College Football

'Bear Bets': The Group Chat's best bets, Penn State-Ohio State picks

Updated Oct. 20, 2023 12:42 p.m. ET

Another weekend of college football is upon us, and Week 8 brings with it many exciting matchups to wager on!

FOX Sports' Chris "The Bear" Fallica and Geoff Schwartz had a lot of thoughts on the Week 8 slate, as did FOX Sports contributors Sam Panayotovich and Will Hill.

The Group Chat segment of the latest episode of "Bear Bets" broke down PSU-OSU and this week's biggest games, discussed a hypothetical futures bet, and shared its favorite picks.

Let's jump into the group's thoughts.

One of the biggest games in the Big Ten this season will take place on Saturday. Are there any plays you like in No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 3 Ohio State (12 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)?

Hill: Under 45.5, Penn State +4.5

"We were all texting Tuesday and thought 47.5 was too high. That number has moved down, but that doesn't surprise me. Ohio State's really banged up on offense — injuries at running back, a bunch of key injuries. I think both of these teams want to run the ball and have good defenses. I don't know if we trust either quarterback. I don't know if each coach trusts the quarterbacks. To me, this is a 23-20 type of game."

Schwartz: Under 45.5

"Here's my issue with Penn State in this game: You have an offense that is one of the worst in the county in explosive play rate. You can't go on the road to Ohio State, or any ranked team, and have a [young] quarterback making his first big road start and pickleball his way down the defense. … It's hard to have 15-play drives on the road with a first-time quarterback playing in this environment against a good defense. I think the Under is certainly the play here; there's no other option."

Penn State vs. Ohio State CFB Week 8 Best Bets

Sammy P: Ohio State -4

"It was -4 when it opened on Sunday, and now it's climbed to -4.5, and there's even a -5 in Vegas. Most bookmakers have told me there are more bets on Penn State, but the bigger, notable bets are on Ohio State. Look at Penn State's schedule. … They haven't beaten anyone good. They haven't played anyone good. That's not entirely their fault. I wouldn't lay six or seven. But because Ohio State has looked a little bit shoddy, this number opened a little lower than it should. … This feels like a buy-low on Ohio State."

The Bear: Under 45.5, Lean Ohio State -4.5

"I think [Ohio State -4.5] is the cheaper number, the reduced number in this spot, where Penn State is getting a lot of underdog support. Even if Emeka Egbuka can't play or is limited, I think the Ohio State defense is going to be out with something to prove. How many times does a young quarterback have to go on the road [and prove they can win in a big environment]? Drew Allar has played on the road before, but it was Illinois and Northwestern — two vaunted home-field advantages."

Nebraska vs. Northwestern, Oregon vs. Washington best bets for Bear and Geoff

One of the other major matchups between ranked teams this weekend takes place in Los Angeles, with No. 14 Utah taking on No. 18 USC (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Utah won both matchups last season, including the Pac-12 Championship Game. USC is also coming off a brutal loss against Notre Dame. Is this a good buy-low spot for the Trojans? Are there other plays you like in the game?

The Bear: Want to bet USC -7, but can't fully get there

"Every time I want to hit that accept wager button on USC, I keep thinking, ‘This is Utah’s defense and front that manhandled them in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Do I trust USC's defense at all?'

Schwartz : Under 53.5

"I hit the Under almost immediately when it came out. Utah put up 34 points last weekend, but it had its leading tackler as its wildcat running back. While that works for one week, the wildcat eventually stops working, even against a USC defense that isn't that physical. What's funny is that the numbers show USC's defense isn't good, but it's also the best defense Lincoln Riley's had. …. They're passable, and Utah can't score points."

Hill: USC -7

"It's an interesting contrast because Utah is so much bigger and stronger, but they just can't score. Against USC, you're going to have to score. You figure you're going to get a more focused effort here from USC. I think this is a good live betting opportunity. If USC gets a lead, Utah on the road, that's not their game to play catch-up. So maybe you hit USC. If Utah can hang with them early, then they can play their style."

Sammy P: Staying away, but would lean USC -7

"It looks so easy to take Utah. But my concern is that USC goes up 10-0, 14-0, and then Utah has the backup quarterback in there trying to make magic down the field, trying to turn it into a shootout. That's the worst-case scenario. You're talking pick-6, scoop-6, and I'm not going to take the seven with Utah.

Is Deion Sanders’ Colorado winning another game this year?

The Group Chat wasn't too high on Colorado entering the season. While it has already covered its win total of 3.5, it had a brutal loss to Stanford last week to drop to 4-3. Colorado is listed at +172 to reach six wins this season on FanDuel Sportsbook. Do you think they'll even win one more game?

Sammy P: Probably not

"I think you can light your Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders Heisman Trophy tickets on fire. I don't think that's going to happen. Remember when everyone was saying there were going to be two Colorado players that were going to win the Heisman? They can beat Arizona, but I probably wouldn't be on Colorado the rest of the way."

Hill: No

"Those people that bet over 3.5 wins on Colorado, they cashed their bets when they got to four. But they're going to get it by the hook because I don't see another win here for Colorado."

What are your other favorite bets this weekend?

Sammy P: Keep an eye on Pitt (+1.5) @ Wake Forest

"There's a chance third-string QB Santino Marucci is the starting quarterback for Wake Forest this week. We're going to find out more, but we know Michael Kern is out and Mitch Griffis is banged up. Those are the top two quarterbacks for Wake Forest. If Santino Marucci is the starting quarterback, I'm being told Pitt is going to be a 4.5, 5-point favorite."

Hill: Michigan State +24.5 vs. Michigan, Navy +10.5 vs. Air Force

"I'm going back to the well with Michigan State. They played OK [last week]. We can laugh about it out now, but they did everything in their power to give that game away against the State University of New Jersey. But 24.5 is a lot. I don't know if they're going to score, though you figure they're going to play a little better and unload every trick they have in their bag.

"And, on principle, when you have two service academies, don't you have to take +10.5 at home? I know Navy is bad, and they're not going to the College Football Playoff anytime soon. But you have to take them on principle. The underdogs have covered in 17 of the last 20 games between service academies."