WhatIfSports college football Week 8 predictions: A&M beats Ole Miss
Each Monday, WhatIfSports.com's college football simulation engine generates predictions for every Division I FBS game for the coming week. Our highly sophisticated algorithms simulate every play of every game to produce each team's likelihood to win. Each matchup is simulated 101 times.
Week 7 in Review
The weekly winning percentage fell from 83.9 percent in Week 6 to only 71.9 percent in Week 7. Out of the 22 games involving the AP's Top 25 teams, the WhatIfSports simulations won 86.4 percent of those contests (19-3).
Track our 2015 performance or view our accuracy last season, when we correctly picked the winner in 77.6 percent of all games involving FBS teams.
Week 7 Highlight: Michigan State 27 - Michigan 23
The world might've been stunned by the ending between the Spartans and Wolverines, but the computers predicted it. After 101 simulations, the results had Michigan State winning by an average score of 26.1-23.7.
Week 7 Lowlight: Oklahoma 55 - Kansas State 0
While the machine's results had the Wildcats winning in a nail biter (29.9-29.9), the game wasn't even close. The Sooners bounced back from their loss to the Longhorns and walloped Kansas State.
Week 8 Top 25 vs. Top 25 Matchup:
No. 15 Texas A&M vs. No. 24 Mississippi
There is only one showdown of Top 25 opponents in Week 8 and, naturally, it is between two SEC teams. The Aggies suffered their first loss of the season last week as they fell 41-23 to tenth-ranked Alabama. Ole Miss also lost in Week 7. The Rebels led 14-0 at one point, but were eventually shocked by Memphis, 37-24. Though Ole Miss has lost two of the past three games, it was able to defeat the Crimson Tide. As for A&M, its victories aren't as impressive. The Aggies needed overtime to beat Arkansas. On the plus side, if you remove the three pick-sixes (I know, that's a dramatic "plus side") from the Alabama game, the Aggies win 23-20 and could still be undefeated. Staying on the A&M optimistic side, the simulations produced a 62.4 winning percentage for the Aggies by an average of 30.9-28.3.
Week 8 Upset Pick:
Utah (+3.5) over USC
Am I the only one who is surprised that the Utes are the underdog in this scenario? Apparently, our computers weren't fooled, either. Utah is 6-0 and has won each contest by at least six points. The Trojans, on the other hand, have lost three of the last four games. Maybe the spread is due to the fact that Utah hasn't won in Southern California since 1916. They finished that season 3-2 (yes, only five games). USC is 6-1 against the Utes at home. However, the sim engine says Utah remains undefeated. The Utes won 57.4 percent of the results by an average of 30.1-28.3.
College Football Week 8 Predictions
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Matchup | Win % | Avg. Score | |
| Boston College Eagles | 38.1 | 22.0 | Box Score |
| @ Louisville Cardinals | 61.9 | 25.5 | |
| Virginia Cavaliers | 41.6 | 25.2 | Box Score |
| @ North Carolina Tar Heels | 58.4 | 29.1 | |
| Duke Blue Devils | 52.5 | 26.8 | Box Score |
| @ Virginia Tech Hokies | 47.5 | 25.2 | |
| North Carolina State Wolfpack | 59.4 | 26.5 | Box Score |
| @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 40.6 | 23.6 | |
| Clemson Tigers | 60.4 | 29.1 | Box Score |
| @ Miami (FL) Hurricanes | 39.6 | 26.2 | |
| Florida State Seminoles | 66.3 | 32.3 | Box Score |
| @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 33.7 | 27.2 | |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | 71.3 | 29.4 | Box Score |
| @ Syracuse Orange | 28.7 | 23.1 | |
| Indiana Hoosiers | 29.7 | 24.9 | Box Score |
| @ Michigan State Spartans | 70.3 | 33.0 | |
| Northwestern Wildcats | 49.4 | 25.0 | Box Score |
| @ Nebraska Cornhuskers | 50.6 | 26.4 | |
| Wisconsin Badgers | 53.5 | 27.5 | Box Score |
| @ Illinois Fighting Illini | 46.5 | 25.7 | |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | 54.5 | 26.0 | Box Score |
| @ Maryland Terrapins | 45.5 | 24.2 | |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | 84.2 | 36.4 | Box Score |
| @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 15.8 | 24.7 | |
| Eastern Michigan Eagles | 30.7 | 24.3 | Box Score |
| @ Northern Illinois Huskies | 69.3 | 31.4 | |
| Miami (OH) RedHawks | 36.6 | 26.8 | Box Score |
| @ Western Michigan Broncos | 63.4 | 32.0 | |
| Central Michigan Chippewas | 52.2 | 29.3 | Box Score |
| @ Ball State Cardinals | 47.8 | 29.1 | |
| Ohio Bobcats | 59.4 | 32.2 | Box Score |
| @ Buffalo Bulls | 40.6 | 28.8 | |
| Toledo Rockets | 67.3 | 33.9 | Box Score |
| @ Massachusetts Minutemen | 32.7 | 27.8 | |
| Bowling Green Falcons | 72.3 | 36.5 | Box Score |
| @ Kent State Golden Flashes | 27.7 | 29.0 | |
| Washington State Cougars | 38.6 | 31.1 | Box Score |
| @ Arizona Wildcats | 61.4 | 34.7 | |
| Washington Huskies | 39.1 | 26.2 | Box Score |
| @ Stanford Cardinal | 60.9 | 29.7 | |
| California Golden Bears | 47.5 | 30.3 | Box Score |
| @ UCLA Bruins | 52.5 | 30.8 | |
| Utah Utes | 57.4 | 30.1 | Box Score |
| @ USC Trojans | 42.6 | 28.3 | |
| Colorado Buffaloes | 58.9 | 31.7 | Box Score |
| @ Oregon State Beavers | 41.1 | 29.9 | |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | 25.7 | 28.8 | Box Score |
| @ LSU Tigers | 74.3 | 36.7 | |
| Tennessee Volunteers | 29.2 | 22.7 | Box Score |
| @ Alabama Crimson Tide | 70.8 | 28.2 | |
| Kentucky Wildcats | 48.4 | 27.6 | Box Score |
| @ Mississippi State Bulldogs | 51.6 | 27.7 | |
| Auburn Tigers | 57.4 | 28.7 | Box Score |
| @ Arkansas Razorbacks | 42.6 | 25.7 | |
| Texas A&M Aggies | 62.4 | 30.9 | Box Score |
| @ Ole Miss Rebels | 37.6 | 28.3 | |
| Missouri Tigers | 65.3 | 27.1 | Box Score |
| @ Vanderbilt Commodores | 34.7 | 22.2 | |
| Wagner Seahawks | 5.0 | 6.0 | Box Score |
| @ BYU Cougars | 95.0 | 48.0 | |
| Kansas Jayhawks | 20.8 | 21.1 | Box Score |
| @ Oklahoma State Cowboys | 79.2 | 30.9 | |
| Iowa State Cyclones | 22.8 | 25.8 | Box Score |
| @ Baylor Bears | 77.2 | 36.1 | |
| Kansas State Wildcats | 46.0 | 26.3 | Box Score |
| @ Texas Longhorns | 54.0 | 28.1 | |
| Texas Tech Red Raiders | 47.5 | 29.1 | Box Score |
| @ Oklahoma Sooners | 52.5 | 30.4 | |
| North Texas Mean Green | 26.7 | 21.3 | Box Score |
| @ Marshall Thundering Herd | 73.3 | 31.3 | |
| Army West Point Black Knights | 32.7 | 24.2 | Box Score |
| @ Rice Owls | 67.3 | 31.1 | |
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | 38.6 | 25.8 | Box Score |
| @ Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 61.4 | 28.6 | |
| Old Dominion Monarchs | 41.1 | 27.4 | Box Score |
| @ FIU Golden Panthers | 58.9 | 29.5 | |
| Florida Atlantic Owls | 54.5 | 27.9 | Box Score |
| @ UTEP Miners | 45.5 | 27.5 | |
| Southern Miss Golden Eagles | 65.3 | 33.7 | Box Score |
| @ Charlotte 49ers | 34.7 | 28.3 | |
| Wyoming Cowboys | 23.8 | 27.8 | Box Score |
| @ Boise State Broncos | 76.2 | 35.1 | |
| New Mexico Lobos | 44.0 | 30.2 | Box Score |
| @ San Jose State Spartans | 56.0 | 31.7 | |
| Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | 46.8 | 27.8 | Box Score |
| @ Nevada Wolf Pack | 53.2 | 28.7 | |
| Fresno State Bulldogs | 48.1 | 29.5 | Box Score |
| @ Air Force Falcons | 51.9 | 30.2 | |
| Utah State Aggies | 59.4 | 29.6 | Box Score |
| @ San Diego State Aztecs | 40.6 | 26.0 | |
| Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns | 35.6 | 28.9 | Box Score |
| @ Arkansas State Red Wolves | 64.4 | 33.4 | |
| South Alabama Jaguars | 45.0 | 29.0 | Box Score |
| @ Texas State Bobcats | 55.0 | 30.6 | |
| Georgia Southern Eagles | 47.3 | 29.9 | Box Score |
| @ Appalachian State Mountaineers | 52.7 | 30.1 | |
| Troy Trojans | 50.8 | 29.8 | Box Score |
| @ New Mexico State Aggies | 49.2 | 29.0 | |
| Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks | 60.0 | 28.2 | Box Score |
| @ Idaho Vandals | 40.0 | 26.1 | |
| SMU Mustangs | 34.2 | 25.1 | Box Score |
| @ South Florida Bulls | 65.8 | 29.8 | |
| Connecticut Huskies | 37.6 | 29.9 | Box Score |
| @ Cincinnati Bearcats | 62.4 | 34.2 | |
| Tulane Green Wave | 41.1 | 27.0 | Box Score |
| @ Navy Midshipmen | 58.9 | 29.9 | |
| Temple Owls | 61.4 | 31.3 | Box Score |
| @ East Carolina Pirates | 38.6 | 26.9 | |
| Houston Cougars | 66.3 | 28.2 | Box Score |
| @ UCF Knights | 33.7 | 22.1 | |
| Memphis Tigers | 68.3 | 32.4 | Box Score |
| @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane | 31.7 | 25.6 |
In addition, view our Week 8 power rankings or visit our college football archive for predictions from past weeks. For more statistics, view our weekly college football predictions.