A loss for Alabama or Tennessee could result in either team being eliminated from the College Football Playoff.

That should lead to desperation and a more open game on Saturday, as both coaching staffs have no reason to hold anything back.

Here are my best bets for Week 8 in college football:

Alabama vs. Tennessee (3:30 p.m. Eastern, ABC)

Nick Saban must hate watching the Alabama secondary this season.

While this year’s unit is incredibly talented, it lacks discipline, which is uncharacteristic of Saban.

It shows up on tape with countless botched calls and explosive plays through the air.

Last week against South Carolina, LaNorris Sellers managed to burn the Crimson Tide with passes of at least 15 yards on four occasions, including a late 31-yard connection with Nyck Harbor in the end zone.

This was a recurring theme throughout the season, as receivers torched Alabama’s defense late into games.

Can Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava make as much money as Carson Beck, Diego Pavia and Sellers did last month?

The first hurdle will be whether his coaching staff allows it.

At maximum efficiency, Tennessee’s “veer and shoot” offense should include a series of deep strikes.

The offense’s original architect, Art Briles, coined the phrase “haymaker to the final bell.”

This season the focus is much more on running.

Dylan Sampson has made 73 runs in the last three weeks, while Iamaleava has attempted just 76 passes.

But these conservative schedules were matched by weak offenses in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Florida.

The Vols will have no choice but to air it out in Knoxville, Tennessee once the Alabama offense gets going.

Kalen DeBoer is one of the game’s best game planners and will face a Vols defense that will struggle to communicate on the field.

Until he went down with a season-ending ACL injury, Keenan Pili, arguably Tennessee’s best defender, relayed calls from the coaching staff and made sure everyone was lined up before the snap.

With Pili out, Tennessee will likely be caught out of position a few times on Saturday, which is bad news given an Alabama offense that features game-changing athletes like Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams.

I like to see this game turn into a shootout, similar to Alabama’s classic against Georgia. I would play the over to 59.

Recommendation: Over 56.5 points (-115, FanDuel)

North Texas vs. Memphis (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

The overall rating of 67.5 for this game is based on Memphis’ recent offensive weakness.

Against USF, the Tigers scored just three touchdowns in a 21-3 win.

But Memphis left a lot of points on the field with a missed field goal and two turnovers on downs.

They ran for a total of 345 yards.

The week before, Memphis only put up 24 points at home against Middle Tennessee.

The Tigers played conservatively later on and had a comfortable lead, but did better in the yardage battle (413 yards).

Betting on college football?

Here’s what I know about this game: North Texas will score at will, so not losing is out of the question.

The Mean Green are fifth overall in offense, scoring more than 40 points per game.

What I also know is that North Texas has 11 Scarecrows on defense.

UNT is 105th in pass EPA, 106th in tackling, 133rd in pass rush and ranks at the bottom of the chaos.

This defense is the cure for Memphis’ offensive blues.

And then there is speed. Memphis ranks 12th in plays per game, which is a snail’s pace compared to North Texas, which snaps every 23.3 seconds.

I would play the over to 69.5.

Recommendation: Over 67.5 points (-115, FanDuel)

Why should you trust New York Post Betting?

Mike Calabrese is a handicapper for the New York Post and focuses heavily on college sports. His betting recommendations often focus on situational points, including travel, rest and altitude differences.