Could this be the year the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1 SU and ATS) finally win another major bowl game? They’ve made some big strides in their seven-plus seasons under head coach Brian Kelly, one of the most respected minds in the business. But success at the highest levels of college football has eluded them thus far. If the Irish want a crack at this year’s College Football Playoff, they’ll almost certainly have to beat the No. 11 USC Trojans (6-1 SU, 1-6 ATS) this Saturday, kicking off from South Bend at 7:30 PM ET on NBC. Notre Dame is a 3.5-point home favorite on the NCAAF odds board.

Here are some more key matchups on Saturday’s Week 8 college football betting schedule, all times Eastern:
 

No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Longhorns (noon, ABC)

They lost the Red River Showdown to Oklahoma, but the Longhorns (3-3 SU, 4-1-1 ATS) beat the NCAAF lines as 9-point underdogs on neutral ground, and they’ve got a puncher’s chance this Saturday against the visiting Cowboys (5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS). Texas opened at +7, then briefly moved to +7.5 before settling back to +7 on the college football lines at press time.
 

Tennessee Volunteers at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (3:30 PM, CBS)

There’s no doubt the Crimson Tide (7-0 SU, 3-4 ATS) are the top team in college football, but they’re 1-4 ATS this year when laying more than 25 points, and they’re 36.5-point favorites over Tennessee (3-3 SU, 1-5 ATS) after opening at –34.

 

No. 19 Michigan Wolverines at No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions (7:30 PM, ABC)

It’s been a long and painful rebuilding process for Penn State (6-0 SU, 4-1-1 ATS). They’re the best team in the Big Ten at the moment; the Wolverines (5-1 SU, 2-3-1 ATS) have a little more work to do for head coach Jim Harbaugh, and they’re 9.5-point dogs for Saturday’s matchup, down from +10 at the open.
 

Colorado Buffaloes at No. 15 Washington State Cougars (10:45 PM, ESPN)

The Cougars (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) were one of several ranked teams that were defeated in Week 7. They’ll probably have to run the table just to get a shot at the CFP, and they’ll start with Colorado (4-3 SU, 2-5 ATS), who moved from +10.5 to +10 while the total fell four points to 52.

 

*Odds as of October 20, 2017