College football Week 8 odds, picks against the spread:

Conference races and the College Football Playoff picture will come further into focus in Week 8 thanks to a handful of marquee matchups that highlight the slate. All eyes will be on the Horseshoe in Columbus for the top-10 showdown between the Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes.

The winner of that Big Ten showdown will not only stay undefeated but emerge as the primary competitor to the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten East. The favored Buckeyes have won six in a row over the Nittany Lions.

The third Saturday in October also brings the annual meeting between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers. Nick Saban’s team has quietly climbed back up in the polls and currently leads the SEC West while the underdog Volunteers look to make it two wins in a row over their longtime rivals for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Speaking of losing streaks, the Duke Blue Devils will try to end their 0-for against the Florida State Seminoles when the ACC foes clash in Tallahassee in prime time. FSU is a perfect 19-0 all-time vs. the Blue Devils and has won 12 straight games dating back to last October. The fourth-ranked Seminoles are heavy favorites to keep this streak alive, especially if Duke quarterback Riley Leonard misses another game because of an ankle injury.

The final top-25 tilt will take place out west with the USC Trojans looking to rebound at home against the Utah Utes. The Trojans are picking up the pieces after being blown out by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and now face a team that’s had their number recently. The Utes have won the last three meetings, including a convincing 47-24 victory in last season’s Pac-12 Championship Game.

Elsewhere the aforementioned Wolverines head to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. Four other undefeated teams are in action on Saturday (Washington, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Air Force) and all four are heavily favored. Undefeated James Madison has a tough test on Thursday at Marshall.

All games listed are on Saturday. Kickoff times are Eastern. Rankings are from the AP poll. All odds are from BetMGM.

No. 7 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State — noon on FOX

The college football world will be treated to a top-10 matchup this weekend when the Ohio State Buckeyes face the Penn State Nittany Lions. Both teams are College Football Playoff hopefuls, but the most immediate impact of Saturday’s clash will be in the Big Ten East standings, where Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan are all vying for supremacy. The Buckeyes are favored at home this weekend.

Penn State has played five games in the Horseshoe since it last won on the Buckeyes’ home field in 2011. Overall, Ohio State is 10-1 in the last 11 meetings and has won six straight.

The Nittany Lions couldn’t have asked for much more from sophomore quarterback Drew Allar in the first half of the season. Penn State has scored at least 30 points in every game, and Allar has thrown 12 touchdowns without an interception.

Penn State certainly has the defense to back him up, too. Among FBS teams, the Nittany Lions rank first in total yards allowed, first in passing defense and second in points allowed. Their 4.5 sacks per game top the leaderboard.

Ohio State comes into the matchup with a number of injuries to impact players. Cornerback Denzel Burke was injured last week against Purdue, and star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka did not play in the matchup. Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams were also out against Purdue, and Chip Trayanum left the game early. Still, the offense has fared well lately with 78 points over its past two games, and Kyle McCord has not thrown an interception since Ohio State’s opening game.

The Buckeyes have already been tested in a marquee game when they escaped Notre Dame with a last-second win on the road. This time, they’ll have home-field advantage. Meanwhile, Penn State’s best win so far is a home game against Iowa, which has been a laughing stock on offense.

No. 17 Tennessee at No. 11 Alabama — 3:30 p.m. on CBS

For the second straight season, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers will collide in a high-stakes showdown. Although neither team is undefeated, the Crimson Tide are leading the SEC West and need to keep winning to remain in the College Football Playoff conversation. They are near double-digit favorites at home against the Volunteers, who are at risk of being eliminated in the SEC East hunt with a second conference loss.

Since losing at home to Texas, Alabama has rattled off five straight wins but they haven’t all come easy for Nick Saban and company. The Crimson Tide held off Arkansas last week, weathering a late Razorbacks rally to win 24-21. Quarterback Jalen Milroe was responsible for all three touchdowns and he now has a total of 16 (11 passing, five rushing) in six games.

Alabama’s offense still isn’t clicking on all cylinders. The Tide are averaging under 150 rushing yards per game and they find themselves 58th nationally in scoring (30.1 points per game). Fortunately, the defense has rounded into form. Since surrendering 34 points in the Week 2 loss to the Longhorns, Alabama has yielded a total of 68 in four SEC games.

Tennessee also had to work hard last weekend for its win against Texas A&M. Down 10-7 at the half, the Volunteers took their first lead on a punt returned for a touchdown and then clamped down defensively to earn a 20-13 victory at home over the Aggies.

Josh Heupel’s team hasn’t been as explosive on offense this season compared to last, especially when it comes to throwing the football. Joe Milton III has a big arm but he’s struggled with his accuracy (61.5 percent completion rate) and is averaging only 6.9 yards per pass attempt.

The flip side is that Tennessee has one of the best running games in the nation. The Vols are averaging more than 230 rushing yards per game, ranking them sixth overall. But this offense hasn’t shown much big-play ability. Tennessee is second to last in the SEC in scrimmage plays of 20-plus yards with 23 in six games. Last season, the offense generated 80 such plays in 13 games, including six in the Vols’ thrilling 52-49 win over the Tide.

Big plays may be hard to come by on Saturday considering both defenses are ranked in the top 20 in the country in points and yards allowed per game. This also is why the over/under is below 50. But it doesn’t change the fact that Alabama is seeking payback for last season while Tennessee wants to put an end to another streak in this series after snapping its 15-game skid. The Volunteers have lost nine in a row in Tuscaloosa, a drought that goes back to 2005.

Washington State at No. 9 Oregon — 3:30 p.m. on ABC

Both these teams are coming off losses, but one was respectable while the other was one of the bigger shocks of the season. The Oregon Ducks are massive favorites at home against the Washington State Cougars.

The Ducks went down to the wire at Washington last week and that game was so good many will be looking forward to a rematch in the Pac-12 title game. Oregon outgained Washington 541-415 and didn’t turn the ball over so it wasn’t exactly a game that lowered the Ducks’ stock much.

The same can’t be said for Washington State, which has lost two straight including last week’s headscratcher at home against Arizona. The Cougars, now 4-2, led 6-0 with an early touchdown (failing to convert the two-point conversion) and then gave up 44 unanswered points the rest of the way. How did that happen? Washington State entered ranked No. 19 and had a pair of solid wins in Wisconsin and Oregon State already on the resume. Arizona entered with a losing record and left after a decisive beatdown. Cougars QB Cam Ward was held under 200 passing yards for the second game in a row, which is a red flag against an Oregon team that has a solid defense and can put up puts in a hurry.

Oregon needs to win out to have a shot at the College Football Playoff and this team could be eager to get back on the field after the close loss at Washington. The Ducks have won four straight in this series and have scored more than 35 points in each of those games.

No. 16 Duke at No. 4 Florida State — 7:30 p.m. on ABC

There is a massive game in the ACC this week as the Florida State Seminoles host the Duke Blue Devils. The Seminoles are a two-touchdown favorite as they look to extend their winning streak to 13.

The big story to watch heading into Saturday is the status of Duke starting quarterback Riley Leonard. Leonard was injured at the very end of Duke’s tough loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 30, and even though he went through pregame activities last week he still did not play in the Blue Devils’ 24-3 win over North Carolina State. Henry Belin IV got the start in that game, completing 4-of-12 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

While Duke was able to get through NC State with that sort of quarterback performance, it is going to need a lot more against a Seminoles team that is scoring 42 points per game. Leonard, a rising star in the Duke program after a breakout sophomore season a year ago, is far more likely to deliver a game-changing performance against Florida State than Belin is.

Florida State’s powerful offense is led by quarterback Jordan Travis. He enters Saturday’s game having already thrown for 1,482 yards in six games, while throwing 13 touchdowns to only one interception.

This is already Duke’s third game against a team ranked in the top-11 at the time of the game. The Blue Devils beat Clemson (then ranked No. 9) to open the season and lost a close game to Notre Dame (then ranked No. 11). Florida State’s only game against a ranked team was an opening week blowout against then-No. 5 LSU.

No. 14 Utah at No. 18 USC — 8 p.m. on FOX

The Utah Utes will look to make it four consecutive wins against the USC Trojans when the two go head-to-head this weekend in Los Angeles. It’s a critical game for both sides, which each have hopes of making the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Trojans are favored by about a touchdown at home.

After beating six straight unranked teams to start the season, USC was punched in the mouth last weekend in a 48-20 loss at Notre Dame. The Trojans’ defense has been the team’s primary concern all year, but USC’s offense is now in search of a bounce back after Caleb Williams threw three interceptions and was sacked six times behind an offensive line that struggled. Even after last week’s showing, the Trojans rank second in FBS with 47.3 points per game.

So how will USC hold up this week against a stout Utah defense? The Utes rank fifth among FBS teams in scoring defense and are No. 9 in total defense. Only once has Utah allowed more than 14 points in a game, but the Trojans undoubtedly present the unit with its toughest test to date.

It remains unclear when quarterback Cam Rising will return to the field for Utah. In the meantime, Bryson Barnes appears to have taken over as the Utes’ signal caller. Barnes got the start last week and Utah scored a season-high 34 points in a win against Cal. The Utes’ offense has been lackluster for most of the season, but after an improved performance last week it now gets a shot at a USC team that has allowed 40-plus points in three consecutive games.

Clemson at Miami — 8 p.m. on ACC Network

The brand names are strong in this game, but the records are not. Both teams enter with two losses in ACC play, but the Clemson Tigers are favored at the Miami Hurricanes.

Clemson’s offense has not been as improved as hoped with Cade Klubnik as the full-time starter at quarterback. The Tigers have averaged 19.75 points per game in four ACC games. Klubnik had a season-low 131 passing yards last week in a 17-12 win against Wake Forest. On the flipside, Clemson’s defense has been stout. The only time Clemson allowed more than 30 points was a loss to Florida State when seven of those points came in overtime.

While Clemson’s fanbase isn’t thrilled with a 2-2 ACC record, Miami’s is nearing or already in full meltdown mode. The Hurricanes’ season got off to a promising start with a win against Texas A&M, a win that is starting to look less impressive as time goes on, and three dominant wins against lesser opposition in non-conference play. The knee fiasco, knee-gate, whatever you want to call it a couple weeks ago against Georgia Tech in the ACC opener is starting to look like it could have derailed Miami’s season. Since blowing that game in shocking fashion, Miami lost handily at North Carolina last week and is now 0-2 in the ACC.

Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has NFL talent and has made some spectacular throws this year, but he also has five interceptions in the last two games. If Miami can break through Clemson’s defense and turn this into a shootout, Clemson might struggle to keep up, but it’s hard to find confidence in Miami lately.

Clemson has won the last four meetings, including one in the 2017 ACC title game, and none of them were close. The Tigers won those by 58, 38, 25 and 30 points. The last time Miami hosted Clemson, the Tigers won 58-0 in 2015.

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(Photo of Marvin Harrison Jr.: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)