ESPN College GameDay makes picks for Week 8 slate, Houston at Utah

ESPN’s College Gameday is in the state of Utah for the second consecutive week. Last week, it was for Notre Dame at BYU. In Week 8, it’s for No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah. Now, the crew has made their picks for some of the best games on Saturday’s slate. Last week was a wild one, and as a result, no team in the AP Poll stayed in the same position. All 25 ranked teams moved at least one spot, and there’s bound to be more chaos this week. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage The celebrity guest picker for College GameDay in Week 8 will be former Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills. He caught 107 passes for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns in 31 games with the Utes before being taken by Buffalo with the 25th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. While there aren’t a ton of ranked matchups this week, with just No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas in addition to Houston-Utah, there are plenty of games with implications. These five games could help determine where ESPN and College GameDay go next week. Watch on Fubo (Try for Free) No. 2 BYU at UCF Desmond Howard: BYUNick Saban: BYUPat McAfee: BYUDalton Kincaid: UCFKirk Herbstreit: BYU BYU is red-hot, but they travel across the country to take on UCF today. Could that present a scare? Dalton Kincaid thinks so. But everyone else on the desk is riding with the Cougars. Pittsburgh at No. 1 Miami Desmond Howard: MiamiNick Saban: MiamiPat McAfee: MiamiDalton Kincaid: MiamiKirk Herbstreit: Miami Newly ranked No. 1, can Miami avoid the third straight week where the top-ranked team falls? Everyone on the desk believes so, as it was a clean sweep for the Hurricanes to win. North Dakota State at New Mexico Desmond Howard: New MexicoNick Saban: New MexicoPat McAfee: North Dakota StateDalton Kincaid: North Dakota StateKirk Herbstreit: New Mexico An intriguing Week 8 game here, and the College GameDay panel was split. Howard, Saban and Herbstreit all picked the Lobos to win, while McAfee and Kincaid are backing the Bison. No. 16 USC at Wisconsin Desmond Howard: USCNick Saban: USCPat McAfee: WisconsinDalton Kincaid: WisconsinKirk Herbstreit: Wisconsin All of McAfee, Kincaid and Herbstreit thought they might stand alone by picking Wisconsin to win. Instead, all three do, and it’s a majority win for the Badgers. Only Howard and Saban picked USC. No. 15 Iowa at Minnesota Desmond Howard: IowaNick Saban: IowaPat McAfee: IowaDalton Kincaid: IowaKirk Herbstreit: Iowa No time wasted here, as everyone on the desk picked Iowa to win. The Hawkeyes are going on the road to take on Minnesota, but nobody was willing to pick the upset here. No. 6 Indiana at Michigan Desmond Howard: MichiganNick Saban: IndianaPat McAfee: IndianaDalton Kincaid: MichiganKirk Herbstreit: Indiana Howard picked his alma mater and Kincaid picked the former Utah coach, Kyle Whittingham. That was all for the Wolverines, though, as Saban, McAfee and Herbstreit picked the defending champs to get back on track with a win. Vanderbilt at No. 12 Kentucky Desmond Howard: KentuckyNick Saban: KentuckyPat McAfee: KentuckyDalton Kincaid: KentuckyKirk Herbstreit: Kentucky The panel didn’t waste any time here either, as everyone is riding with Will Stein and Kentucky. The Wildcats are in play atop the SEC and in the College Football Playoff, and nobody expects that to change against Vanderbilt. No. 18 LSU at Auburn Desmond Howard: LSUNick Saban: LSUPat McAfee: LSUDalton Kincaid: LSUKirk Herbstreit: LSU Auburn knocked off top-ranked Georgia last week, but not one panelist was willing to pick them this time around. It was a clean sweep for Lane Kiffin and LSU, with everyone picking them to win on the road. No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina Desmond Howard: TennesseeNick Saban: South CarolinaPat McAfee: TennesseeDalton Kincaid: TennesseeKirk Herbstreit: South Carolina South Carolina is favored here, which is surprising to many. And Howard, McAfee and Kincaid are all riding with the Vols. But Saban and Herbstreit both believe in Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas Desmond Howard: Ole MissNick Saban: TexasPat McAfee: Ole MissDalton Kincaid: Ole Miss No Herbstreit pick here, as he’ll be on the call for this Week 8 showdown. Arch Manning is the headline, and could he be benched if struggles continue? Only Saban picked the Longhorns, while Howard, McAfee and Kincaid all picked the Rebels. No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah Desmond Howard: UtahNick Saban: UtahPat McAfee: HoustonDalton Kincaid: UtahKirk Herbstreit: Houston Utah hosted GameDay in what was an awesome atmosphere. Howard, Saban and of course Kincaid are rocking with the Utes to win. But Herbstreit and McAfee went against the grain, picking Houston to win this one on the road.