Best Week 8 CFB ATS picks
— -- Every Wednesday during the college football season, we will give "Stanford Steve" Coughlin of ESPN Radio and the SVP & Russillo show and Chris Fallica of ESPN Stats & Information and "College GameDay" their shot at picking the weekend's top college football games.
Here are their against-the-spread picks ( in bold) for Week 8, along with a confidence level of 1-10 for each:
Note: All odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
Florida State Seminoles (-10) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Fallica: The Noles have been a great team to fade this season (1-5 ATS) and clearly have not been their dominant self from a year ago. In 2013, FSU led the FBS in game control and this year is just 17th. Last year, the Noles had an average win probability of 92 percent at halftime. This year that number has dropped to 70 percent. At the start of the year, it looked like this game was a lock for the Noles, but now, both on- and off-the-field concerns make this much more of a test for FSU. All that said, I think the Seminoles answer the bell here. Keep in mind: the teams Notre Dame has beaten are a combined 4-18 vs. Power 5 teams. The schedule hasn't been very taxing. Everett Golson has been a turnover machine lately, turning the ball over nine times in the last three games. That won't cut it in Tallahassee.
ATS pick: Florida State 34, Notre Dame 16 (confidence: 8)
Coughlin: This game marks the 11th time in school history that Notre Dame has been involved in a game in which both teams were 6-0 or better, and the Irish own a 9-0-1 record in the previous 10 such meetings. For the first time in my life I think I am rooting for Notre Dame in a college football game. That being said, I think this Irish team is better than the team they had in 2012 that went to the BCS title game. Golson has had recent turnover issues, but he is atop my list of most improved college football players. And with that, get the Heisman Hype started and ramped up after this game.
We saw mobile quarterbacks like DeShaun Watson (Clemson) and J.W. Walsh (Oklahoma State) give the Noles defense trouble earlier this year. The feeling here is that Golson will play the game of his life and lead the Irish. I also feel this Notre Dame defense will confuse Jameis Winston and the FSU offense, who really seems to be lacking a run game. Just like in 2012, when no one thought the Irish could win a huge road game like when they went to Oklahoma, Brian Kelly and his guys pull off the upset and win in Tallahassee.
ATS pick: Notre Dame 27, Florida State 24 (confidence: 5)
Season records
Fallica: 19-13 ATS (59.4 percent)
Last week: 4-1
Coughlin: 24-11-1 (66.7 percent)
Last week: 2-3
Related Stories
ABC News Live