College Football Betting Odds Week 9: Picks Against the Spread for Top 25 Schedule

No one expected the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies to be the last two undefeated teams in SEC play going into Week 9.

LSU and A&M enter their head-to-head showdown in College Station with a combined 7-0 record in conference play.

They are part of a larger group of six teams at 6-1 overall and Saturday's winner has a strong chance of landing in the SEC Championship Game.

The Vanderbilt Commodores reside right beneath the collection of 6-1 teams at 5-2, and if they somehow beat the Texas Longhorns at home on Saturday, they will be in the title game mix as well.

However, Texas is the better team and has a bounce-back performance in mind after losing its top-five battle with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Quinn Ewers and Co. are a near-three-touchdown favorite for their trip to Nashville, and while Vandy has been a covering machine as an underdog, the Longhorns could buck that trend while picking up another Top 25 win on the road.

Week 9 Top 25 Schedule and Odds

Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - OCTOBER 18: Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) looks downfield during the college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Oregon Ducks on October 18, 2024, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Friday, October 25

No. 17 Boise State (-3.5) at UNLV (10:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN)

Saturday, October 26

Nebraska at No. 4 Ohio State (-25.5) (Noon ET, Fox)

No. 12 Notre Dame (-13.5) vs. No. 24 Navy (Noon ET, ABC)

Washington at No. 13 Indiana (-6) (Noon ET, BTN)

Oklahoma at No. 18 Ole Miss (-20) (Noon ET, ESPN)

No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon (-22) (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 11 BYU at UCF (-2.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama (-17) (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 5 Texas (-18) at No. 25 Vanderbilt (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)

Florida State at No. 6 Miami (-21) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 3 Penn State (-6.5) at Wisconsin (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M (-1) (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

Kansas at No. 16 Kansas State (-9.5) (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

No. 22 SMU (-12) at Duke (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

No. 8 LSU (+1) at No. 14 Texas A&M

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - OCTOBER 19: Whit Weeks #40 of the LSU Tigers looks over the offense during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 34-10. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

LSU and Texas A&M have very similar resumes going into Week 9.

Each team lost in Week 1 and then reeled off six straight victories. They both have a win over a Top 10 program at home as part of their hauls in conference play.

LSU has thrived thanks to the quarterback play of Garrett Nussmeier, who eclipsed the 300-yard mark in five of his seven games.

Nussmeier threw four of his six interceptions in the last three weeks, but he's found a way to rebound from those turnovers to produce multi-touchdown games through the air.

On the other hand, Conner Weigman has a single game with more than 250 passing yards, one multi-touchdown game through the air and a pair of multi-interception performances.

A&M's made up for Weigman's average performances with a strong rushing attack, but the Aggies might have to rely on their quarterback if LSU's offense finds a rhythm early on.

If you're picking the game solely on quarterback play, Nussmeier holds the edge, but he is going up against an A&M defense that allows 209 passing yards per game and smothered the Missouri Tigers' passing attack three weeks ago.

If Nussmeier deals with the A&M passing defense well, he should make a few plays that make the difference inside Kyle Field.

And you could argue LSU needs a win on Saturday more than A&M since it still has to play the Alabama Crimson Tide and Vanderbilt in November.

Meanwhile, if A&M wins, its last true test comes on Thanksgiving weekend against Texas in a game where an SEC Championship Game berth could be on the line.

No. 5 Texas (-18) at No. 25 Vanderbilt

David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 19: Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) passes the ball during the SEC college football game between Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs on October 19, 2024, at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Vanderbilt deserves credit for defying all expectations in 2024, but at some point, the magic has to run out for Diego Pavia and Co.

Saturday is the perfect time to hop off the Vanderbilt bandwagon not just to pull off the upset, but to cover the spread as well.

Vandy is 5-2 against the spread with outright wins as an underdog over the Kentucky Wildcats, Virginia Tech Hokies and Alabama.

Texas is 4-1 ATS as a favorite of 17 points or more. The lone failure to cover in that trend was a 22-point win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs as a 36.5-point favorite.

Quinn Ewers and Co. should be annoyed that last weekend's game with Georgia did not go their way and they should take out their frustration on Vandy.

Texas' defense will be the key to shutting down Pavia and breaking away on the scoreboard.

The Longhorns held their first six opponents to 13 points or less, and even though gave up 30 points to UGA, they held them to seven points in the second half.

Texas' defense should gain some momentum from a solid second half and turn that into a dominant showing in Nashville.

Vanderbilt's defense gives up just under 100 more yards per game than Texas, and if that unit can't contain Ewers and the Texas passing game, it could be a long afternoon for the Commodores.

No. 17 Boise State (-3.5) at UNLV

Darryl Oumi/Getty Images

HONOLULU, HI - OCTOBER 12: Ashton Jeanty #2 of the Boise State Broncos stiff-arms Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen #29 of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the first half of the game at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on October 12, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)

Heisman Trophy favorite Ashton Jeanty and the Boise State Broncos face their biggest test of the season on Friday night against the UNLV Rebels.

Boise State and UNLV are viewed as the top two teams in the Mountain West and two of the top contenders for the Group of Five berth in the College Football Playoff.

Jeanty is averaging 9.9 yards per carry and recorded over 180 rushing yards in five of his six games.

The Boise State running back will be the best player on the field by a wide margin in Friday's contest, and sometimes it's easiest to just back the team with the top athlete.

UNLV only allows 104.4 rushing yards per game, but the Rebels defense as a whole has had trouble keeping opponents off the scoreboard.

UNLV allowed 103 points in the last three weeks alone, and although its offense is suited to play in high-scoring games, it may be tough to go big play for big play against Jeanty.

Don't sleep on Boise's passing game either. Quarterback Maddux Madsen is coming off two straight 200-yard, multi-touchdown performances.

If Boise's offense wants to change pace from Jeanty, Madsen should take advantage of a UNLV passing defense that allows 287.8 yards per game.

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