Gambling lines, viewing options, and potential wagers: Gamecocks at Aggies, WVU at TCU and more!

Courtesy of Texas Tech

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Ready or not, Week 8 of the college football season is upon us and there are nine games on the slate for in-state FBS programs. UTSA hopes to move to 8-0 after a trip to Louisiana Tech. TCU needs a win to keep bowl hopes alive. SMU and Houston must win against inferior opponents to set up a big-game feel when the two programs face off on Oct. 30. And Texas Tech could reach six wins with a victory over Kansas State. 

We provide the gambling lines, viewing options and potential wagers for each of the games involving FBS programs from Texas.  

Lines provided by Bovada. Baylor, Texas, and UTEP are idle in Week 8. 

SMU vs. Tulane, Thursday, 6:30 p.m., ESPN

Line: SMU -14, O/U 70.5

Preview: The midweek game shouldn’t impact SMU in a negative way because the Mustangs were idle in Week 7. SMU (6-0) hosts Tulane (1-5) in hopes of moving to 3-0 in AAC play. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai is tied for the NCAA lead with 26 touchdown passes. In his first year as a Mustang, Mordecai is leading an offense averaging 40.7 points per game. He’s only been sacked once in 228 passing attempts. 

The SMU defense shouldn’t struggle to stop Tulane. The Green Wave are on a four-game losing streak and are 0-2 in conference play. The Tulane offense averages 33.2 points per game, but that number is skewed by the 69 points scored against Morgan State in the team’s only win. The 241 points allowed by the defense is the most in the conference. 

Craven’s Wager: SMU -14, O 70.5

Texas Tech vs. Kansas State, Saturday, 11 a.m., FS1

Line: Texas Tech -1, O/U 60.5

Preview: The Red Raiders must reach a bowl game or head coach Matt Wells’ tenure in Lubbock is likely over. Texas Tech (5-2) just needs one more win to reach bowl eligibility and a home game against Kansas State (3-3) is the best shot remaining. The four games after Kansas State are Oklahoma, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. Tech does enter the game with momentum after beating Kansas 41-14 in Week 7. 

Beating Kansas State requires stopping the run and that’s been a weak spot for Texas Tech for most of recent history. The Red Raiders allowed 336 yards rushing in a loss to Texas and 394 yards rushing in a loss to TCU. Kansas State’s best player is running back Deuce Vaughn. The Round Rock native has 543 yards and five touchdowns on 108 carries in 2021.  

Craven’s Wager: Kansas State +1, O 60.5 

Texas State at Georgia State, Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN+

Line: Texas State +10.5, O/U 60.5

Preview: The Bobcats wilted in the fourth quarter of their Week 7 loss to Troy when quarterback Brady McBride threw a couple of costly interceptions late in the game. Texas State (2-4) is a double-digit underdog on the road against a Georgia State squad that is better than its 2-4 record indicates. Georgia State’s four losses are to Army, North Carolina, Auburn, and Appalachian State.  The wins were over Charlotte and Louisiana Monroe. 

Craven’s Wager: Georgia State +10.5

Rice at UAB, Saturday, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+

Line: Rice +23, O/U 45

Preview: The Owls were dominated in a Week 7 loss at UTSA. The road doesn’t get any easier for Rice (2-4) with a trip to UAB (5-2) on Saturday. Rice was shut out 45-0 against the Roadrunners and only managed to gain 102 yards of total offense. The UAB defense is stout, allowing just 11.6 points per game in three conference wins. Rice is only averaging 16 points per game despite a 48-point performance in a win over Texas Southern. UAB is one of the favorites to win Conference USA. 

Craven’s Wager: UAB -23 

Houston vs. East Carolina, Saturday, 3 p.m., ESPNU

Line: Houston -13.5, O/U 58

Preview: The Cougars are on a five-game winning streak since dropping their opener to Texas Tech. The success should be credited to a balanced offense, explosive special teams and a defense that is becoming one of the best units in America. Clayton Tune controls the offense with 1,258 yards and 10 touchdown passes. Alton McCaskill, a true freshman, is emerging into a star at running back. Houston is outscoring conference opponents 113-52 and the Cougars are the only team in the AAC to reach the 3-0 mark in conference play. 

East Carolina (3-3) is 1-1 in conference play with a victory over Tulane and a loss to UCF. Quarterback Holton Ahlers has thrown for 1,485 yards and eight touchdowns, but he has thrown six interceptions. As a team, the Pirates average 29.5 points per game and have given up 21 sacks in six games. That is good news for a Houston squad that registered eight sacks in a Week 6 win over Tulane. 

Craven’s Wager: Houston -13.5

North Texas vs. Liberty, Saturday, 3 p.m., ESPN+

Line: North Texas +21.5, O/U 60.5

Preview: North Texas (1-5) is a program collapsing in year six under head coach Seth Littrell. Those two back-to-back nine-win seasons feel like distant memory. The Mean Green trailed Marshall 42-7 at halftime of the loss last week. Running back Deandre Torrey is the team’s only explosive weapon offensively. North Texas can’t consistently pass the football and the defense looked slow against Marshall. That’s a bad combination with Liberty (5-2) in town. Quarterback Malik Willis leads Liberty in passing and rushing.  

Craven’s Wager: Liberty -21 (buy the hook)

UTSA at Louisiana Tech, Saturday, 6 p.m., 

Line: UTSA -7, O/U 60

Preview: This is a contest between two programs heading in opposite directions on and off the football field. UTSA (7-0) is ranked for the first time and likely ditching Conference USA for a spot in the AAC. Louisiana Tech (2-4) enters the game on a two-game losing streak. Its only two wins came against Southeastern Louisiana and North Texas. The Bulldogs lost 19-3 last week against UTEP. The Roadrunners field a balanced offense and a defense that’s shut out two opponents in 2021. UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor needs his team to avoid a letdown on the road after a week of pats on the back. 

Craven’s Wager: Louisiana Tech +7 

South Carolina at Texas A&M, Saturday, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network

Line: Texas A&M -21, O/U 45

Preview: Jimbo Fisher is starting to lean on his running back duo of Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller to be Texas A&M’s offensive identity and the decision resulted in wins over Alabama and Missouri. The two combined for 36 carries in the win over Missouri and 31 touches against Alabama. That recipe, combined with a stellar defense, should be all Texas A&M needs to extend its winning streak to three games. 

Craven’s Wager: Texas A&M -21, O 45

TCU vs. West Virginia, Saturday, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Line: TCU -4.5, O/U 57

Preview: The Horned Frogs wasted an excellent offensive performance by quarterback Max Duggan in a loss to Oklahoma. The once feared defense of TCU (3-3) is now routinely giving up 30-plus points in nearly every game against Power Five competition. Oklahoma put up 52 points and 525 yards of total offense, including 230 on the ground. The good news for TCU is that the West Virginia (2-4) offense is amongst the worst in the Big 12. If the Horned Frogs are more concerned about their opponent than fan blogs, TCU should roll. A loss would cause alarm in Fort Worth and make reaching a bowl game a tough challenge. TCU still has Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State on the schedule. 

Craven’s Wager: TCU -4.5

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