Clemson fell off the national radar after losing at Boston College in its second game of the season. The Tigers have bounced back after that one-point defeat to win their next five games and become one of the hottest teams on the football planet.

Coach Tommy Bowden has piloted Clemson to five straight victories by a combined score of 220-53. The Tigers stand an excellent chance of running the table the rest of the way with four of their last five games at Memorial Stadium, where they have outscored their foes, 157-13.

Georgia Tech provides the opposition in Week 8 and if past history is any indication, Clemson shouldn't expect another home romp.

The Yellow Jackets have won the past two series showdowns, including a 28-24 upset win in their last visit to Columbia as 6 1/2-point dogs, 28-24. Georgia Tech nipped the Tigers at Bobby Dodd Stadium as 2 1/2-point home favorites last year, 10-9.

Georgia Tech is riding a hot streak of its own. The Yellow Jackets have won five straight since losing their season opener at home to Notre Dame as eight-point underdogs, 14-10. Tech had last week off following a narrow home victory over Maryland, 27-23. The Jackets' are 8-19 ATS off a bye.

The Tigers explosive offense has put 43.8 points per game on the board. That's bad news for a Georgia Tech squad that's 0-17 ATS when it allows 28 points or more.

Close calls have been par for the course in this hotly contested Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry. Nine of the last 10 meetings have been decided by five points or less and the dog has barked in 16 of 17 showdowns. However, Clemson has come away with the cash in nine of the last dozen tussles.

Trends and angles for the remainder of the Week 8 menu appear below.

BGSU at CMU

Bowling Green has won five of eight versus Central Michigan, though it has failed to cash in six of the eight clashes. The Falcons are 2-5 straight up and 1-5-1 ATS when playing in a televised conference game. The home team has 'covered' seven of 11 meetings. The Chippewas are 2-6 ATS before a bye.

NORTH CAROLINA at VIRGINIA

The visiting team hasn't had much luck in this ACC rivalry, failing to cash in 16 of the last 20 meetings. North Carolina is 10-2-1 in its last13 chances as road dogs.

UTAH at NEW MEXICO

Utah has won and 'covered' seven of 11 against New Mexico. The Lobos have lost and failed in three of their last four midweek contests.

WEST VIRGINIA at CONNECTICUT

West Virginia has cashed nine of its last 10 weekday tests. Connecticut has lost seven straight to ranked opponents (3-4 ATS).

RUTGERS at PITT

Pittsburgh has won seven of its last eight prior to a bye (6-2 ATS). Rutgers has dropped 11 of its last 15 against the Panthers, though it has cashed at a 9-6 clip. The Scarlet Knights snapped a six-game series skid last year, beating Pitt at home, 37-29.

ILLINOIS at PENN STATE

Illinois has come up short in 11 of 13 versus Penn State while averaging 19 points per game. However, the home team is just 1-6 ATS in the last seven clashes.

MICHIGAN ST at NORTHWESTERN

Michigan State has floundered in 12 of its last 17 as road favorites. Northwestern is 2-5 ATS in its last seven homecoming games. The visitor has 'covered' seven of the last nine meetings.

LOUISVILLE at SYRACUSE

Louisville struggled on the road last year, failing in five of seven ATS. However, the Cardinals have cashed two of their first three on the road in 2006. Syracuse is 3-1 ATS in its first four outings at the Carrier Dome. The Orange is 1-6 ATS in their last seven Big East battles.

INDIANA at OHIO STATE

Indiana has averaged 1.1 yards per rush against Ohio State in the last four mismatches. The Buckeyes have posted a 14-0-1 mark versus the Hoosiers (10-4-1 ATS) while holding the Hoosiers to 9.9 points per game all-time. However, the visitor has cashed at a 10-3-1 rate recently.

NORTH CAROLINA ST at MARYLAND

North Carolina State has faltered in 13 of 16 as road favorites. The chalk in this series has stumbled at a 4-16-1 clip as well. The visiting team has 'covered' at a 7-3-1 pace. Maryland is 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 conference home openers.

TCU at ARMY

TCU has won five straight against Army, though it has failed to get the cheese in the last three clashes. The Horned Frogs are just 7-15-1 as road favorites.

SOUTHERN MISS at VIRGINIA TECH

Virginia Tech looks to bounce back after suffering back-to-back losses for the first time since the end of the 2003 season. The Hokies are 18-12-2 ATS when facing teams from Conference-USA. Southern Mississippi has averaged 10.7 points per game in its first three road outings.

BUFFALO at OHIO U

Ohio has won six of eight against Buffalo, failing to cash in four of the last six. The Bulls are 3-0 ATS on the road this year despite yielding 39 PPG.

WMU at BALL STATE

The SU winner is 13-1 ATS in the last 14 series scrapes. The visiting team has failed in nine of the last 13 encounters. Ball State is 8-3-1 ATS in its last dozen at Scheumann Stadium.

OLE MISS at ARKANSAS

The favorite is 10-3-1 in this SEC rivalry and the host has cashed at a 9-3-1 pace. Arkansas is 2-5-1 ATS in its last eight at Fayetteville.

UCLA at NOTRE DAME

UCLA has 'covered' 13 of its last 19 non-conference tests on the road. The Bruins have also cashed eight of 12 when playing the second of back-to-back games away from home. Notre Dame is 8-2, both SU and ATS, following a bye.

TULANE at AUBURN

This could be a tough spot for Auburn to rise to the occasion after back-to-back home games with Arkansas and Florida. The Tigers have won four straight and cashed three straight homecoming games, outscoring the opposition 214-42.

SOUTH CAROLINA at VANDY

South Carolina has won six straight and 'covered' 10 of 14 against Vanderbilt. However, the Gamecocks are 2-9 SU and 3-8 ATS after taking a week off. The Commodores have dropped 13 straight versus Steve Spurrier coached teams.

UNLV at BYU

BYU has won seven of nine versus UNLV (3-6 ATS). The Cougars have failed to cash eight of their last 11 following a bye. The visitor has 'covered' eight of the last nine shootouts.

KANSAS at BAYLOR

Kansas has lost three straight at Baylor. The Bears have dropped eight straight homecoming games (1-7 ATS).


TEMPLE at NIU
Northern Illinois has won and 'covered' eight of its last nine homecoming affairs. The Huskies return home, where they are 0-2 ATS this year, after playing their last three games on the road.

SMU at ECU

SMU is 3-7 SU and 2-8 ATS on grass. The Mustangs four-game winning streak is their longest since 1999.

IOWA at MICHIGAN

Iowa is 8-2-1 ATS when playing its second consecutive road game. The Hawkeyes have also cashed at a 6-0-1 pace as road short-enders. Michigan has won seven of the last nine series meetings (1-6-2 ATS).

MIAMI at DUKE

Miami has won six of its last eight conference road outings (5-3 ATS). The Hurricanes are 13-3 SU on the ACC highway, though just 6-10 ATS.

TEXAS at NEBRASKA

Texas is 20-1 SU and 14-6-1 ATS on the road against conference foes with the exception of the Red River Shootout. Nebraska has lost five of six to the Longhorns (2-4 ATS). The Cornhuskers have 'covered' 12 of their last 18 against teams from the Big-12 South. The teams have combined to average 43.5 PPG in the last six showdowns.

WISCONSIN at PURDUE

Five of the last six series clashes have been decided by seven points or less. The favorite has cashed five of seven and the home team has failed in eight of 12 tries.

MISSISSIPPI STATE at GEORGIA

Georgia has won eight straight and cashed five of its last seven in this battle of the Bulldogs. Georgia is 12-1 SU, but only 4-9 ATS before facing Florida.

ALABAMA at TENNESSEE

Alabama has 'covered' six of its last seven at Knoxville and won three games outright. The visiting team is 13-1 ATS in the last 14 series battles.

WASHINGTON at CALIFORNIA

Washington had won 19 straight against California until coach Jeff Tedford arrived on the scene in Berkeley. The Golden Bears have prevailed in the last four meetings by an average score of 47-16 and they have cashed in eight of the last 11 meetings.

COLORADO ST at WYOMING

Colorado State has won 10 of its last 13 versus Wyoming. The underdog has cashed 10 of 14. The home team is 4-10 ATS, 'covering' in the last three.

RICE at UCF

Rice is 10-3 ATS before a bye. The Owls have split their first four spread decisions on the road after going 0-6 ATS on the highway in 2005. Central Florida struggled against poor teams the past three years, coming up short in eight of nine ATS.

TOLEDO at EMU

Toledo is 13-3 SU and 9-6-1 ATS against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are 6-3-1 as home dogs. The host team is 3-7-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.

MIAMI (O) at AKRON

The visitor is 3-10 SU and 3-9-1 ATS. Miami (O) has won 10 of 12 against Akron (7-4-1 ATS). The Zips have won five of six and cashed six straight after a bye. The teams have combined to put 70.5 PPG on the board in the last four encounters.

STANFORD at ARIZONA ST

Stanford has 'covered' seven of eight against Arizona State. The Cardinal have also cashed six straight prior to a bye. The Pac-10 rivals have combined to average 72 PPG in the last eight shootouts.

SAN JOSE ST at NEVADA

San Jose State has lost nine of its last 11 conference road openers (3-8 ATS). Nevada has won and cashed four straight against the Spartans by an average of 10 PPG. The favorite has come away with the money in the last six tussles.

OREGON STATE at ARIZONA

Oregon State has won and 'covered' six of seven against Arizona. The favorite is 8-2 in the last 10 encounters. The Beavers are 4-10 ATS on grass. The Wildcats are 3-10-1 ATS prior to a bye.

UTEP at HOUSTON

UTEP has flunked eight of its last 14 conference road tests (9-5 ATS). The Miners had cashed 10 of their last 13 in October prior to last week's battle with Tulane.

FRESNO STATE at LSU

Fresno is 11-6 as road dogs with six outright upsets. LSU has won and cashed five straight prior to a bye. The Tigers are 4-0 SU, but just 1-3 ATS, against WAC opponents.

TEXAS TECH at IOWA STATE

The favorite has 'covered' four straight series meetings and the home team is 3-1 in the last four.

TEXAS A&M at OKLAHOMA ST

Oklahoma State is 8-3-1 ATS as conference home favorites. The visitor is 2-5 ATS in the last seven showdowns.

KANSAS STATE at MISSOURI

Missouri has a golden opportunity to snap a 13-game series skid against Kansas State. The Wildcats have also 'covered' eight of 11 versus the Tigers. Kansas State is 12-0 ATS after losing to Nebraska, but just 1-4 ATS after beating the Huskers. The host is 11-5 ATS of late.

COLORADO at OKLAHOMA

Colorado has cashed 10 of 15 against Oklahoma. The home team has 'covered' four straight.

MARSHALL at UAB

Marshall has dropped its last six as conference road underdogs.

BC at FLORIDA ST

Boston College has 'covered' seven of its last nine as road pups. The Eagles failed to cash their first pair on the highway this year, both as favorites.

HAWAII at NEW MEXICO ST

Hawaii was 4-11 ATS on the road the last three seasons until getting the green in its first two stops this year. New Mexico State got the money in first two chances as underdogs after faltering in nine of 11 in that role in 2005.

TULSA at MEMPHIS

The visitor is 7-1-1 in the last nine clashes. Memphis has 'covered' nine of its last 10 conference openers at Skelly Stadium.

AIR FORCE at SAN DIEGO ST

San Diego State has cashed six of nine against Air Force. The favorite has disappointed in nine of 13 series clashes.

BOISE STATE at IDAHO

Boise State has won seven straight and 'covered' six of seven prior to a bye. Idaho has lost eight of nine (2-7 ATS) versus the Broncos. The Vandals have cashed 10 of their last 14 as home dogs, with seven outright upsets.

OREGON at WASHINGTON ST

The favorite has clicked in five of six series showdowns. Oregon is 17-10 ATS against conference foes.