As we head into Week 8 of the college football season. We are getting ever closer to the point where the Playoff Committee makes their feelings known. All told, the committee will deliver 6 sets of rankings, with the first of those due on November 1, so not a lot of time for teams sitting below the playoff line to make an impression. The reality is that the teams currently up in the top 4 would probably all still be there if the committee were voting today, but as we have seen throughout this season, fortunes can change rather quickly. Just ask Alabama how things are going for them right now. Anyway, it’s time to look ahead to Week 8, where we have a trio of SU picks coming your way so you can get ready to bet against the College Football Odds for this week.
Week 8 Straight-Up Picks | 2022 College Football Betting Predictions
Rutgers Scarlet Knights over Indiana Hoosiers
We get the SU picks rolling with a game that might not necessarily be on your radar. Indiana has started the season at 3-4, while the Scarlet Knights are 3-3 and coming off a bye week. Both of these teams have been a little unpredictable this season, which is perhaps why the bookies have this one as being tight, with Rutgers in as a 3 ½ point home favorite. Indiana has won 5 of their last 6 meetings with Rutgers, but I am going in the opposite direction with this pick, which is admittedly a little risky. The one trend that has me convinced is that Rutgers has covered in 7 of their last 8 games after a bye week.
Houston Cougars over Navy Midshipmen
The Cougars come into this game at 3-3 on the season, and while that is certainly a little disappointing, this is a team that has still won 15 of their last 19 games. They also have a winning record on the road this season. On the flipside, you have Navy sitting at 2-4 and on a losing record at home. Houston has had their way against teams from the AAC, winning 9 of the last 11 meetings, plus they have won 4 of their last 5 games against Navy. The Midshipmen have not been good in their own building of late and have won just 1 of their last 6 games at home, so they are definitely a fragile bunch at the moment. I am all over Houston in this one.
Ball State Cardinals over Eastern Michigan Eagles
We are digging a little deeper and going to lesser games in Week 8 to try and find some winners, and I think we have a good one here. Both of these teams are evenly matched and are sitting on the same 4-3 record. The difference here is that Ball State are rolling at the moment and are winners of 3 in a row, which has them sitting near the top of the West Division in the Mid-American Conference. EMU is 1-2 in conference play and look to be in a hole that is too deep to get out of, although a win here might give them some hope. Ball State is 12-5 SU in their last 17 conference games and I think they improve on that record this weekend.
We knew it was going to be an interesting 2022 NASCAR season as the Cup Series switched over to the Next Gen car, and that indeed was the case as 19 different drivers won a race this past year. Some people love the parity, while others think that the new setup favors being lucky rather than good.
The 2022 NASCAR postseason was interesting, with the first four races being won by non-playoff drivers. Eventually, the cream did rise to the top, with Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson winning races down the stretch.
Even with all the parity during the regular season, few people could argue that Joey Logano was an undeserving 2022 Cup Series champion. Logano had three wins during the regular NASCAR season and two in the playoffs, but now the question becomes, can he repeat in 2023? Let’s take a look at this analysis for your NASCAR bets.
What to expect in the upcoming 2023 NASCAR season?
2023 Team Changes
There has always been some swapping of teams in the offseason in NASCAR, but it’s almost getting to be like an MLB trade deadline the way drivers are realigned for the 2023 season.
The biggest move is Kyle Gibbs going from Joe Gibbs Racing, where he’s been since 2008, and heading to Richard Childress Racing. This is the equivalent of Tom Brady leaving the Patriots.Other big team changes for 2023 include Tyler Reddick leaving RCR for 23XI. This isn’t a shock because Busch was coming over, and Reddick had announced his departure in 2024, but Kurt Busch’s retirement from a full-time driver pushed up the timeline.
It’s not just ‘trades’ that are going to make 2023 interesting, but also full-time debuts. The two biggest names moving to the Cup Series full-time are Ty Gibbs, who replaces Busch at his grandfather’s JGR club, and Noah Gragson, coming off one of the more successful Xfinity regular seasons in recent memory to drive full-time for Petty GMS. A.J. Allmendinger is also returning to the Cup Series full-time for the first time since 2018.
Who Will Win the 2023 Cup Series?
It will be interesting to see if the parity of 19 different drivers winning last season calms down in year two of the Next Gen car or if that’s just how NASCAR is going to be moving forward. Logano (+650) showed a mastery of the new racing format, so he’s obviously a favorite to become the first back-to-back winner since Jimmie Johnson in 2009/2010.
The co-favorites to win the 2023 Cup Series are Chase Elliott and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson at +600. Elliott made the final four this season, and he and Larson won the Cup Series in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Other contenders for some 2023 NASCAR Cup Series future bets are Christopher Bell (+800), who was a championship four finalist after getting hot with two wins in the playoffs. Ryan Blaney (+850) will be a hot pick as well, even though he failed to pick up a win last season.
Maybe 2023 is the year that some old dogs return to top form, too, as Denny Hamlin (+1000) had two wins in 2022 but another ten top-five finishes. Maybe a change of scenery gets Busch (+2000) back on track.
Buckle up; the Daytona 500 is right around the corner.
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