Week 9 features five matchups between teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
They are the most highly ranked matchups so far this season, although there are some wide spreads involved. Of those five games, only one has a line within single digits.
But that doesn’t mean Saturday could be a dud. We’ve already seen some surprising upsets by big underdogs this season, as well as a top-12 team that is an underdog against an unranked opponent.
Here’s what to watch in Week 9. All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.
Time: afternoon | Television: ABC | Line: Notre Dame -12.5 | Total: 51.5
The line has moved 1.5 points in Navy’s favor after the Fighting Irish opened as 14-point favorites.
You can see why gamblers love Navy. The Midshipmen were absolutely dominant in their 6-0 start. Navy scores fourth in the nation at 44.8 points per game and opponents are averaging just 19.7 points per game. Granted, Notre Dame is by far the toughest team Navy has faced this season, but don’t forget that the Midshipmen played Memphis in Week 4 56.
Navy is led by QB Blake Horvath. He rushed 79 times for 621 yards and 10 TDs, while also taking advantage of defenses looking to stop the triple option. Horvath has completed 64% of his passes for 888 yards and 10 TDs with just one interception. He is averaging 12.3 yards per attempt and 19.3 yards per completion.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame is still struggling with injuries. The Fighting Irish are out with five starters and that doesn’t include kicker Mitch Jeter, who is questionable for the game with a back injury. However, the Irish looked very good against Georgia Tech as the passing game continues to improve after early season struggles. Riley Leonard was 21 of 30 for 217 yards against the Yellow Jackets. Opponents haven’t had much success against Notre Dame so far this season, but Notre Dame hasn’t faced a triple-option team either.
Time: 3:30 PM | Television: CBS | Line: Oregon-21.5 | Total: 54.5
The Ducks did exactly what they needed to do after their big win over Ohio State during a cross-country trip to Purdue on a short week in Week 8. Now Illinois comes calling after knocking off Michigan a week ago.
Oddsmakers clearly like Oregon, as the Illini are the last remaining ranked team on Oregon’s schedule unless someone like Michigan or Wisconsin jumps back into the AP poll in the coming weeks. QB Dillon Gabriel is completing 77% of his passes and has 19 total TDs. Jordan James is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has eight touchdowns. TE Terrance Ferguson is likely out after an appendectomy prior to the game against Purdue, and defensive lineman Jordan Burch could also miss his third straight game after five sacks through the first four games of the season.
After Purdue put up 49 points in an overtime loss to the Illini, Illinois held Michigan’s sluggish offense to just one TD in Week 8. The Illini only allow 18 points per game and can be very dependent on turnovers. Illinois has made 13 through the first seven games of the season. The only two games that Illinois did not record a turnover were a 21-7 loss at Penn State and a 50-49 victory over the Boilermakers.
Time: 3:30 PM | Television: ABC | Line: Alabama -16.5 | Total: 51.5
The Tigers’ chances of defeat appear to have increased as the week progressed. Leading rusher Nate Noel is reportedly out after suffering a foot injury during the team’s comeback win over Auburn. And QB Brady Cook, the orchestrator of that comeback, is reportedly questionable to play due to the ankle injury he suffered on the first drive of the game against Auburn. Cook missed most of the first three quarters before returning to lead the Tigers on two TD drives in the 21-17 win.
Without Noel, Missouri will turn to No. 2 rusher Marcus Carroll. He was the team’s short-yardage back. It’s a much less seamless transition at QB. Former Arizona State and Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne took over for Cook against Auburn and was just 10 of 21 for 78 yards.
Alabama has suffered two losses in its first seven games for the first time since Nick Saban’s first season in 2007. Penalties have been a big factor. Only Cal, UTSA and New Mexico average more penalties per game than the Crimson Tide. Alabama committed 15 penalties for 115 yards in the loss to Tennessee and it was the third time all season that the Crimson Tide was flagged at least 10 times.
The offense has also turned the ball over twice in each of the last three games as Jalen Milroe threw two picks against the Vols and in the Tide’s two-point win over South Carolina.
Time: 4:15 PM | TV: SEC Network | Line: Texel -18.5 | Total: 53.5
Can Vanderbilt do to Texas what it did to Alabama?
The newly ranked Commodores get the Longhorns at home three weeks after one of the biggest upsets of the season. After being picked last in the SEC’s preseason media poll, Vanderbilt is one win away from bowling for the first time since 2018.
QB Diego Pavia is completing 66% of his passes and has 11 passing TDs after just one interception. He is also the Commodores’ leading rusher with 118 attempts for 470 yards. The former New Mexico State QB has been responsible for multiple TDs in every game against an FBS opponent so far this season.
Texas is looking to bounce back after Georgia absolutely dominated the first half in its 30-15 win. Quinn Ewers will start at QB for the Longhorns. He played the entire second half against the Bulldogs after Arch Manning replaced him for two series in the second quarter. Even though Texas gave up 30 points to Georgia a week ago, the Longhorns are still allowing just 9.7 points per game. No other team in college football allows fewer than 10.5 points per game.
Time: 7:30 PM | Television: ABC | Line: Texas A&M-2.5 | Total: 53.5
There are no undefeated teams left in the SEC, but these two are the only ones without a conference loss. LSU went to Fayetteville and easily defeated Arkansas 34-10 in Week 8, while Texas A&M took care of business in Starkville against Mississippi State.
That win over Arkansas was the best game of the season for LSU’s defense. The Tigers held Arkansas’ high-powered rushing game to just 38 yards and forced three turnovers. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier had his first game without a passing TD, but that wasn’t a problem as Caden Durham ran 21 times for 101 yards and three scores.
Nussmeier has thrown for 2,222 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Only five QBs have more passing yards. A&M’s defense is holding opposing QBs to just a 54% completion percentage. No QB has completed more than 60% of his passes since Florida’s Graham Mertz in Week 3, and he left that game early due to injury.
The Aggies’ passing offense has increased since Conner Weigman returned from the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 1. Although Weigman has thrown just one touchdown since returning, he has completed 33 of 47 passes for 493 yards.
Other games to watch
No. 17 Boise State at UNLV (10:30 p.m. Friday, CBSSN): If you can stay up late enough for a full day of football on Saturday, this is a great chance to see Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty. The junior running back has averaged over 200 yards and three touchdowns per game so far this season.
No. 11 BYU at UCF (3:30 p.m., ESPN): The Knights nearly cleared Iowa State of upset a week ago and now get the other undefeated team in the Big 12 at home. BYU avoided an upset of its own in Week 8 with a 35-yard TD pass with 10 seconds left. A UCF win wouldn’t be considered an official upset either. The Knights are favorites by 2.5 points.
Texas Tech at TCU (3:30 p.m., Fox): The Red Raiders were inexplicably eliminated at home by Baylor in Week 8 and are now in a tie for third place in the Big 12. TCU is one game back after a 13-7 win over Utah. Both teams love to throw, as each team averages over 40 passing attempts per game.
No. 3 Penn State at Wisconsin (7:30 p.m., NBC): If the last you saw of Wisconsin was the team’s losses to Alabama and USC, you might be surprised to learn that the Badgers are 5-2. But Wisconsin enters this game on a three-game win streak and has outscored its (humble) opponents 117-16.
No. 22 SMU at Duke (8 p.m., ACC Network): Who would have guessed before the season that this would be a pivotal game in the ACC race. SMU is one of four teams without a loss in the conference and Duke is one of three teams that are 2-1 in the conference.
Cincinnati at Colorado (10:15 p.m., ESPN): The loser of this game will see their Big 12 title game hopes take a major hit. Both the Bearcats and Buffaloes are 3-1 in the Big 12 for a four-way tie behind BYU and Iowa State. We’ll see how much Travis Hunter plays in this after missing the second half of back-to-back games due to a shoulder injury.
