College Football Picks Week 9: Vegas Odds and Predictions for Top-25 Games
For the second consecutive week, the scheduling gods have not been kind to college football fans.
Only one matchup of ranked opponents is on the schedule for Week 9, and a number of the nation's top teams are on bye weeks.
But as we've seen in recent weeks, what often looks like an ugly slate of games can quickly turn into a fun-filled weekend of upsets. In Week 8, while most teams rolled to easy victories against their unranked opponents, two Top-10 teams fell from the ranks of the undefeated.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The full Week 9 schedule is below, with against-the-spread predictions for each game and a breakdown of some of the best matchups of the weekend.
| Thurs. Oct. 29 | |||
| 7 p.m. | North Carolina (-3) at No. 23 Pittsburgh | ESPN | UNC |
| 7:30 p.m. | West Virginia at No. 5 TCU (-14) | FS1 | TCU |
| Sat. Oct. 31 | |||
| 12 p.m. | Syracuse at No. 17 Florida State (-20) | ABC | FSU |
| 12 p.m. | No. 19 Ole Miss (-6) at Auburn | ESPN | MISS |
| 3 p.m. | Colorado at No. 24 UCLA (-19.5) | PAC12 | UCLA |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 3 Clemson (-10) at N.C. State | ABC | NCST |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 11 Florida (-3) vs. Georgia | CBS | UF |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 14 Oklahoma (-37.5) at Kansas | FS1 | OKLA |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 12 Oklahoma State (-3) at Texas Tech | ESPN | OKST |
| 3:30 p.m. | Maryland at No. 10 Iowa (-17) | ESPN2 | MARY |
| 7 p.m | Tulane at No. 16 Memphis (-30) | CBS Sports | MEMP |
| 7 p.m | Oregon State at No. 13 Utah (-23.5) | PAC12 | UTAH |
| 7 p.m | Miami FL at No. 22 Duke | ESPNU | - |
| 7 p.m | Vanderbilt at No. 18 Houston (-14) | ESPN2 | HOU |
| 7 p.m | No. 15 Michigan (-12.5) at Minnesota | ESPN | MICH |
| 8 p.m. | No. 9 Notre Dame (-10) at No. 21 Temple | ABC | ND |
| 10:30 p.m. | No. 8 Stanford (-13) at Washington State | ESPN | WSU |
Note: Due to Miami quarterback Brad Kayaa's injury and uncertain status for Week 9, no spread is given for the Miami/Duke game as of Sunday night, according to OddsShark.com. No ATS pick has been made for this game.
Notable Games
No. 11 Florida (-3) vs. Georgia in Jacksonville
It's still October, but Florida can effectively clinch a berth in the SEC Championship Game with a victory over Georgia.
With a win, Florida would hold a two-game lead in the SEC East and own the head-to-head tiebreaker over every other three-loss team in the division with the exception of Vanderbilt. The Gators could then officially clinch the division by beating Vandy the following week in Florida.
Georgia has controlled this series in recent years, winning three straight from 2011 through 2013, but the Gators got back on the winning track by beating their division rival 38-20 last season.
For Georgia to have a chance at pulling the upset, it will need to establish the running game early with Sony Michel.
While Florida's defense has been strong this season, it has struggled against the toughest rushing attacks on their schedule. Tennessee, led by Jalen Hurd, and LSU, led by Leonard Fournette, each racked up more than 200 yards on the ground against the Gators.
Chubb's replacement, Michel, managed just 87 yards on the ground in his first start in Chubb's absence against Missouri.
Prediction: Florida 28, Georgia 17
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 21 Temple
Before the season started, no one would have imagined Notre Dame and Temple would be the only ranked matchup of the week.
The Owls are ranked for the first time since 1979 and may represent the toughest defensive matchup Notre Dame has seen all season.
Temple has allowed more than 100 yards on the ground just twice this season, but the Owls haven't exactly faced the toughest schedule.
The Temple defense shut down Penn State, arguably their toughest opponent, in Week 1, but that was before freshman Saquon Barkley established himself as the workhorse for the Nittany Lions.
C.J. Prosise's ability to expose the Temple defense could be the key to Notre Dame picking up another victory over a ranked opponent.
"C.J. Prosise is averaging 131.7 Rush YPG, on pace to set the #NotreDame record for a season. (Vagas Ferguson, 130.6 Rush YPG in 1979).
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) October 18, 2015"
Prosise has rushed for more than 100 yards in five of his last six games, with only Clemson holding him under the century mark.
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, Temple 21
No. 8 Stanford at Washington State
Of all the Top-10 teams facing unranked opponents, this matchup may be the best chance at an upset.
After a bizarre opening-season loss to Portland State, Mike Leach has the Cougars' vaunted passing attack back on track.
While Stanford has been known for its defense in recent years, the Cardinal have been exposed a couple of times this season, allowing both USC and UCLA to rack up yards through the air.
To pull off the upset, Washington State would need to make a few key plays on defense, and Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan is certainly not immune to mistakes. Hogan has committed at least one turnover in three of his last four games.
An upset may be a tall task, but Washington State has the explosive offense needed to keep this one close.
Prediction: Stanford 42, Washington State 31
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
