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Week 8 College Football Recap & Review

Written October 21, 2008 by Evan Altemus

Week 8 of the college football season didn’t see the national championship picture change, as Texas, Penn State, and Alabama all took care of business. USC, Oklahoma, and Ohio State all continued their rise in the polls as 1 loss teams. Let’s take a deeper look at the week 8 results and highlight some key pieces of information.

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This past weekend did not see any undefeated top 10 teams lose, but there were several games where unranked teams beat ranked teams. That trend should continue over the next few weeks, as there is a great deal of parody in college football this season, probably the most there has ever been. Maryland, Arizona, Boston College, and Virginia all won outright as underdogs this weekend over their ranked opponents. I am a firm believer that the Coaches Poll and A.P. Top 25 Poll are a complete joke. These rankings are by no means a measure of the best 25 teams in college football. However, they do allow opportunities with the college football lines for savvy bettors to have tremendous value taking unranked teams as underdogs going up against these over valued and mediocre ranked teams. Looking for situations to bet against teams ranked 10-25 in the weekly polls is an excellent strategy. These teams have usually strung together a few wins, but they become the hunted because of their ranking, especially in conference games. Underdogs are routinely able to beat conference opponents outright. These teams aren’t intimidated by their favored opponents, as they go up against them almost every season. Both teams are familiar with what the other wants to do, creating a much more even match-up. A perfect example is the USC/Oregon State game of a few weeks ago. The Beavers weren’t intimidated of the Trojans, and head coach Mike Riley had a good feel for what Pete Carroll’s game plan was going to be. Let’s take a look at some other facts to take away from week 8.

The upper echelon teams are beginning to establish themselves as national championship contenders. Texas and Penn State have looked the most impressive, but they both face very difficult schedules to end the season. As the season progresses, there may be very good football betting value in going against them in certain games, especially if they keep winning. However, I think the best value is going against the undefeated teams that aren’t on the same level as Texas and Penn State. Texas Tech, Alabama, Utah, Boise State, and Oklahoma State aren’t as good as the national media thinks they are. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of these teams lose in the next two or three weeks. In order to be a successful bettor, it is critical to ignore what the national media says about these undefeated teams. Last week, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Alabama all lost against the spread as double digit favorites. All of those teams were also ranked in the top 10. Penn State needed an 80 yard fluke screen pass late in the game to cover the spread against Michigan as well. Making football picks against the highest ranked teams can provide some excellent opportunities, evident by last week’s results.

Last week’s results show how you can use college football rankings to your advantage as a bettor. Going against these ranked teams can provide very profitable situations because of over priced favorites. Look for the national championship picture to continually change as the season progresses.

Get your college football picks from Evan Altemus this weekend to make a little extra cash.

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