The 2026-27 college football season rolls on with a small Friday night slate of games! It’s time to lock in our CFB best bets today before the action gets underway. Check out these CFB picks for Friday’s Week 8 college football slate on October 23rd. Without further ado, let’s jump into this week’s top CFB predictions.

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: Friday, 10/23

Our CFB best bets today start with Virginia hosting Duke in an ACC matchup. Plus, Army takes on Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference. Check out more CFB picks below for the rest of Friday’s action. Good luck! 

 

 

 

Duke vs. Virginia Prediction: Friday, October 23rd

After a 4-0 start to the season, Duke has now lost two straight games. The Blue Devils will try to get back on track against Virginia in a big Friday night matchup. ACC bragging rights are on the line in this rematch of last year’s conference title game. Let’s break it down for our CFB best bets today. 

Duke should be hungry to return to the win column following that hot start. The Blue Devils easily could’ve (and should’ve) won their past two games against Georgia Tech and North Carolina. They held a lead in the final 2 minutes and out-gained their opponents in both losses. Duke also missed a field goal to tie Georgia Tech, and threw an interception to end the UNC game. A few plays in their favor could have the Blue Devils at 6-0 heading into this week’s matchup.

Meanwhile, Virginia is 4-3 and has been playing inconsistently lately. The Cavaliers have lost by double digits to both Florida State and SMU in the past month. They also lost by two scores to West Virginia earlier this season. UVA’s only quality win since the beginning of the year was against a 2-4 Syracuse team two weeks ago. 

In this matchup, Duke’s defense can be a difference-maker. The Blue Devils are allowing just 16.0 points per game, ranking 18th in the country. Their defense also ranks 31st nationally in EPA/Play and 21st in total yards allowed per game. 

The unit can hold Virginia’s struggling offense in check. The Cavaliers have failed to eclipse 300 total yards in three straight games. Quarterback Beau Pribula has been held under 200 passing yards in all 5 games vs. power-conference opponents this year, and the UVA run game cannot be relied upon. 

On the other side, Duke’s own rushing attack can control this game. Virginia ranks 130th nationally in defensive success rate against the run. The defense is also 117th in EPA/Play vs. the run. That’s trouble when facing Blue Devils’ stud running back Nate Sheppard, who is averaging 5.9 yards per carry this season. He’s also averaging 179.8 total yards per game as a true weapon. 

Let’s back Duke to cover the small spread as the road underdog. The Blue Devils could easily win outright, so the moneyline is also an option. If we can get points as a fallback in case of a close loss, though, that’s the safer play. 

Army vs. Tulsa Prediction: Friday, October 23rd

Let’s turn our attention to the American Athletic Conference for more CFB best bets today. Tulsa is the slight home favorite against Army on Friday night. Our focus is on the game total, though, instead of worrying about who wins. Take the over and root for scoring of any kind. 

Army’s offense has been incredibly efficient this season. The Black Knights rank 2nd nationally in offensive EPA/Play and 7th in offensive success rate. They’re running the patented triple-option attack to near-perfection, and teams are struggling to stop it. 

The Black Knights are averaging an FBS-best 6.5 yards per carry and 357.5 rushing yards per game. The offense is at its best with a true rushing threat at quarterback, and Cale Hellums is exactly that. The senior is gaining 5.6 yards per carry this season, while racking up 223 and 195 rushing yards over the past two games. 

Tulsa could have issues slowing down Army’s run-heavy offense. The Golden Hurricane faced a similar scheme two weeks ago against Navy and allowed the Midshipmen to rack up 386 rushing yards on 5.8 yards per attempt. They also gave up 227 rushing yards on 5.0 yards per carry to North Texas in the game prior. 

Meanwhile, Army’s defense is among the worst in college football. The Black Knights rank 132nd nationally in defensive EPA/Play while struggling to stop both the run and the pass. They haven’t faced many offenses that have exploited those defensive woes, but Tulsa can. 

The Golden Hurricane offense has been much better over the past three games with starting quarterback Bayor Hayes back healthy. They’ve scored 44, 26, and 38 points in these last three matchups while averaging 376.3 total yards in this stretch. 

 

 

 

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