Klatt weighs playoff stakes in Week 8 college football clashes

Week 8 Picks & Predictions: Indiana-Michigan, Ole Miss-Texas, LSU-Auburn, USC-Wisconsin & More

With several ranked matchups shaped by uneven form, road performance, and defensive questions, Klatt’s picks frame which games could alter the playoff picture.

3 key takeaways

1Indiana-Michigan turns on Indiana’s disciplined identity against a major test of its road and matchup profile.
2Ole Miss-Texas hinges on Ole Miss’s defense and Texas’s quarterback situation after replacing Arch Manning.
3LSU-Auburn and USC-Wisconsin join a crowded slate where defensive matchups and road struggles drive the against-the-spread picks.

Don't miss

Klatt’s opening contrast between Texas replacing Arch Manning, Ole Miss’s defense, and LSU’s road struggles establishes the episode’s central selection criteria.

The brief

Joel Klatt opens after a chaotic previous week by setting up Week 8’s biggest against-the-spread questions, including Texas’s quarterback change, Ole Miss’s defense, and LSU’s road struggles.

Indiana-Michigan becomes a test of whether Indiana’s disciplined, aggressive identity can translate against Michigan, with team form and matchup details shaping the pick.

The Ole Miss-Texas matchup centers on Ole Miss’s defense and Texas replacing Arch Manning, while the broader slate keeps playoff implications in view.

Klatt also evaluates Houston-Utah, LSU-Auburn, USC-Wisconsin, and Iowa-Minnesota, repeatedly weighing road performance against defensive matchups.

The episode’s through line is less about one marquee game than identifying which Week 8 teams can withstand pressure and cover the spread.

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