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 online. 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
