College Football Week 9 Picks: Top Betting Odds for Saturday's Late Games
The ideal Pac-12 football schedule is on display in Week 9.
Three fascinating matchups in the west-coast conference dominate Saturday night's slate.
The Arizona State Sun Devils created more intrigue around their home contest with the Washington State Cougars by playing a tight road contest versus the Washington Huskies in Week 8.
Arizona State has the potential to be a frisky underdog for the rest of the season because of its defense and ability to run the ball.
The Sun Devils have the perfect opportunity in place to pick up a notable win on Saturday against a Washington State that is reeling at the moment.
Another intriguing matchup takes place across Arizona between the Oregon State Beavers and Arizona Wildcats.
Oregon State goes into Tempe as a short favorite despite being the No. 11 team in the AP Top 25.
The Beavers are entering a potential trap game, but if they come out with a resounding victory, they will have a path to the College Football Playoff going into November.
Those two games kick off after the primetime showdown between the Colorado Buffaloes and UCLA Bruins. Colorado is in need of a complete performance, but that may not happen against Chip Kelly's side.
Washington State at Arizona State (+5.5)
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For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Arizona State put the nation on notice with its late-night defensive heroics against Washington in Week 8.
The Sun Devils produced similar defensive showings outside of the spotlight in the buildup to their trip to Husky Stadium.
Kenny Dillingham's team seems due for a victory after losing three consecutive one-possession games.
Saturday presents the perfect storm of circumstances for the Sun Devils. They return home after their best performance of the season and face a Washington State team that lost three straight games.
Wazzu's pass-heavy offense has not been as effective as it was in September. The Cougars scored just 47 points in their three October games.
The visitors may experience more struggles to finish off the month against an Arizona State defense that made Michael Penix Jr. look like an average quarterback with three interceptions last week.
The Sun Devils can control the clock through running back Cam Skattebo, and if their defense continues to play well, they can not just cover, but win outright.
No. 11 Oregon State (-3) at Arizona
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Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Oregon State is the dark horse playoff contender you should be talking more about.
The Beavers come into Week 9 with a 6-1 record and a favorable schedule to get them to 9-1 before end-of-season clashes with Washington and Oregon.
D.J. Uiagelelei has seven touchdown passes in his last two games, and he could carve up the Arizona defense on Saturday to potentially put the Beavers into the AP Top 10.
Arizona is two weeks removed from a remarkable 44-6 road win over Washington State, but that win may have said more about Wazzu than the Wildcats.
Arizona's defense let up 363 passing yards to Penix in its last home game, a 31-24 loss to Washington.
The Wildcats could struggle to limit Uiagelelei's production, and the one difference between Saturday and past Arizona games is that the opponent's defense is good enough to hold it to a low point total.
Oregon State broke out to an early two-score advantage against UCLA last week and it held the Utah Utes to seven points to start October.
The Beavers can control the contest and set up the potential for them to be in the playoff conversation deep into November.
Colorado at No. 23 UCLA (Under 61)
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Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Saturday's primetime clash at the Rose Bowl presents a fascinating matchup of coaches.
Colorado's Deion Sanders is new hot thing among the coaching ranks, a role that Chip Kelly fit two decades ago at Oregon.
Kelly built up UCLA to be a consistent contender in the Pac-12, and while its offense typically gets the headlines, its defense will get a chance to shine on Saturday.
The Bruins allow 282.6 total yards per game and are coming off a dominant 42-7 win over the Stanford Cardinal.
Colorado is right above, or at, Stanford's level at the moment under Sanders. The Buffaloes cruised past Stanford in the first half two weeks ago before letting up a comeback on home soil.
Colorado's offense moved the ball well against average defenses and struggled against the better teams in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes' six-point performance on the road at Oregon stood out the most.
UCLA can create all sorts of havoc in the pocket against Shedeur Sanders, who will be forced to win the game on his own. Colorado's rushing offense averages 86.3 yards per game.
The Bruins should force Sanders into a handful of mistakes that will prevent Colorado from scoring points. UCLA can methodically move the ball down the field against a Buffaloes defense that has been worn down by multiple opponents.
UCLA can easily win the contest by a 35-14-type score line in which the under clears with ease and continues to produce concerns about Colorado's complete product.
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