College Football Week 8 Betting Report: The Public Is Going ‘Anti-Michigan’

Last week, the public betting masses generally laid off Indiana and piled on Ohio State. They were proven correct, with the Buckeyes winning 19-15 as 2.5-point favorites. In college football Week 8 odds, though, bettors appear to be back on the Hoosiers … sort of. “It’s more about the matchup. The public is making a bit more of an anti-Michigan play, even with Indiana’s struggles against the spread,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. Bookmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, along with Ole Miss vs. Texas and more in college football Week 8 betting. 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. No. 5 Indiana nearly tumbled in Week 6 at Nebraska, rallying for a 20-17 victory after trailing 17-6 in the fourth quarter. In Week 7 at home vs. Ohio State, the Hoosiers’ luck ended, and with it their 22-game win streak. Indiana is now 6-1 straight up (SU), but more telling, 1-6 against the spread (ATS), after being a consistently solid bet for the masses in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. For Week 8, Caesars Sports opened Indiana as a 7.5-point favorite vs. Michigan (4-2 SU/2-4 ATS), in a noon ET kickoff. But the first move went toward the home underdog Wolverines, with the Hoosiers dipping to -7 on Sunday and still sitting at -7 on Thursday morning. “There was sharp money on Michigan +7.5,” Feazel said. That said, the public is back on Indiana this week. Or at least, as Feazel noted above, making the anti-Michigan play, with the Wolverines on an 0-3 ATS skid and not exactly looking impressive this season. “We did see a lot of public Ohio State action last week,” Feazel said. “But this week, we’re only seeing one-way traffic on the Indiana side, and we expect that to continue. “Michigan has not been a public darling this year.” True freshman Tommy Carr is expected to start for the Wolverines. Coach Kyle Whittinghan benched Bryce Underwood at halftime last week vs. Penn State, and Carr came on to lead a 21-18 victory. Not a week goes by without a big SEC game, and there are often two or three. That’s again the case this week, with No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 19 Texas leading the way. The Longhorns (4-2 SU/1-5 ATS) have surprisingly lost two in a row, despite being solid favorites both times. In Week 6, Texas tumbled to Oklahoma 27-24 as a 7.5-point neutral-site favorite. In Week 7, Texas closed -13.5 at home vs. Florida, built a 17-3 second-quarter lead, then gave it all away in another 27-24 loss. Conversely, the Rebels (5-1 SU/3-3 ATS) are coming off an impressive 31-3 wipeout of Missouri as 3.5-point home favorites. Caesars opened Texas -3.5 vs. Ole Miss in college football Week 8 odds, for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday. The line backed up to Texas -3 on Monday, then returned to -3.5 on  Tuesday, where it remained Thursday morning. But the masses are wary of the Longhorns, who have failed to cover in their last five games. “Texas action is starting to peel back,” Feazel said. “So far this week, it’s two-way action. A couple weeks ago, this would’ve been all Texas. Arch Manning hasn’t shown that pedigree, and bettors are now starting to react to that. “We’ll probably still need Ole Miss at the end of the day. But action is not as one-sided as it would’ve been if Texas was undefeated.” Feazel also noted the total climbed from 52.5 to 54.5, with sharp play on the Over at 52.5 and 53.5. Last week, college football betting expert Paul Stone expected a lower-scoring game between Ohio State and Indiana, and indeed it was. Stone was on Under 51, and the two teams combined for just 34 points. This week, he’s involved with a late-night Big 12 showdown: No. 14 Houston (6-1 SU/3-4 ATS) vs. No. 10 Utah (6-0 SU/5-1 ATS), at 10:15 p.m. ET Saturday. Utah is a consensus 6.5-point home favorite in the pivotal Big 12 matchup, with potential playoff implications. Stone views the teams as being virtually even and recommends taking underdog Houston and the points. “Houston went toe-to-toe with Texas Tech in Lubbock back in Week 3, losing 28-26, and has faced the more difficult schedule,” Stone said. “Utah has handled its business against a fairly friendly schedule. So I’m not sure we know exactly who the Utes are at this point. “I view this as a four-quarter game going down to the final possession.” Speaking of Cougars-Utes … At Caesars Sports, Utah has been painted to -6.5 all week, with no movement on the spread. And betting so far supports that stable line. “It’s really balanced action,” Feazel said. “There’s probably not going to be a really big need for us on either side. But more people are leaning into the Over. So we’ll just need a lower-scoring game.” Caesars’ total is at 56.5, also unchanged from the opening number, as of Thursday morning. In another Big 12 contest, No. 8 Texas Tech (6-0 SU/3-3 ATS) visits Cincinnati (4-2 SU/3-3 ATS) in a noon ET Saturday kickoff on FS1. Caesars opened the Red Raiders as 11.5-point road favorites, with a total of 55.5, and neither number lasted long this week. “We got a little bit of sharp action on Cincinnati +11.5 and Over 55.5,” Feazel said, noting he moved Texas Tech to -10.5 and the total to 56.5. “There’s slightly more Texas Tech action on the spread, and people are jumping on the Bearcats moneyline.” On Thursday morning, that moneyline was +340, meaning a Cincinnati outright upset would pay $340 on a $100 bet. “Right now, we’re needing a bit of a Super Bowl middle — Texas Tech winning and Cincy covering the spread,” Feazel said. “But Texas Tech will be a popular option on moneyline parlays.” Meaning Caesars might not mind a Bearcats victory, to blow up those parlays early in the day.