2026 College Football Week 8 Expert Picks: Can Michigan Cover vs. Indiana?

Indiana goes on the road to face the greatest rival of its newest rival, and Utah and Houston will face off in a game that has CFP and Big 12 title implications. On the field, college football is in a great place. Here’s what I’m picking in Week 8. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. There are two types of wagers for me. There are the kind that I love and those don’t tend to cash as often. Then there are the wagers that scare me, and while it is uncomfortable placing said wagers and watching said game, those tend to hit. Wagering on Michigan in this game scares me. Michigan is the right side for many reasons. The first is that Indiana is off its first loss in over a year and a half. How does this squad handle losing at home with all the world watching? And they lost in a way we haven’t seen often — with Curt Cignetti at the helm. Mistakes, turnovers and a receiver just not getting his foot inbounds on the final offensive play of the game cost IU, but the Hoosiers also haven’t been able to run the ball this season, which was far from the case last year. It was just 2.8 yards per attempt for their running backs against Ohio State and 2.4 against Nebraska the week before. In addition, Josh Hoover isn’t Fernando Mendoza at quarterback, which we already knew. Hoover can’t make things right like Mendoza could. The Michigan defense is first in yards per play, even though the Wolverines haven’t played anyone like Indiana. Still, Michigan’s pass rush is good, and I’d imagine it will try to pressure Hoover into mistakes. It’s also Indiana’s third straight week of playing a physical defense. How do the Hoosiers hold up on the road? I think Indiana’s offense will score in the low 20s. The Indiana defense is still fantastic this season. It is ninth in points per drive and doesn’t have many weaknesses. Maybe it allows some success rushing the ball and doesn’t rush the passer quite the same as last season. However, it’s still a formidable unit. What worries me the most about this wager is the Michigan offense, which was dead with quarterback Bryce Underwood. Michigan benched Underwood for true freshman quarterback Tommy Carr last week and the offense scored 21 second-half points, appearing competent with Carr under center. However, Carr only threw the ball seven times for 47 yards. Not exactly an elite passing performance. Now, Carr has to play Indiana’s defense and IU had a week to prepare. I could easily see this Michigan offense being overwhelmed with a true freshman under fire. Still, it is clear the Wolverines are playing more confidently with Carr at QB and I do believe they can score enough, maybe in the high teens, to cover this game. I think I’ll need 17 points from Michigan and I will get it. What an awesome Big 12 matchup on Saturday night. The winner of this game has a leg up in the Big 12 title race and a spot in Dallas for the conference championship game. I see a game with points, many of them potentially coming late. But nonetheless, I expect scoring. Utah’s defense has been a hallmark of its program for years, and while it appears to be good this season, I’m not quite sure. It is 26th in yards per play, but the best offense it has faced is 63rd-ranked Kansas, which scored 24 points and passed for 333 yards. Last weekend, Colorado scored 24 points, the most it has scored against an FBS opponent all season. Utah can’t rush the passer. It is 66th in pressure rate and 112th in sacks. That’s why teams have passed the ball on the Utes. Houston’s offense is well-prepared considering it has already faced Texas Tech on the road and put up 458 yards of offense. The Cougars also just scored 35 against Oklahoma State. Houston’s offensive line is outstanding. It is fifth in rushing success rate and top-25 in pressure rate. The Cougars’ offense is first in the sport on third down. Houston’s defense is not its strong suit, ranking 99th in yards per play and 124th in percent of plays that go 20+ yards. It is also awful in the red zone, which isn’t a great sign against a Utah offense that can attack you in so many ways. The Utes have unique formations and use multiple quarterbacks to run some funky plays. It’s disorienting to go up against. Utah is also seventh in points per drive, great on third down and doesn’t allow a ton of QB hits. I think we witness a track meet in Salt Lake City.