Week 8 is upon us and the experts at MJQ headquarters are coming off their best week of the season, truly hitting our stride as we enter the second half. How about a combined 7-2-1 last week for 5.44 units? Incredible. Q and DPJ are a combined 35-18-2 on the year in CFB which equates to a 66% clip, totaling over 14 units. Business is boomin’. We look to stay hot here with a full slate of picks and write ups to help you stack those units. As always…bet smarter, not harder.

DPJ’s Best Bets (After Week 7: 20-10-2, +8.80 Units)

The Vols head south to Bryant-Denny Stadium for their biggest game of the year so far against #11 Alabama. This Tennessee team has been a steep departure from last year’s squad on the offensive side of the ball, with Joe Milton continuing to struggle in the passing game (212 ypg, 143rd in the country). They’re still running the ball quite well, but what’s been most impressive is their defense. They’re allowing 327 ypg which is good for 58th best in the country, down significantly from the 405 ypg they allowed in 2022. They haven’t allowed more than 20 points aside from their loss at Florida in week 3, and let’s be honest…there is some voodoo magic that the Gators tap into when the Vols come down to the Swamp. All that being said, I think Tenneessee will hang with Alabama all afternoon and hanging on to 8.5 points will feel like a blessing. Bama will run the ball and control the line of scrimmage all game but I’ll be shocked if they run up the score on the Vols. If all goes as planned, Tennessee should even have a shot to win this one at the end. Score Prediction: Tennessee 24 – Alabama 27

It is awfully tough to pick against this high-flying Florida State team but 14.5 points is simply too many points for them to be giving to a solid Duke team. The Blue Devils opened the season with a huge upset over Clemson, and since then they’ve run through their schedule with relative ease and even hung with Notre Dame for four quarters. Their stout defense will get another test on the road in Tallahassee as it will be all hands on deck to slow down heisman-hopeful Jordan Travis and Co. Aside from once again loving the 14.5 points, Duke should be able to run the ball enough and slow this one down enough to cover the spread with relative ease. Even if FSU opens up a three score lead, Duke will have the backdoor wide open for a cover. Duke’s a football school now folks. Score Prediction: Duke 23 – FSU 30.

If you haven’t noticed yet, Q and I have a borderline addiction to betting on the Mountain West conference. I don’t know what it is this year, but we’ve had units on the likes of Wyoming, Airforce, SDSU, Hawaii, Nevada and Fresno State seemingly every week. I’m going back to the well with a bet that involves two of the worst teams in CFB this year. 0-6 Nevada heads into SoCal to take on the 3-4 Aztecs at Snapdragon Stadium. Let’s take a moment to appreciate how ridiculous it is that Qualcomm named a football stadium after one of their processing chips aka ‘Snapdragon’. What the hell. Anyway, these teams both give up 450+ ypg to opponents and even though both their offenses stink, I think the lack of defense will still open things up enough to go over 47.5. The Aztecs will likely open up an early lead so it will be Nevada’s job to rack up some points in the second half. I think they’re up to the task. Score Prediction: SDSU 31 – Nevada 23. 

Michigan @ Michigan State – Saturday 10/21 (7:30 PM EST)
Pick: Michigan -24 (-110) (1 unit)

Q’s Best Bets (After Week 7: 15-8, +5.81 Units)

Penn State @ Ohio State – Saturday, 10/21 (12:00 PM EST)
Pick: Penn State +5 (-110) (0.75 units) & Penn State Moneyline (+170) (0.25 units)

Man oh man have I had this one circled on my calendar ever since Ohio State barely escaped South Bend with a victory weeks ago. Points should come at a premium in this one which should be an all out defensive slug fest. Two of the best defenses in the country square off on Saturday in an opportunity for the Nittany Lions to show the country how much of a contender they really are. Ohio State, and really Kyle McCord specifically, have felt fraudulent all year and now they face a Penn State secondary that will give anyone trouble (yes, Marvin Harrison Jr included) and a defensive front that should eat up an already somewhat underperforming Buckeyes backfield. While it’s hard to back Penn State’s offense too much given how bad most of their have opponents have been so far this year, I do think they have a solid run game that should give Ohio State fits and could be the key factor in a game featuring two elite defenses and two average at best QBs. Ohio State has won 10 of the last 11 matchups between these two teams and nobody knows that better than Penn State. Fun fact, only 4 teams in the country are still undefeated against the spread this year coming into Week 8. Guess who’s on that list? I’ll give you a hint… not Ohio State. Penn State in a close one for my favorite upset of the week. Score Prediction: Penn State 23 – Ohio State 20.

Utah @ USC – Saturday, 10/21 (8:00 PM EST)
Pick: USC -6.5 (-110) (1 unit)

Ultimate revenge/rebound spot for the Trojans this week as they catch the wounded Utes at home after an embarrassing loss to Notre Dame last week and two losses in a row to Utah last season. I think we all felt like USC was going to drop a game eventually so the Notre Dame debacle isn’t a huge surprise but that same poor showing in South Bend now offers us value in their follow up game in Week 8. USC’s defense has left fans wanting this season but they still have one of the best offenses in the country. Utah is banged up on both sides of the ball right now, will likely still not have Cam Rising and they usually don’t play quite up to their potential on the road vs at home. All signs point to USC putting up numbers in the Coliseum Saturday against an unfortunate Utah squad caught in the crosshairs. Score Prediction: USC 34 – Utah 20.

Disclaimer: SidehustlebetsMJQ.com is not an online gambling operator or a gambling site of any kind. Our insights about sports/sports betting are purely for entertainment purposes only.