Caleb Wilfinger
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Seven weeks of the 2023 college football season are in the books, and what a season it’s been! We’ve certainly got eventful matchups every weekend, with plenty of upsets to keep fans entertained while also having enough chalk prevail to keep the top of the rankings loaded with traditional powerhouses.
Now it’s time to turn our attention to Week 7. The slate is very solid from top to bottom, headlined by a massive game in the Big Ten between Penn State and Ohio State. The opening lines were released at most sportsbooks on Sunday, so let’s take a look at these openers and give our first impressions.
NCAAF Week 8 opening lines and odds
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
- James Madison -4 (-110) vs Marshall – Thursday, October 19
- SMU -18 (-110) vs Temple – Friday, October 20
- Penn State +5.5 (-110) vs Ohio State – Saturday, October 21
- UCF +19.5 (-110) vs Oklahoma – Saturday, October 21
- Rutgers -4.5 (-110) vs Indiana – Saturday, October 21
- Texas Tech -4 (-110) vs BYU – Saturday, October 21
- Washington State +19 (-110) vs Oregon – Saturday, October 21
- South Carolina +6.5 (-110) vs Missouri – Saturday, October 21
- Minnesota +6.5 (-110) vs Iowa – Saturday, October 21
- Wisconsin -3.5 (-110) vs Illinois – Saturday, October 21
- Oklahoma State +3 (-110) vs West Virginia – Saturday, October 21
- Texas -22 (-110) vs Houston – Saturday, October 21
- Ole Miss -5.5 (-110) vs Auburn – Saturday, October 21
- TCU +7.5 (-110) vs Kansas State – Saturday, October 21
- Duke +15.5 (-110 vs Florida State – Saturday, October 21
- Michigan -25 (-110) vs Michigan State – Saturday, October 21
- Utah +5.5 (-110) vs USC – Saturday, October 21
- Clemson -3 (-110) vs Miami FL – Saturday, October 21
- Arizona State +28.5 (-110) vs Washington – Saturday, October 21
- UCLA -16.5 (-110) vs Stanford – Saturday, October 21
We have college football picks and NCAAF predictions for all the big games this season!
Penn State Nittany Lions +5.5 over Ohio State Buckeyes (-110)
In what will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the week — certainly the one with the biggest College Football Playoff implications — the Ohio State Buckeyes will host the Penn State Nittany Lions in a massive Big Ten clash. This is a game where my handicap is very simple; I have teams power rated at about dead even on a neutral field, so I’ll gladly take the couple of free points we’re getting with Penn State over a field goal. This Nittany Lions defense has been outstanding all season long, ranking inside the top 5 in most metrics you can find. The Ohio State offense has repeatedly been ineffective for stretches of games against the likes of Maryland, Notre Dame and even Indiana. Why would I expect that to change here? Much more to come on this one later in the week.
Alabama Crimson Tide -8.5 over Tennessee Volunteers (-110)
Given how erratic its offense can be, Alabama simply doesn’t profile very well as a double-digit favorite. The Crimson Tide are much better in situations where they don’t need to win by large margins, like what we saw over the weekend when they failed to cover as 3-touchdown favorites against Arkansas. Instead, this game profiles similarly to when they were a touchdown favorite at home against Ole Miss, where Alabama won and covered thanks to a dominant defensive effort. Jalen Milroe has consistently improved under center in the weeks since that game, while the Alabama defense remains elite. This is also a massive revenge spot for the Crimson Tide after dropping an instant classic to Tennessee a season ago. Look for Nick Saban’s defense to make life miserable for Joe Milton and this struggling Vols offense on Saturday.
