After a few surprising weeks of college football, fans should be ready for anything in Week 8.

Mississippi State has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the polls, but the Bulldogs will get a well-deserved week off after beating three Top 10 teams in a row. The good news is most of the Top 25 will be in action in a number of highly anticipated battles.

Saturday will feature five games between ranked teams, including Florida State and Notre Dame. Both are looking to remain undefeated. 

This is certain to create some difficult decisions for those looking to bet on the games, but here is a breakdown of picks against the spread with a deeper look at some of the tougher calls.

Best Games

No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State

It is truly unfortunate that the big story heading into this game is the status of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Between Winston facing the school’s judicial board and allegedly being paid for autographs, there are questions about whether the reigning Heisman Trophy winner will even play this weekend.

Looking at the game itself, though, the battle appears to be a good one when both teams are at full strength. Chris Fowler of ESPN noted how successful the quarterbacks have been throughout their careers:

Covered plenty of CFB. Don’t recall a QB matchup where combined W-L as starters is 35-1. (34-0 reg season for Winston/Golson) #NDvsFSU

— Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) October 15, 2014

Everett Golson led the Irish to the national title game two years ago but was little more than a game manager at that point. This year, however, he is making big-time plays with both his arm and his legs and is a big reason the squad is 6-0.

The only question is whether he can hold on to the ball, as both interceptions and fumbles have been an issue lately. Stewart Mandel of FoxSports.com notes that the team is working to solve this issue:

Everett Golson’s had 5 fumbles the last 3 games, so this week he’s been going through same ball security-drills as the ND running backs.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 16, 2014

If Golson can avoid turnovers, Notre Dame has a chance to put up points against a Florida State defense that has been inconsistent this year. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish rank eighth in the country in points allowed, even after giving up 43 points to North Carolina last week.

Florida State should be able to win this game at home, but it will be close throughout, and Notre Dame should be able to do enough to cover the large spread.

No. 21 Texas A&M at No. 7 Alabama

There was a lot of criticism following Alabama’s one-point win over Arkansas, but the Crimson Tide found a way to win when they needed it. Most importantly, it once again showcased the team’s strong defense, which has held opponents to 23 or fewer points in every game.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M’s offense, which seemed unstoppable a few weeks ago, was held to just 20 points against Ole Miss. Kenny Hill is still one of the most dynamic players in the nation, but he made mistakes, and the rest of the team did not pick up the slack, losing for the second week in a row.

With Alabama’s talent in the front seven, the squad has a chance to once again keep the Aggies offense from running up the score. Head coach Nick Saban has another plan as well:

Saban: “We’re going to have to control the ball on offense, so they don’t have it all the time.”

— Gary L. Harris (@garyharris_wvua) October 13, 2014

Controlling the clock should be easy against a Texas A&M defense that has struggled lately. The squad ranks 71st in the country in total defense and holds possession for an average of just over 27 minutes, which ranks 114th in FBS.

Alabama will utilize a lot of Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon on the ground to move the ball before going deep to Amari Cooper when the defense falls asleep. The Tide should be able to control the game, keep the opposing offense off the field and secure a relatively easy win.

No. 14 Kansas State at No. 11 Oklahoma

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

While Oklahoma is 5-1 on the season, there are serious questions surrounding the offense—specifically, Trevor Knight.

The sophomore quarterback was playing well through the first four games but has struggled mightily in the last two. College Football Talk jokes that it might have something to do with a certain pop star:

Since Katy Perry propositioned him, Trevor Knight has completed 26-of-55 passes (47.3 percent) for 438 yards, two TDs and two INTs.

— CollegeFootballTalk (@CFTalk) October 11, 2014

Regardless of the reason, the Sooners will not have too much success as long as the quarterback continues to make bad decisions with the football. His efficiency rating of 128.7 ranks 75th in the country among 125 qualified players. That does not sound like the person who was considered a Heisman candidate earlier in the year, according to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:

New Heisman odds: #ND‘s Everett Golson goes from 16/1 to 10/1; #OU‘s Trevor Knight from 20/1 to 12/1; Jameis drops from 8/1 to 10/1–Bovada

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 16, 2014

On the other hand, Jake Waters has carried Kansas State with his ability to make plays with his arm and his legs. If he can avoid turnovers, he can help the Wildcats put up a lot of points this weekend.

Over the last three weeks, Oklahoma has allowed West Virginia’s Clint Trickett, TCU’s Trevone Boykin and Tyrone Swoopes of Texas to each throw for over 300 yards with two touchdowns. Waters has the arm to continue this stretch and help his team pull off the upset on the road against the Sooners.

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