College Football Parlay Predictions, Odds Week 8: Will Service Academies Buck Under Trend?

sportsbookreview.com

19 October 2023

We scour the markets to put together a three-leg college football parlay each week that provides excellent returns, and we've done so again with the college football parlay predictions for Week 8 based on the best NCAAF odds from our best sports betting apps.

The three-leg parlay in Week 7 wasn't particularly varied, focusing only on totals. However, our Week 8 parlay encompasses three distinct markets, featuring a total, a spread, and a first-half spread. If the wager proves successful, it will yield odds of +485.

To accompany our college football predictions for Week 8, here are our best college football parlay predictions for Week 8 (odds via our best college football betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

College football parlay predictions: Week 8

(Odds via DraftKings)

Air Force-Navy Over 35 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐
Tulane (-19) vs. North Texas (-110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Minnesota +3.5 alternate first half spread vs. Iowa (-165) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets

Not intended for use in MA Affiliate Disclosure: Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook

College football parlay Week 8

Air Force-Navy Over 35 (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

During college football season, one of the most notable trends is the high profitability of betting the Under in games involving the three service academies (Air Force, Army, and Navy). In matches between two service academies since 2005, the Under has prevailed 43 times out of 54, highlighting the teams' run-dominant offenses and the defenses' familiarity with the triple-option attack.

That's a shift to monitor closely in contests involving Army during 2023, as the Black Knights have moved away from the triple option as their foundation. But we still expect a higher-scoring game between Air Force and Navy, even if those squads remain true to the triple option.

Air Force has been so dominant in 2023 that it's ranked in The AP top 25 for the first time since 2019, going 6-0 to start the year for the first time since 2002. During that 2002 season, the Falcons averaged 40.5 points per game throughout their undefeated start despite playing three Power Five teams. They also averaged 34.1 points per contest while ranked multiple times in 2019.

This ranked Air Force team is enjoying plenty of offensive success too while averaging 37 points per game and leading the country with 334.2 rushing yards per contest (nearly 60 more yards per matchup than the next-closest team).

The Falcons could cash this Over by themselves, especially when facing a Navy defense that's allowed 31.3 points per game during its only three outings against opponents ranked in the top 100 of SP+. Any offense Navy can provide is a bonus, but Midshipmen have scored 10 or fewer points in their previous three meetings with Air Force.

Tulane -19 vs. North Texas (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Entering the season, Tulane was the most successful against-the-spread team as a favorite since 2014 (37-15 for a 71.2% cover rate). The Green Wave are still a profitable 3-2 as favorites in 2023, and they now face a North Texas squad that's covered half of its six games this season.

North Texas is coming off its first-ever AAC win against Temple during Week 7, and the Mean Green's defense is leaky. It's been exposed for 43 points per game through the team's first four outings.

But the North Texas defense is so bad that a game against Temple kicked off with the highest total (70 points) of any contest on the Week 7 slate. So we expect a Tulane offense that's scored 27-plus points in 12 straight games to run wild.

Quarterback Michael Pratt rebounded from back-to-back games below 200 passing yards and PFF grades of under 70 in each to throw for 259 yards and his highest yards per attempt (8.4) since coming back from an injury three weeks ago. We expect him to lead the Green Wave to a significant win and a cover.

Minnesota +3.5 alternate first-half spread vs. Iowa (-165 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The true first-half spread on this Big Ten tilt is Iowa -1.5, so taking an extra two points on the alternate line now matches the +3.5 for the full-game spread. With the first-half total being 16.5 points, getting more than a field goal is extremely advantageous in what should be a brutal game to watch offensively.

Iowa's passing attack is virtually non-existent entering this game, especially with tight end Erick All set to miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. All is Iowa’s leading receiver in terms of receptions (21) and yards (299), and with fellow tight end Luke Lachey out indefinitely, a passing offense that ranks last nationally at 116.6 yards per game will suffer even more.

Minnesota is 0-3 ATS during Big Ten games in 2023, while Iowa has covered during four of its five games following a win. However, this is a solid four-star play because the Hawkeyes might not even score more than three points over the first 30 minutes.

College football parlay picks made 10/18/2023 at 4:24 p.m. ET.