5 Bold College Football Predictions for Week 9

Considering the prompt of this article—predicting unlikely things to happen—my bold picks went well two weeks ago.

I didn't call the botched punt at the end of the Michigan-Michigan State game, but I did have Utah State beating Boise State and Memphis beating Ole Miss. A third bold prediction, that USC would take Notre Dame to the wire, proved arguably true on top of that, as the Trojans and Irish were tied in the final 10 minutes.

After taking last week off from bold predictions, I've returned to defend my success. Considering my mild struggles against the spread, where my record sits below 50 percent, I could use another boost. Maybe I should get bolder with all of my predictions.

If nothing else, this makes things more fun!

Texas Tech Hands Oklahoma State Its First Loss

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Oklahoma State is No. 12 in the Associated Press poll but No. 24 in Football Study Hall's S&P+.

It snuck by with wins over Texas and Kansas State, the former on a late fumbled punt and the latter with the help a mysterious botched first-down call, but it now faces a Texas Tech team that ranks higher (No. 58) in S&P+ than the Longhorns (No. 76) and the Wildcats (No. 80) by a longshot.

The Red Raiders have looked poor lately, losing blowouts to Oklahoma and Baylor, but they're still a load to handle in Lubbock. They nearly beat TCU on their home field five weeks ago, and their offense ranks top 10 in both explosiveness (Isolated Points Per Play) and efficiency (success rate).

When a short home underdog has the best unit on the field, there's always a chance it pulls the upset. Plus Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph has thrown five picks to one touchdown in two Big 12 road games. A David Gibbs-coached defense can take advantage of that, especially since Oklahoma State lacks the running game to cut Rudolph's usage.

The Cowboys' first loss has been a long time coming.

Another Head Coach Seals His Fate

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This doesn't mean another coach will get fired (although that's definitely possible); it means another coach will lose a game he can't afford to lose, sealing his fate and rendering him, at best, a placeholder.

With eight FBS jobs already open—Central Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Miami, Minnesota, North Texas, USC East (South Carolina) and USC West (Southern Cal)—this year has been alight with change, and Week 9 seems ripe to fuel the fire.

Here are three high-profile coaches to keep an eye on:

• Mike Riley, Nebraska (at Purdue): Riley is one of the nicest guys in football, so a midseason Year 1 firing seems wrong. But if the 'Huskers lose at Purdue on Saturday—which, by the way, is totally possible—the fanbase will still call for his job. A loss means Nebraska would need to beat Michigan State and Iowa to make a bowl. The last time Nebraska missed the postseason, in 2007, it promptly fired head coach Bill Callahan.

• Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech (at Boston College): Virginia Tech will never fire Beamer, the same way Texas would never have fired Mack Brown. But the Longhorns put Brown out to pasture, nudging him toward "resigning" when he lost his gift for winning, and the Hokies could well follow suit. A loss at Boston College, which despite its 0-5 ACC record has a defense that can hang with anyone, would drop Virginia Tech within one loss of missing a bowl.

• Mark Richt, Georgia (vs. Florida): Richt put his faith in the wrong offensive coordinator. He hired NFL castoff Brian Schottenheimer to replace now-Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo, and although the loss of running back Nick Chubb gives the offense a charming excuse, it's not the reason this unit has stunk so badly. Richt would be a hot name for multiple coaching vacancies—including the one at Miami, his alma mater—and another loss to rival Florida would raise his chance of leaving even higher.

Georgia Tech Suffers the Letdown

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One hot-seat coach who won't seal his fate this weekend? Let's take a flier on Mike London.

Virginia's fifth-year boss will probably lose his job regardless, but a win over Georgia Tech would buy him some rope.

Consider the familiarity of the Wahoos' situation. They are 2-5, playing at home, according to Odds Shark. They need a win to keep alive their faint hopes of making a bowl game. A loss would move those hopes to unrealistic.

Know who that sounds like? Near-identically?

Georgia Tech last week against Florida State!

The Yellow Jackets enter in an epic potential letdown spot, having just upset the Seminoles on a last-second blocked field-goal return. For the first time since early September, they are riding high and feeling good about themselves—but they're still the team that lost five straight games.

Virginia is slightly better than its record, and although it's still the worse of the two teams in this game, it can ride its desperation to a surprising home victory. Its run defense has the bodies—chief among them safety Quin Blanding—to contain the triple option.

Georgia Tech will fall victim to the letdown.

Clemson *Almost* Clemsons

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Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney went off on a reporter for mentioning the term "Clemsoning," and frankly he was justified for doing so.

"We haven't lost to an unranked opponent since 2011, but I have to come to a press conference in 2015 and get asked that?" Swinney asked in a rage, per Chip Patterson of CBS Sports. "That's all media bullcrap."

But this prediction has less to do with Clemson, which I ranked No. 1 on my official B/R ballot, than it does with NC State, a perpetual thorn in the side of ranked ACC teams, especially when it plays in Raleigh.

It also has to do with context. Clemson plays this game in a letdown spot after beating Miami 58-0—the worst loss in Hurricanes history. It also plays this game in a look-ahead spot before hosting Florida State. The letdown/look-ahead sandwich is real, and even a team such as Clemson, which appears to be on a mission, can fall for it.

Against a Wolfpack team that does most things well, that means a four-quarter game. NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett is a strong-armed NFL prospect. He can give his team a shot to win at the end.

Clemson won't pull a Clemson, but it will come much closer than you think.

Washington State Upsets Stanford

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Mike Leach has Washington State on the verge of being ranked and is coaching one of his best teams in Pullman.

Stanford has looked great since losing in Week 1 at Northwestern, but this could be—and should be—where it slips.

The Cougars have a dangerous passing game, obviously, and match up well with Stanford's defense. The Cardinal rank No. 127 in the country in adjusted sack rate, per Football Study Hall.

There are only 128 teams!

Without any semblance of a pass rush, how does Stanford plan on stopping the Air Raid? This is where its defensive front seven should show up but won't. Linebacker Blake Martinez, who is playing like an All-American, has masked this team's lack of depth for weeks.

Washington State is the right team to expose it.

Note: All advanced stats, unless otherwise cited, via Football Study Hall