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Week 8 of the college football season is upon us. Here are five defenses who could score big in your fantasy football leagues.
MICHIGAN
If there’s one defense I really love this week it’s Michigan. This is a payback spot after the Wolverines lost to the Spartans last season, 14-10. Michigan State has won eight of the last 10 in this series but this Michigan team is so much better and could be a College Football Playoff contender if things fall the right way.
The fact is Michigan State’s offense is just not great. The Spartans beat Penn State 21-17 last week. They put up 19 the week before against Northwestern. You get the drift - the Michigan State offense doesn’t score a lot.
In turn, Michigan’s defense has only given up 24 points once this season and that was in the season opener against Notre Dame. Wisconsin got thumped by the Wolverines last week and scored only 13. With the betting point total dropping to 40.5, Vegas thinks this will be low scoring, which is perfect for Michigan fantasy owners.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Mississippi State-LSU matchup could be one where starting either defense makes sense but I’m going to side with the Bulldogs. First, they’re owned in only 15 percent of fantasy leagues where LSU is at 73 percent so Mississippi State’s defense will probably be available.
Secondly, the Bulldogs’ front four is arguably the best in the country with Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons leading the way. LSU has 18 rushing touchdowns this season and only six throwing the ball so if quarterback Joe Burrow has to pass – especially on third-and-long – then the Tigers could be in trouble. Mississippi State has allowed seven touchdowns all season. I expect a low-scoring battle where both defenses shine.
IOWA
Maryland has been outstanding running the football as the Terrapins have averaged six yards per carry and they’ve scored 14 touchdowns on the ground. But Maryland cannot move the ball through the air and Iowa’s run defense has been exceptional this season, allowing just 2.7 yards per carry and giving up three rushing scores.
Iowa “held” Wisconsin star running back Jonathan Taylor to 113 yards on 25 carries earlier this season and Maryland’s rushing attack is nowhere nearly as good. The over/under has plummeted to 47.5 as well so Vegas is not expecting a lot of points.
KENTUCKY
The Wildcats are only giving up 13.8 points per game. And that has been against excellent competition including Texas A&M, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Florida. Kentucky is also coming off a bye week and Vanderbilt is coming off a tough loss against Florida at home.
I know the Commodores scored 27 against an excellent Gators defense but it was a complete lookahead spot for Florida, which kicked it into high gear when needed. Against Georgia, Vanderbilt scored 13. Against South Carolina, the Commodores scored 14. Against Notre Dame, they scored 17. This is not a prolific offense and Kentucky’s defense is rested and hungry. Plus, the Wildcats’ defense is owned in only 10 percent of leagues so they could be a steal.
VIRGINIA
This is another game where either defense makes sense – Virginia or Duke – but I am leaning toward the Cavaliers because they have a few more offensive playmakers that could score quick points and their competition has been much better so far when comparing stats. Virginia gave up only 13 points in a three-point win over Miami last week. Louisville only kicked a field goal against the Cavaliers.
Both the Hurricanes and the Cardinals have underachieved this year but Virginia’s defense has allowed just five rushing TDs and has been good against the pass as well. Duke’s defense has played great as well so the Blue Devils’ unit is also worth a look this weekend.
