4) at Sam Houston (1-5), Wednesday, 8 p.m. Prediction: NMSU 23, Sam Houston 19

Liberty (5-1) at Kennesaw State (1-5), Thursday, 7 p.m. Prediction: Liberty 31, Kennesaw State 24

Massachusetts (4-3) at Connecticut (3-3), Friday, 7 p.m. Prediction: UConn 34, UMass 20

Western Michigan (5-2) at Toledo (5-2), Noon Prediction: Toledo 24, WMU 23

Akron (1-6) at Kent State (2-5), 1 p.m. Prediction: Kent State 27, Akron 21

Miami (4-3) at Central Michigan (3-4), 1 p.m. Prediction: CMU 24, Miami 20

Sacramento State (1-6) at Ball State (2-5), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: Ball State 34, Sac State 13

Bowling Green (2-5) at Buffalo (4-3), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: Buffalo 23, BGSU 17

Eastern Michigan (4-4) at Ohio (5-2), 4 p.m. Prediction: Ohio 29, EMU 24

Air Force (5-1) at Wyoming (4-3), Friday, 9 p.m. Prediction: Air Force 28, Wyoming 17

Hawaii (1-6) at Northern Illinois (0-6), 3:30 p.m. Prediction: NIU 23, Hawaii 20

San Jose State (4-3) at Nevada (2-4), 5 p.m. Prediction: Nevada 27, SJSU 24

North Dakota State (6-1) at New Mexico (5-1), 10 p.m. Prediction: UNM 21, NDSU 19

No. 21 Boise State (5-1) at Washington State (1-6), 6 p.m. Prediction: Boise State 38, Washington State 17

San Diego State (3-4) at Colorado State (2-4), 6:30 p.m. Prediction: SDSU 34, CSU 31

Utah State (2-4) at Texas State (3-3), 7:30 p.m. Prediction: Texas State 41, Utah State 24

South Alabama (4-2) at Marshall (3-3), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Prediction: Marshall 34, South Alabama 31

James Madison (7-0) at Appalachian State (4-2), Thursday, 7 p.m. Prediction: JMU 31, App State 23

Louisiana-Monroe (0-6) at Troy (3-3), 4 p.m. Prediction: Troy 38, ULM 17

Louisiana (5-2) at Southern Miss (1-5), 5 p.m. Prediction: Louisiana 30, Southern Miss 16

Old Dominion (2-5) at Louisiana Tech (4-2), 5 p.m. Prediction: La Tech 28, ODU 20

Georgia State (4-2) at Arkansas State (3-4), 7 p.m. Prediction: Arkansas State 33, Georgia State 27