College football odds, lines, bets, predictions for Week 8, 2021: Proven simulation picks Notre Dame, Indiana

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The Week 8 college football schedule is light on big-time matchups, with no ranked teams playing each other. But that doesn't mean it's light on stakes. In a line virtually nobody saw coming in the preseason, No. 23 Pittsburgh is 3.5-point favorite against unranked Clemson, according to the Week 8 college football odds at Caesars Sportsbook.

The Panthers are 5-1 this season and 4-1 against the spread vs. FBS competition, and have an offense that's come to life under quarterback Kenny Pickett. Is this a spot to take advantage of getting points with Clemson, or will Pitt roll? And which other Week 8 college football spreads and totals should you target in your bets? Before making any Week 8 college football picks, be sure to see the latest college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 8 of the 2021 season on a 22-9 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest Week 8 college football odds from Caesars and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top Week 8 college football predictions

One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for Week 8: No. 13 Notre Dame (-7) covers against USC in a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff in South Bend. The schools took a break from their storied rivalry due to the pandemic in 2020, but they are now set to meet once again. USC has lost its last four games at Notre Dame and is playing under an interim head coach. Notre Dame has only lost one contest this season -- a 24-13 setback to then-No. 7 Cincinnati three weeks ago.

The Fighting Irish picked up a 32-29 win over Virginia Tech in their most recent outing. USC has struggled defensively at times this year, allowing an average of 43 points in its three losses. SportsLine's model has Notre Dame covering in 60 percent of simulations.

Another one of the college football predictions from the model: Indiana (+21) stays within the three-score spread against No. 5 Ohio State in a 7:30 p.m. ET kick. While the Hoosiers have struggled mightily on offense this season and got blown out by Iowa and Penn State, they also have stayed within two scores against top-10 squads Michigan State and Cincinnati.

That sets up a game against the Buckeyes where Indiana might be able to keep things closer than many observers might think. Indiana makes offenses work for it, and has only allowed one opponent to get more than 210 yards through the air so far this season. SportsLine's model has Indiana covering the spread in over 60 percent of simulations, even if the Hoosiers only win the game outright in just over 20 percent of simulations.

How to make Week 8 college football picks

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game on the Week 8 college football schedule, and it's calling for a top-10 team to go down hard. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence? And which top-10 squad goes down hard? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,700 in profit over the past five-plus seasons, and find out.