Top-10 College Football Week 9 Picks
Georgia-Florida is not the only huge matchup worth spotlighting in College Football Week 9 picks. How about #15 Washington State looking to solidify supremacy in the Pac 12 with a road win over #23 Stanford? Let’s get to the top-10 matchups in Week 9!
#11 Florida Gators vs. #6 Georgia Bulldogs -6.5
Every member on the CFP’s Selection Committee will turn the channel to CBS to watch Florida battle Georgia. Gators have been awesome since Week 2, going 5-0 SU and ATS. Georgia took a bye after the heartbreaking (and potentially playoff killing) loss to LSU. Up until that defeat, the Bulldogs’ strength of schedule was pathetic. Hard to look past a 5-0 straight ATS team getting points, so I won’t.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Florida +6.5
#19 Wisconsin Badgers -6.5 at Northwestern Wildcats
A couple of contrasting Wisconsin trends makes me question if they can cover. While Badgers are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 road games, they’re also 1-7 ATS in the last 8 at Northwestern. Wildcats have won 3 in a row since the 12-20 loss to Michigan. Northwestern’s hot and the home edge means something in the matchup.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Northwestern +6.5
#2 Clemson Tigers -16.5 at Florida State Seminoles
Clemson versus FSU used to be one of the top college football matchups of the season. Not anymore because this year’s Florida State team’s not even making enough noise to be news worthy, losing 3 games and averaging less than 26 points. Seminoles are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 ACC games while Clemson’s rolled over their last 2 ACC opponents. Tigers dominate again.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Clemson -16.5
#20 South Florida Bulls at Houston Cougars -7.0
South Florida’s undefeated at 7-0 SU while going just 2-5 ATS, while the impressive Houston Cougars stand at 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS. Houston has seriously rallied since losing to Texas Tech, going 3-1 ATS in the last month of college football. Bulls are also 1-7 ATS in their last 8 conference games. I don’t see where South Florida has a big advantage over the Cougars, which means I'm comfortable with this spread even if it's a little larger than I'd like.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Houston -7.0
#18 Iowa Hawkeyes at #16 Penn State Nittany Lions -6.5
Although trends don’t support it, visually Penn State hasn’t looked great in their last 3, a couple of home losses to Ohio State and Michigan State, and a struggle win on the road against Indiana. Hawkeyes are 6-1 ATS. They can beat Penn State straight up, and have a scoring defense that ranks 5th with just 14.1 points allowed per game.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Iowa +210 ML
#13 Washington Huskies -11.5 at California Golden Bears
Lots of bad trends follow the Huskies into this matchup. They’re 1-6 ATS in their last 7 on the road, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Pac 12 contests, and 1-4 in their last 5 overall. But, when it comes to California, Washington rocks going 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings with the Bears. Huskies win and cover.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Washington -11.5
#15 Washington State Cougars at #23 Stanford Cardinal -3
Cardinal are only favored because they battle Cougars at home. If Washington State was at home this Saturday, they’d probably be a -4.5 to -6 favorite. Cougars are 6-0 this season with the only blemish on the straight up record happening in a 3-point loss to USC. Stanford’s not good enough to beat WASU. Cougars are a fantastic moneyline play in Week 9.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Washington State +135 ML
#22 NC State Wolfpack -2.5 at Syracuse Orange
Clemson exposed NC State in Week 8. Going into the 41-7 thrashing, Wolfpack had been undefeated. Three of the five NC State wins had been against non-Big 5 Conference teams James Madison, Georgia State, and Marshall, though.
Syracuse is 6-0 ATS in their last 7 games following an SU win while NC State is 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 in the ACC. Orange should help Wolfpack continue the downward slide.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Syracuse +120 ML
#17 Texas A&M Aggies at Mississippi State Bulldogs -2.5
Aggies are ranked, but handicappers are split on whether they can upset Mississippi State. Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 at home. They’re also 23-6 ATS in their last 9 versus a team with a winning road record. Although Aggies are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games, they’re 1-4 ATS in the last 5 at Mississippi State. I’ll lay the points since I don't trust the Aggies outright in this matchup.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Mississippi State -2.5
#21 Oregon Ducks -9.5 at Arizona Wildcats
No matter the level, gridiron injuries mean a lot. Arizona could be without quarterback Khalil Tate, who’s listed as questionable. Even if Tate plays, he won’t be 100%, meaning that Zona has no shot of keeping up with Oregon and quarterback Justin Herbert on the scoreboard. Although trends favor the Wildcats, impossible to back my alma mater knowing Ducks have such a huge edge at the quarterback position.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Oregon -9.5
#11 Florida Gators vs. #6 Georgia Bulldogs -6.5
Every member on the CFP’s Selection Committee will turn the channel to CBS to watch Florida battle Georgia. Gators have been awesome since Week 2, going 5-0 SU and ATS. Georgia took a bye after the heartbreaking (and potentially playoff killing) loss to LSU. Up until that defeat, the Bulldogs’ strength of schedule was pathetic. Hard to look past a 5-0 straight ATS team getting points, so I won’t.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Florida +6.5
#19 Wisconsin Badgers -6.5 at Northwestern Wildcats
A couple of contrasting Wisconsin trends makes me question if they can cover. While Badgers are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 road games, they’re also 1-7 ATS in the last 8 at Northwestern. Wildcats have won 3 in a row since the 12-20 loss to Michigan. Northwestern’s hot and the home edge means something in the matchup.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Northwestern +6.5
#2 Clemson Tigers -16.5 at Florida State Seminoles
Clemson versus FSU used to be one of the top college football matchups of the season. Not anymore because this year’s Florida State team’s not even making enough noise to be news worthy, losing 3 games and averaging less than 26 points. Seminoles are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 ACC games while Clemson’s rolled over their last 2 ACC opponents. Tigers dominate again.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Clemson -16.5
#20 South Florida Bulls at Houston Cougars -7.0
South Florida’s undefeated at 7-0 SU while going just 2-5 ATS, while the impressive Houston Cougars stand at 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS. Houston has seriously rallied since losing to Texas Tech, going 3-1 ATS in the last month of college football. Bulls are also 1-7 ATS in their last 8 conference games. I don’t see where South Florida has a big advantage over the Cougars, which means I'm comfortable with this spread even if it's a little larger than I'd like.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Houston -7.0
#18 Iowa Hawkeyes at #16 Penn State Nittany Lions -6.5
Although trends don’t support it, visually Penn State hasn’t looked great in their last 3, a couple of home losses to Ohio State and Michigan State, and a struggle win on the road against Indiana. Hawkeyes are 6-1 ATS. They can beat Penn State straight up, and have a scoring defense that ranks 5th with just 14.1 points allowed per game.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Iowa +210 ML
#13 Washington Huskies -11.5 at California Golden Bears
Lots of bad trends follow the Huskies into this matchup. They’re 1-6 ATS in their last 7 on the road, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Pac 12 contests, and 1-4 in their last 5 overall. But, when it comes to California, Washington rocks going 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings with the Bears. Huskies win and cover.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Washington -11.5
#15 Washington State Cougars at #23 Stanford Cardinal -3
Cardinal are only favored because they battle Cougars at home. If Washington State was at home this Saturday, they’d probably be a -4.5 to -6 favorite. Cougars are 6-0 this season with the only blemish on the straight up record happening in a 3-point loss to USC. Stanford’s not good enough to beat WASU. Cougars are a fantastic moneyline play in Week 9.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Washington State +135 ML
#22 NC State Wolfpack -2.5 at Syracuse Orange
Clemson exposed NC State in Week 8. Going into the 41-7 thrashing, Wolfpack had been undefeated. Three of the five NC State wins had been against non-Big 5 Conference teams James Madison, Georgia State, and Marshall, though.
Syracuse is 6-0 ATS in their last 7 games following an SU win while NC State is 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 in the ACC. Orange should help Wolfpack continue the downward slide.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Syracuse +120 ML
#17 Texas A&M Aggies at Mississippi State Bulldogs -2.5
Aggies are ranked, but handicappers are split on whether they can upset Mississippi State. Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 at home. They’re also 23-6 ATS in their last 9 versus a team with a winning road record. Although Aggies are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games, they’re 1-4 ATS in the last 5 at Mississippi State. I’ll lay the points since I don't trust the Aggies outright in this matchup.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Mississippi State -2.5
#21 Oregon Ducks -9.5 at Arizona Wildcats
No matter the level, gridiron injuries mean a lot. Arizona could be without quarterback Khalil Tate, who’s listed as questionable. Even if Tate plays, he won’t be 100%, meaning that Zona has no shot of keeping up with Oregon and quarterback Justin Herbert on the scoreboard. Although trends favor the Wildcats, impossible to back my alma mater knowing Ducks have such a huge edge at the quarterback position.
College Football Week 9 Picks: Oregon -9.5
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