Thursday’s action included Tampa Bay’s first win, Cleveland extending its Division Series, four FBS finals and six NBA preseason games. Every game listed on the October 8 date scoreboards for the five covered sports is final. Games are assigned to the Eastern calendar date on which they started.
This recap describes the sports results and documented market outcomes. It is not a report of ISR’s paid selections or service performance.
NFL: Tampa Bay wins in Dallas
| Matchup / box score | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 · Dallas Cowboys 16 | Final |
- Irving leads the ground game: Bucky Irving rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown and added a receiving touchdown in Tampa Bay’s 24–16 win.
- Daniels keeps the offense moving: Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown.
- Possession and turnovers: Tampa Bay held the ball for 39:21, rushed for 241 yards and committed no turnovers. Dallas had three turnovers and 50 rushing yards.
ISR analysis: The rushing and turnover differences explain more than the upset label alone. Possession time is an outcome of those successful drives, not an independent reason to expect the same result next week.
MLB: Cleveland sends the series to Game 5
| Matchup / box score | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox | Cleveland Guardians 9 · Chicago White Sox 5 | Final |
- One decisive inning: Cleveland scored six runs in the sixth inning in its 9–5 win at Chicago. The Division Series is tied 2–2.
- Two home-run contributions: José Ramírez went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. Patrick Bailey went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs.
- Plenty of traffic: The Guardians had ten hits and seven walks; the White Sox had eight hits and eight walks. Miguel Vargas homered and drew three walks for Chicago.
ISR analysis: The six-run inning shows why the final score should not be reduced to a starting-pitcher comparison. Both clubs created baserunners, and the ability to convert that traffic separated the outcomes.
NCAA Football FBS: four games, four different scoring profiles
| Matchup / box score | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston Bearkats at Liberty Flames | Sam Houston Bearkats 3 · Liberty Flames 35 | Final |
| Missouri State Bears at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | Missouri State Bears 13 · Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 34 | Final |
| South Florida Bulls at UTSA Roadrunners | South Florida Bulls 24 · UTSA Roadrunners 31 | Final |
| South Alabama Jaguars at Arkansas State Red Wolves | South Alabama Jaguars 56 · Arkansas State Red Wolves 49 | Final |
- Liberty controls the ground game: The Flames rushed for 297 yards in their 35–3 win over Sam Houston and finished with a 411–243 total-yard advantage.
- Western Kentucky produces balance: WKU beat Missouri State 34–13 with 233 rushing yards and 231 passing yards. Ajay Allen ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
- UTSA’s running backs finish possessions: A’Marion Peterson scored three rushing touchdowns as UTSA beat South Florida 31–24. The Roadrunners rushed for 277 yards and converted eight of fourteen third downs.
- South Alabama wins a 105-point game: The Jaguars beat Arkansas State 56–49 despite being outgained 516–372. Keenan Phillips ran for 157 yards and three scores; Arkansas State’s Trey Owens passed for 418 yards and four touchdowns. Arkansas State had three turnovers to South Alabama’s one.
ISR analysis: South Alabama–Arkansas State is a reminder that yardage and points describe different parts of a game. The Jaguars’ rushing production and the turnover difference belong beside the final score when evaluating what may carry forward.
NBA preseason: six finals, with minutes still central
| Matchup / box score | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers | Boston Celtics 124 · Cleveland Cavaliers 113 | Final |
| New Orleans Pelicans at Miami Heat | New Orleans Pelicans 118 · Miami Heat 128 | Final |
| Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets | Philadelphia 76ers 108 · Brooklyn Nets 114 | Final |
| Washington Wizards at New York Knicks | Washington Wizards 111 · New York Knicks 109 | Final |
| Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs | Atlanta Hawks 123 · San Antonio Spurs 116 | Final |
| Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers | Sacramento Kings 110 · Los Angeles Lakers 114 | Final |
- Boston and Miami win by double digits: Boston beat Cleveland 124–113, with Luka Garza scoring 22 in 27 minutes. Miami beat New Orleans 128–118.
- Brooklyn beats Philadelphia: The Nets won 114–108 despite making only 25 of 42 free throws. Philadelphia committed 22 total turnovers to Brooklyn’s 16.
- Two road wins: Washington beat New York 111–109; Atlanta beat San Antonio 123–116. Asa Newell scored 16 in fourteen minutes for Atlanta.
- Lakers hold off Sacramento: Los Angeles won 114–110. Luka Dončić scored 23 in 25 minutes; the Lakers made 31 of 38 free throws.
ISR analysis: Preseason results need the minutes and lineup context attached. A score produced across developmental units is not automatically evidence for a regular-season matchup involving different rotations.
NCAA men’s basketball: no listed games
No games were listed on the October 8 NCAA men’s basketball date scoreboard.
Betting notebook: outcomes against identified lines
These are DraftKings source lines displayed in ESPN’s retained individual game-summary odds records, checked October 9, 2026, 7:38 AM EDT. They are source snapshots, not universal closing-line claims. The spread and total outcomes below are calculated from the verified finals. No market movement is inferred.
| Game | Source line | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| TB @ DAL | DAL -8.5; total 49.5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers covered; 40 points: under |
| SHSU @ LIB | LIB -13.5; total 52.5 | Liberty Flames covered; 38 points: under |
| MOST @ WKU | MOST -1.5; total 56.5 | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers covered; 47 points: under |
| USF @ UTSA | UTSA -5.5; total 49.5 | UTSA Roadrunners covered; 55 points: over |
| USA @ ARST | ARST -3; total 60.5 | South Alabama Jaguars covered; 105 points: over |
| CLE @ CHW | CLE -118; total 7 | Cleveland won outright; 14 runs: over |
| BOS @ CLE | CLE -3.5; total 222.5 | Boston Celtics covered; 237 points: over |
| NO @ MIA | MIA -7.5; total 234.5 | Miami Heat covered; 246 points: over |
| PHI @ BKN | PHI -8.5; total 220.5 | Brooklyn Nets covered; 222 points: over |
| WSH @ NY | NY -6.5; total 227.5 | Washington Wizards covered; 220 points: under |
| ATL @ SA | SA -8.5; total 227.5 | Atlanta Hawks covered; 239 points: over |
| SAC @ LAL | LAL -10.5; total 232.5 | Sacramento Kings covered; 224 points: under |
Sources and completion check
Finals and statistics: the linked individual box scores and the date scoreboards for NFL, FBS, MLB, NBA preseason and NCAA men’s basketball. MLB was also checked against official MLB game data. All twelve listed games are final; no unresolved postponement or in-progress listing remains in these retrieved slates.
Football
