College Football HQ makes our final picks and predictions for the most impactful games on the Week 9 college football schedule as things kick off around the country today.
And what a week it could be, loaded with implications not only for respective conference championship races, but for the College Football Playoff and the national title, as well.
Week 9 includes five games involving head-to-head matchups involving ranked teams, including three in the SEC, and one that will directly affect the No. 1 position in the conference standings.
Notre Dame and Navy will renew a rivalry nearly a century old, as both teams come in ranked with the Midshipmen riding a perfect record and the Fighting Irish hoping to avoid a costly second loss.
As the Week 9 college football schedule kicks off around the country today, let’s lock in our final predictions for the biggest games.
SI picks: Ole Miss | Not a surprising selection given Oklahoma’s offense is nonexistent, but the Sooners’ defense? Those guys can pack a punch up front and might throw the Rebels’ offense out of rhythm just enough to keep this game under the three-touchdown line.
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SI picks: Notre Dame | A genuine test for the Irish against a Navy offense that isn’t just strong on the ground, but getting some historically-efficient quarterback play, too, but the Midshipmen haven’t played a team this good yet, and Notre Dame has the bodies to prevent Navy’s backs from bleeding the game clock.
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SI picks: Penn State | Wisconsin is on a nice little 3-game win streak thanks to some markedly improved defense, and that unit could get in Drew Allar’s face early, but the Nittany Lions have the power to easily throw the Badgers’ offense off its game and stop the run in this big road test.
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SI picks: Texas | Vandy is ranked for the first time in more than a decade and playing some good defense up front that might give Texas some trouble early, and Diego Pavia has shown he can lead this offense on long drives that will keep the Longhorns off the field, but the ‘Dores are also a team that played Ball State to a tie in the fourth quarter last week.
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SI picks: Ohio State | Nebraska could look deep early after watching the Buckeyes’ secondary get beat by Oregon last time out, but this offense doesn’t have the horses to really go point for point against the likes of Ohio State’s skill arsenal. OSU has won the last 7 meetings with the Cornhuskers by an average of 31 points.
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SI picks: Alabama | There are plenty of concerns around the Crimson Tide’s roster after 2 losses and Missouri does present a challenge defensively, but the potential absence of quarterback Brady Cook and lead rusher Nate Noel with injuries should hold off any upset potential here.
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SI picks: Oregon | While the Illini have some solid receiver talent, it’s hard to see this vertical attack matching what the Ducks can put in the air.
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SI picks: LSU | First place in the SEC is on the line. A&M has the more solid defense and a productive ground game, not to mention The 12th Man, but LSU just might have enough firepower to expose the Aggies’ secondary when it counts as Garrett Nussmeier leads college football’s No. 8 passing offense behind one of the nation’s best lines.
Place your bets … Week 9 college football picks against the spread
Florida State at Miami | The one-win Seminoles will want to throw everything at the Hurricanes, who have played some sketchy defense at times, but Miami is still throwing the ball better than any team in the country right now.
SMU at Duke | A battle of 6-1 teams in the ACC should find the Mustangs coming through with a more aggressive offense than what the Blue Devils have been playing lately.
Kansas at Kansas State | KU snapped its five-game losing skid by pounding Houston and lost those games by narrow margins, but the Wildcats have the ground attack and the defense to keep this out of the Jayhawks’ reach.
Washington at Indiana | The absence of quarterback Kurtis Rourke to a thumb injury could hamper the Hoosiers’ dynamic offense a little, but this team can also run the ball and has played solid defense, holding 6 of its 7 opponents to 14 or fewer points.
BYU at UCF | The Bounce House will turn into Upset City, as the Knights and their powerful ground attack will expose BYU’s vulnerable run defense in this notable Big 12 matchup.
Virginia over North Carolina
Tulane over North Texas
Memphis over Charlotte
Arkansas over Mississippi State
Arizona over West Virginia
Iowa over Northwestern
Minnesota over Maryland
Utah over Houston
Baylor over Oklahoma State
Michigan over Michigan State
Kentucky over Auburn
Colorado over Cincinnati
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James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.
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