This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: Three Upset Picks in Week 8
We're rolling into Week 8 of the college football season. After some titanic matchups last week, and another shake up of the rankings, we have a solid slate of games in this mid-October weekend of action. While there will be a ton of focus on the Georgia and Texas games, don't forget about some of the other interesting games on the slate. Here are a few potential upsets and a player to pop, too.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Duke Blue Devils – Friday, 7 p.m. ET
The Seminoles roll into town, needing something good to happen. Florida State entered the season as a top-10 team, but losses to Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Memphis caused Florida State to readjust its goals.
Florida State beat a very good Cal team in Week 4 by a 14-9 score, handing the Golden Bears their first loss of the season. But it went from bad to worse, as FSU was pounded by SMU in Dallas on Sept. 28, falling 42-16, while QB D.J. Uiagalelei suffered an injury that required hand surgery. Redshirt freshman QB Brock Glenn made his first start at Clemson, tossing two touchdowns, but it was another loss, 29-13.
So, why back Florida State? Duke is 5-1 on the season, but it is coming off its first loss at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets rolled up 245 rushing yards on Manny Diaz's defense, and the Seminoles are sure to scour over that film.
Oh, and there is a little thing about Florida State being 20-0 in the all-time series, too. Duke's closest pass was in the most recent meeting in Wallace Wade, falling 17-10 on Oct. 14, 2017. We might have another lower-scoring game on Saturday, too.
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Arizona State Sun Devils at Cincinnati Bearcats – Saturday, 12 p.m. ET
The Sun Devils hit the road for venerable Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati for a Big 12 game. Right? It takes some getting used to with these newer conference matchups.
Sparky wasn't expected to do much in its initial foray into the Big 12, but Arizona State has come alive. The Sun Devils have won back-to-back conference games against Kansas and Utah, and they're 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in six games, and Arizona State is on the precipice of bowl eligibility.
Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt has been serviceable, completing 59.2% of his pass attempts for 1,166 yards, eight touchdowns and four picks. He is a dual-threat QB, too, going for 279 yards with four scores on the ground. Between he and RB Cam Skattebo, who has 773 yards and eight touchdowns, Arizona State is a handful to contain on the ground.
The Bearcats just came up with a big win in the Bounce House against UCF, winning 19-13, and while Cincinnati has two losses, they've come against unbeaten Pittsburgh and Texas Tech by a combined margin of four points.
This won't be easy for Arizona State, but UC's so-so defense will be the Achilles' heel on Saturday.
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Indiana Hoosiers – Saturday, 12 p.m. ET
The Cornhuskers invade Bloomington for a battle with the undefeated Hoosiers for one of the most important games ever at The Rock.
Nebraska scooped up a 14-7 win with a push at most shops against a good Rutgers team in a defensive battle in Lincoln last Saturday. The Huskers are coming off a bye, so head coach Matt Rhule and his staff will have two weeks to try and solve head coach Curt Cignetti's offense, or at least have a plan to try and solve things down.
Nebraska is a very healthy 4-1-1 ATS, and its only outright loss came Sept. 20 on a Friday night in Lincoln against Illinois in overtime. The Black Shirt defense is back in effect, as the Huskers have allowed just 272.5 total yards, 84.2 rushing yards and 11.3 points per game, all mark 13th or better in the nation.
Indiana is off to a 6-0 start, and it is ranked. This offense has piled up 41 or more points in each of the past five games, including conference wins over UCLA, Maryland and Northwestern. This will be the biggest test yet, however, and QB Donovan Raiola and the Nebraska offense should be able to do enough to find a way.
Week 8 Player To Pop
Rocco Becht, QB, 
Iowa State
The unbeaten Cyclones play host to UCF in a Big 12 battle on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. Iowa State will do its best to remain undefeated, and if it wins, Becht will be a giant part.
UCF ranks just 103rd in the nation with 246.0 passing yards per game allowed, and that's music to the ears of the Iowa State pass attack. QB Rocco Becht isn't a household name, but he has been effective, completing 66.5% of his pass attempts for 1,438 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Becht has two amazing downfield threats with WR Jaylin Noel, who has a team-high 528 receiving yards, and WR Jayden Higgins, who leads the team with 39 receptions and five touchdowns, while posting 505 yards.
Becht should be able to pass his team to a seventh victory thanks to a little home cooking.
