Virginia Tech-Duke Odds Preview and Week 8 Upset Alerts

Lets start off by recapping last week's selections. My predictions were not very accurate, and it's back to the drawing board for me.

The Florida Gators were the only underdog I chose that covered their spread. Earlier in the week, I thought Virginia Tech would play a close game against Miami and felt on Saturday they would win outright. Unfortunately, that was not the case. My guaranteed upset picks went 0-2. USC put up a fight against Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish ended up running away with it. I was also fooled by Northwestern. After getting embarrassed by Michigan in the Big House, they were blown out at home by Iowa. The Wildcats have played a difficult schedule by their standards and might just be out of gas.

College football is full of upsets each week and that is what makes it so great. This weeks slate of games are very interesting, so I won't waste anymore time. Without further ado here is my preview of Virginia Tech's matchup and also which teams I believe are on upset alert.

No. 23 Duke at Virginia Tech -2.5: This line caught me by surprise when it came out. Duke is 5-1 with some quality wins under their belt. Virginia Tech on the other hand is 3-4 and is going in the complete opposite direction. The Hokies will get starting quarterback Michael Brewer back, and that's why Vegas has Frank Beamers squad favored. Virginia Tech gave away a game last week against Miami. They started out sloppy and could never recover. Duke is coming off a bye week and has not had much success against the Hokies. The Blue Devils have only won once in this series in the last ten meetings. With all that being said, I believe they win in Blacksburg rather easily. David Cutcliffe's squad was supposed to take a step back this year, but that has not been the case. Duke is ranked 4th in total defense and will bring pressure on Brewer all day. You just don't know which Virginia Tech team is going to show up. If you must, take Duke and the points.

Upset Alerts

Utah State -5 at San Diego State: Yes, that is a Mountain West Conference matchup you are going to read about. It's also a game that will kick off on Friday. Utah State just demolished Boise State last week. The Aggies were 7.5 point underdogs and won outright 52-26. Your probably wondering how are they on upset alert then. Well, let me tell you. Boise State turned the ball over a total of eight times-seven before halftime. That is just insane! Utah State will not be as lucky this week against San Diego State. This line is very fishy and as you can expect, the public is all over Utah State. The Aztecs are coming in as winners of three straight. I think this is a total letdown spot for the Aggies. I believe San Diego State will keep the game within a field goal and have a shot to win it at the end.

No.18 Memphis -10.5 at Tulsa: The Memphis Tigers just had one of their biggest wins in program history and now they have to go on the road and cover a double digit spread. I don't think so. Memphis is a very talented team, but if this isn't a letdown spot then I don't know what is. The Tigers are still recovering from celebrating the victory over Ole Miss. I don't think they lose, but they better be careful. Tulsa can score points in bunches and Memphis will need their defense to get some stops. If they don't, look for this game to be a back and forth shoot out. The Golden Hurricanes will look to play spoiler against the newly ranked Tigers. Tulsa will keep this game close until late in the fourth. Memphis will only win by one score.

Week 8 Guaranteed Upsets to Happen (2-6 YTD)

Kansas State at Texas -4.5: Gamblers are looking at this line and wondering if this is a gift from Vegas. That is exactly the reason why you don't take Texas. I like Charlie Strong as a head coach, and I hope he doesn't get run out of Austin. Texas loses this game though. Strong and his squad had a huge win against Oklahoma two weeks ago. The head coach was crowd surfing and for once was the hero. Kansas State on the other hand was just blown out by the Sooners 55-0 last Saturday. The Wildcats actually benched their quarterback and put a wide receiver under center. It was one of the worst performances we have ever seen from a Bill Snyder coached team. The head coach actually wrote a letter to fans apologizing for their performance against Oklahoma. Kansas State is great in the underdog role and Snyder will have his kids motivated to prove something. Throw stats out the window, records, and anything else. This is a selection based solely off the line. Kansas State strolls into Austin and leaves with a victory.

Wisconsin -6 at Illinois: Have you heard anyone talk about the Fighting Illini this year? After firing their head coach just before the season started, Illinois is two victories away from getting bowl eligible. How about Bill Cubit for coach of the year? Illinois is also coming off an impressive performance at Iowa and has had two weeks to prepare for this matchup. Wisconsin will be expected to win this game easily based off history alone. That is not the case. Illinois can put up points on offense and their defense is no slouch either. The Badgers might get Corey Clement back, but he won't be 100%. I think the Fighting Illini upset Wisconsin in Champagne and get a huge win for Cubit.