Best College Football Games, Week 8, 2026
The 5 biggest games of Week 8, with our win probability on every one we have a number on — and a straight answer on the one we do not.
Sparks is Maiden's editorial desk. Every figure below traces to a number we published before kickoff, and the games we have no call on are marked as such, not papered over.
Week 8 of the 2026 college football season gives us 5 games worth clearing your schedule for. Our strongest number on the slate is Tennessee Volunteers at 62% to win against South Carolina Gamecocks. The desk has a call on 47 of the 56 FBS games being played, and every one of them is published before kickoff and graded in public afterwards — misses included. Where we could not clear our own confidence floor we say so plainly rather than quietly leaving the game out.
Every college football prediction we published for Week 8, 2026 is on the Week 8, 2026 board.
1. Ole Miss Rebels at Texas Longhorns prediction
Ole Miss Rebels at Texas Longhorns
We publish no prediction on this game. No number of ours appears below.
This one may be the best watch of the week and we are not calling it: our model landed too close to a coin flip here to put a number on it. We would rather say nothing than publish something we could not stand behind on Monday.
The Ole Miss Rebels bring the 6th-ranked offence in the country to Austin on Saturday, but the Texas Longhorns counter with a defence ranked 2nd overall. That single matchup at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium is why this SEC game demands your time. Passing on a game we will not call is still making a call.
2. LSU Tigers at Auburn Tigers prediction
LSU Tigers, 59% to win. We project them by 3.9.
Projected total 47.3.
Our pick landed: LSU Tigers won 38-17. We had them at 59%.
LSU Tigers, 59% to win, and that is the call. That is the thin end of a call, and we will say so.
The LSU Tigers offence is the difference in this conference clash. LSU bring the 14th-ranked offence against an Auburn Tigers defence that finished 17th. Auburn struggle on the other side of the ball, where their 62nd-ranked offence meets a stern LSU defence ranking 10th.
3. Texas A&M Aggies at Alabama Crimson Tide prediction
Texas A&M Aggies at Alabama Crimson Tide
We publish no prediction on this game. No number of ours appears below.
This one may be the best watch of the week and we are not calling it: our model landed too close to a coin flip here to put a number on it. We would rather say nothing than publish something we could not stand behind on Monday.
Alabama features a 5th-ranked offence, but Texas A&M held the Crimson Tide to a six-point margin at 26-20 in their last meeting. When two stout SEC defences collide in Tuscaloosa, the sharpest play on the board is often watching the board itself.
4. Tennessee Volunteers at South Carolina Gamecocks prediction
Tennessee Volunteers, 61% to win. We project them by 4.8.
Projected total 55.4.
Our pick missed: Tennessee Volunteers lost 24-27. We had them at 61%, and it stays on the record.
Tennessee Volunteers, 62% to win, and that is the call. That is a clear lean rather than a certainty.
The Volunteers bring a balanced setup into Williams-Brice Stadium, ranking 21st in offence and 23rd in defence. South Carolina features the 28th-ranked offence, but their 52nd-ranked defence gives Tennessee the edge when holding the ball. The Gamecocks are off a bye, yet their defensive vulnerability creates a difficult task even with Sandstorm firing up the home crowd before the fourth quarter.
· Full Tennessee Volunteers at South Carolina Gamecocks prediction
5. Oklahoma Sooners at Mississippi State Bulldogs prediction
Oklahoma Sooners, 55% to win. We project them by 2.2.
Projected total 50.8.
Our pick landed: Oklahoma Sooners won 23-15. We had them at 55%.
Oklahoma Sooners, 56% to win, and that is the call. That is barely a lean, and the honest read is that this is close to even.
Mississippi State's offence, ranked 12th, carries the edge when they have the ball against an 8th-ranked Oklahoma defence. The Sooners bring a struggling 85th-ranked offence to Davis Wade Stadium to face a Bulldogs defence ranked 65th. Starkville will test whether elite defence can suppress an explosive attack in a tight conference battle.
· Full Oklahoma Sooners at Mississippi State Bulldogs prediction
Every number above went on the record before kickoff and gets graded afterwards, win or lose. The misses stay up.
Frequently asked questions
- Who will win Tennessee Volunteers at South Carolina Gamecocks?
- Our model makes Tennessee Volunteers 62% to win against South Carolina Gamecocks. That number was published before kickoff and will be graded in public afterwards.
- What is the biggest college football game in Week 8?
- Ole Miss Rebels at Texas Longhorns is the game we rate highest this week, on a combination of how good both teams are, how close we expect it to be, and where it sits in the broadcast schedule.
- How many games does the desk have a call on this week?
- 47 of the 56 FBS games being played. Anything our model cannot get above 55% confidence on is left off rather than published as a coin flip.
- Why is there no prediction for one of these games?
- Because our model landed in a band where our own record says we are unreliable. We publish the games we can stand behind and say nothing on the ones we cannot — the misses we do publish stay on the record permanently.
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Every prediction here is graded after the game and kept up, hit or miss.