College Football Betting: Three Things To Know Heading Into Week 8 of the 2022 Season

How many things would you like to know? If you said two, four, or nineteen, I’m sorry that I can’t help you. But, if you are once again hoping to learn THREE significant things about the state of college football and the upcoming set of games, your favorite cartoon is ready and willing to provide them (well, if you’re reading this, I’m actually already done).

As you likely guessed, that intro was my slightly clever (maybe?) and fun way of saying “I have nothing better to lead in with,” because my brain is tired from all the sports and I’m pretty sure I have a cold, so let’s cut out the fluff and get right to it!

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1. The Hedges are Trimmed, but the Team Between Thrives

What a great title by me (yes, I have no problem patting myself on the back). Last week saw four of the undefeated teams fall, hence the trim, but the team between the hedges, aka the Georgia Bulldogs, won big last week. I am, once again, in awe of my own ability to do this work at the highest level despite absolutely zero formal training or writing ability (not really, a true journalist would puke if they read my work, but oh well).

Last week we lost four undefeated teams, which is a fairly substantial chop this late in the year. Sure, Penn State and Oklahoma State didn’t figure to have much of a role in the national picture, and Alabama still has life because they’re Alabama, but overall it was a pretty significant week in terms of the Playoff. Oh, and we can finally stop pretending that USC is back, which I enjoy doing every season. We still have eight undefeated contenders plus Syracuse, but the list of teams who can make the Playoff is shrinking.

MORE: College Football Week 8 Predictions

2. Winning Ugly is Better Than Losing

As students rushed onto the field after the Tennessee-Alabama game, I sat in my chair completely befuddled. How in god’s name does a kick that got partially tipped at the line make it 45 yards and through the uprights while knuckling like a Tim Wakefield pitch? The answer, after watching numerous replays, is that it wasn’t touched by anyone aside from the foot of the Volunteers’ kicker, who was so embarrassed he couldn't even bring himself to celebrate.

But guess what? The scores and rankings don't show ugly. And Tennessee fans do not give one damn about how they beat the Tide, they just care that they did. The same can be said for TCU, who benefitted largely from an Oklahoma State collapse, and Syracuse, who beat NC State’s backup QB to remain inexplicably undefeated.

Winning “well” does have a role to play, and come December, the CFP Committee will consider how teams played, not just their final record, when determining who is most deserving. But the number of wins and losses is the thing everyone will look at first, and avoiding the latter is the key to finding your way into big games at the end of the season. Win first, worry about style later.

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3. Bring on the Ranked Matchups

With a few of the top teams off this week, we could have been in for a fairly dull slate of college football. That would have been helpful for all of the chores I need to do around the house but not for my personal enjoyment, so I’m glad to report that there is still a lot to look forward to this week. Week 8 features five matchups between ranked teams including; (1) UCLA at Oregon to see if the Pac 12 will have any hope of a playoff berth, (2) Kansas State at TCU to see if the Big 12 will have any hope of a playoff berth, and (3) Alabama trying to bounce back after their loss in Knoxville against Mississippi State.

Hell, even Ole Miss’ trip to “unranked” LSU (by voting they were 26th and they’re certainly a better team than 25th Tulane) should be worth tuning in for. Admittedly, Week 8 doesn’t have the same fire power as last week did, but there is still more than enough good football to go around and even a couple of potential trap games. Not that it was ever really in doubt, but I will be tuning in.