College Football Week 8 — 2026

By · Last updated

Week 8 of the 2026 season features 46 FBS games. Hawai'i leads all road trips at 4,194 miles. SMU posts the week's top HFA at 3.2 points. Analysts focused on travel and venue edges will find the ranked sections below most actionable; casual viewers can use the at-a-glance table to scan results.

Biggest Travel Disadvantages This Week

Away teams ranked by road-trip distance. Body-clock offset and rest-day differential compound the edge for home sides.

#1 Hawai'i
4,194 miles · -5h body-clock shift · equal rest
Hawai'i travels 4,194 miles to face Northern Illinois, arriving with a -5h body-clock shift.
2,396 miles · +3h body-clock shift · away +7d rest
NC State travels 2,396 miles to face Stanford, arriving with a +3h body-clock shift.
1,918 miles · -3h body-clock shift · equal rest
Sacramento State travels 1,918 miles to face Ball State, arriving with a -3h body-clock shift.
1,906 miles · +3h body-clock shift · equal rest
Michigan State travels 1,906 miles to face UCLA, arriving with a +3h body-clock shift.
#5 BYU
1,903 miles · -2h body-clock shift · home +7d rest
BYU travels 1,903 miles to face UCF, arriving with a -2h body-clock shift.

Strongest Home-Field Advantages This Week

Home teams ranked by stadium HFA rating. Higher values reflect stronger historical home performance at that venue. Venues above 4,000 ft are flagged for altitude disadvantage.

#1 SMU
HFA 3.2 pts · Gerald J. Ford Stadium · 32,000 capacity
SMU carries a 3.2-point HFA edge at Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000 capacity) against California.
#2 Utah
HFA 3.1 pts · Rice-Eccles Stadium · 51,444 capacity · 4,655 ft elevation
Utah carries a 3.1-point HFA edge at Rice-Eccles Stadium (51,444 capacity) against Houston.
#3 Tulane
HFA 3.0 pts · Yulman Stadium · 30,000 capacity
Tulane carries a 3.0-point HFA edge at Yulman Stadium (30,000 capacity) against UTSA.

Biggest Power-Rating Gaps This Week

Games ranked by the difference between Blue Chip model ratings and the market spread. Larger gaps are the strongest signals.

Model gap: 24.1 pts · Line: line unavailable · Home power: 4.4 · Away: 28.5
The model shows Texas Tech by 24.1 model points; market line is line unavailable. Gap between model edge and spread is a directional signal.
Model gap: 22.5 pts · Line: line unavailable · Home power: -7.1 · Away: -29.6
The model shows UConn by 22.5 model points; market line is line unavailable. Gap between model edge and spread is a directional signal.
Model gap: 19.1 pts · Line: line unavailable · Home power: 9.4 · Away: 28.5
The model shows Oregon by 19.1 model points; market line is line unavailable. Gap between model edge and spread is a directional signal.

All Week 8 Games

Matchup Line O/U Prediction/Outcome
East Carolina @ Memphis N/A N/A East Carolina 24 @ 26 Memphis PR Diff
Duke @ Virginia N/A N/A Duke 27 @ 23 Virginia PR Diff
Army @ Tulsa N/A N/A Army 26 @ 24 Tulsa PR Diff
NC State @ Stanford N/A N/A NC State 28 @ 22 Stanford PR Diff
California @ SMU N/A N/A California 22 @ 28 SMU PR Diff
Sacramento State vs Ball State N/A N/A Sacramento State 25 vs 25 Ball State PR Diff
BYU @ UCF N/A N/A BYU 32 @ 18 UCF PR Diff
North Dakota State vs New Mexico N/A N/A North Dakota State 23 vs 27 New Mexico PR Diff
Iowa State @ Arizona N/A N/A Iowa State 20 @ 30 Arizona PR Diff
USC @ Wisconsin N/A N/A USC 32 @ 18 Wisconsin PR Diff
San Diego State vs Colorado State N/A N/A San Diego State 32 vs 18 Colorado State PR Diff
Kansas State @ Arizona State N/A N/A Kansas State 25 @ 25 Arizona State PR Diff
Iowa @ Minnesota N/A N/A Iowa 33 @ 17 Minnesota PR Diff
Syracuse @ North Carolina N/A N/A Syracuse 20 @ 30 North Carolina PR Diff
Rutgers vs Northwestern N/A N/A Rutgers 25 vs 25 Northwestern PR Diff
Eastern Michigan @ Ohio N/A N/A Eastern Michigan 20 @ 30 Ohio PR Diff
Pittsburgh @ Miami N/A N/A Pittsburgh 18 @ 32 Miami PR Diff
UTSA vs Tulane N/A N/A UTSA 26 vs 24 Tulane PR Diff
Tennessee vs South Carolina N/A N/A Tennessee 29 vs 21 South Carolina PR Diff
Rice @ Florida Atlantic N/A N/A Rice 23 @ 27 Florida Atlantic PR Diff
North Texas @ Navy N/A N/A North Texas 22 @ 28 Navy PR Diff
Texas Tech @ Cincinnati N/A N/A Texas Tech 37 @ 13 Cincinnati PR Diff
LSU @ Auburn N/A N/A LSU 25 @ 25 Auburn PR Diff
Boise State @ Washington State N/A N/A Boise State 30 @ 20 Washington State PR Diff
Virginia Tech @ Clemson N/A N/A Virginia Tech 19 @ 31 Clemson PR Diff
West Virginia @ TCU N/A N/A West Virginia 19 @ 31 TCU PR Diff
Akron @ Kent State N/A N/A Akron 26 @ 24 Kent State PR Diff
Ole Miss @ Texas N/A N/A Ole Miss 23 @ 27 Texas PR Diff
Texas A&M @ Alabama N/A N/A Texas A&M 28 @ 22 Alabama PR Diff
Utah State @ Texas State N/A N/A Utah State 24 @ 26 Texas State PR Diff
Indiana @ Michigan N/A N/A Indiana 31 @ 19 Michigan PR Diff
Vanderbilt @ Kentucky N/A N/A Vanderbilt 31 @ 19 Kentucky PR Diff
Michigan State @ UCLA N/A N/A Michigan State 26 @ 24 UCLA PR Diff
Miami (OH) @ Central Michigan N/A N/A Miami (OH) 26 @ 24 Central Michigan PR Diff
Colorado @ Oklahoma State N/A N/A Colorado 24 @ 26 Oklahoma State PR Diff
Bowling Green @ Buffalo N/A N/A Bowling Green 26 @ 24 Buffalo PR Diff
Houston @ Utah N/A N/A Houston 19 @ 31 Utah PR Diff
Oklahoma @ Mississippi State N/A N/A Oklahoma 32 @ 18 Mississippi State PR Diff
Massachusetts @ UConn N/A N/A Massachusetts 14 @ 36 UConn PR Diff
Oregon @ Illinois N/A N/A Oregon 35 @ 15 Illinois PR Diff
Hawai'i @ Northern Illinois N/A N/A Hawai'i 31 @ 19 Northern Illinois PR Diff
Baylor @ Kansas N/A N/A Baylor 24 @ 26 Kansas PR Diff
Air Force vs Wyoming N/A N/A Air Force 29 vs 21 Wyoming PR Diff
San José State @ Nevada N/A N/A San José State 25 @ 25 Nevada PR Diff
Boston College @ Georgia Tech N/A N/A Boston College 18 @ 32 Georgia Tech PR Diff
Western Michigan @ Toledo N/A N/A Western Michigan 20 @ 30 Toledo PR Diff

How We Ranked Week 8's Games

Each ranked section draws from the same enriched data file that powers our per-game pages. Travel distances are calculated as straight-line (great-circle) distances from each team's home market to the game stadium, converted from kilometres to miles. Body-clock offset is the signed time-zone difference the away team crosses. Rest-day differential is the difference in days since each team last played. Weather scoring compounds wind, temperature, and precipitation against fixed thresholds — dome stadiums are excluded as weather is irrelevant indoors — see our Weather tool for the full methodology.

HFA ratings come from our Home Field Advantage tool, which estimates the per-venue point value based on historical margin-of-victory data. Stadiums above 4,000 ft are flagged; altitude creates a documented visiting-team disadvantage. Power ratings are from the Blue Chip power-rating model. The gap between the model's implied spread and the market line is a directional signal; it is not a betting recommendation.

The model vs. market divergence section compares Blue Chip's power-rating implied win probability (derived via a logistic approximation from the rating gap) against the Kalshi prediction market probability. ATS records are sourced from the season log updated weekly by the enrichment pipeline; minimum 3 games required before a team is flagged.

Sources

Weather Data

Home Field Advantage

Frequently Asked Questions

How many games are in college football Week 8 2026?

Week 8 of the 2026 FBS season features 46 games tracked by Blue Chip Analytics. The full schedule, lines, and totals are listed in the game table on this page.

How does Blue Chip Analytics rank travel disadvantages?

Away teams are ranked by the straight-line distance from their home market to the game stadium, converted to miles. Body-clock offset (time-zone hours crossed) is listed alongside distance as a compound fatigue indicator.

What weather conditions qualify as high-risk for this week?

Games are flagged when forecast conditions meet at least one of: wind speed ≥ 20 mph, temperature ≤ 35°F or ≥ 90°F, or precipitation > 0.1 inches. Scores compound across all factors — a cold and windy game ranks higher than a mildly breezy one.

What is a Home Field Advantage (HFA) rating?

Blue Chip's HFA rating estimates the point value of playing at home at a specific stadium, based on historical margin-of-victory data. A rating of 3.0 means the home team historically performs about 3 points better at that venue than their road performance would predict.

What does the power-rating gap section show?

The power-rating gap ranks games by the difference between Blue Chip's internal model rating for each team and the published market spread. A large gap between model edge and market line is a directional signal — it does not constitute a betting recommendation.

How is the model vs. market divergence calculated?

Blue Chip's power-rating gap is converted to an implied win probability using a logistic approximation (each rating point ≈ 2.8% shift from 50%). This is compared against the Kalshi prediction market win probability. Games with a divergence of 5 percentage points or more are surfaced. Both the model and market can be wrong — treat this as a directional flag, not a pick.

What qualifies as a notable ATS record?

Teams are flagged when they have played at least 3 games this season and their ATS cover rate is ≥65% (hot) or ≤30% (cold). Records are updated each week by the enrichment pipeline and reflect cumulative season-to-date results only — sample sizes are small early in the season.

Week 8 of the 2026 season features 46 FBS games; the ranked sections above surface the travel, weather, HFA, power-gap, model-vs-market, and ATS-record edges most relevant to analysts and informed fans.