It was more of the same in Week 8 with a .500 record that keeps us below .500 on the season. At 21-27 I’m holding out hope for a miracle 6-0 week to get us back to even on the year. Hopefully we will be able to sift through this weekends slate of games and pick some winners. All odds and lines are according to DraftKings Sportsbook*.

Virginia Tech at North Carolina State (Under 39)

The Hokies have been struggling mightily in their first year under Head Coach Brent Pry, however, the defense has improved some over the course of this season. Meanwhile, what was expected to be a dangerous NC State offense with Devin Leary at the helm has failed to impress. This is a recipe for a low scoring contest in my mind and I expect the under to hit even with it being at only 39 points.

Notre Dame (+2.5) at Syracuse

Perhaps I’m doing to much of relying on hunches when it comes to these bets but I really think Notre Dame will head into the Dome up at Syracuse and beat the Orange. ‘Cuse wasn’t quite able to hold on last week against Clemson and while I think Dino Babers’ squad is a gifted team, I think they might be emotionally drained heading into this one. I like the Irish to cover the +2.5.

Oklahoma State (+1.5) at Kansas State

I understand that this is a very tough Kansas State team and that Manhattan is notoriously not a fun place for visiting teams in the Big 12 but I was still a bit surprised when I saw the line favoring the Wildcats here. I think it’ll be a close contest but I’m taking Oklahoma State to cover +1.5 and might sprinkle a bit on the moneyline as well.

Cincinnati (-1) at UCF

Cincinnati may have barely held on last week on the road against SMU but this is a UCF team who just got utterly decimated by East Carolina last week. Sure, the Bounce House down there in Orlando may be rocking but until proven otherwise - the Bearcats are top dog in the conference. I don’t see any way that Cincy doesn’t cover -1.

Northwestern at Iowa (Under 37)

Sure, the Iowa defense did finally cave last week against Ohio State but this matchup is much more favorable and I think if the under was 20 it still might hit. I have the under at 37 here.

Kentucky (+12.5) at Tennessee

There is no disputing that the Tennessee offense is elite this season. They can score on anyone at any time. However, I do think we might see a bit of a slow start from the Volunteers looking forward to their meeting with Georgia in Athens next week. I like Kentucky to cover +12.5.

Upset Special of the Week: Oregon at Cal (+625)

The Ducks are the undisputed favorites in the PAC-12 right now and flying high after a big win at home over UCLA. Sometimes those types of emotional wins can lead to a bit of a let down in the next week. The Golden Bears aren’t a great squad this year but they at least have a strong defensive identity that may cause issues for Oregon. I’m not confident in any of the big underdogs this week but for my moneyline sprinkle, I’m taking Cal.

Are there any teams you think might be on upset alert in Week 9? Let us know in the comments.

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.