College Football Week 9 Predictions: Geo/Fla, OSU/USC, Tx Tech/Ariz and Much More

Week 8 delivered for fans once again as we saw 3 top-10 (7 in Top 16) teams go down and big wins by UCF, Texas, Cincinnati, Minnesota, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Utah. Week 9 is tad light when it comes to ranked versus ranked of the marquee variety. That said we do have several important games and 2-loss teams matched up. Next Tuesday will get the first College Football playoff rankings, so every week will have heightened stakes attached to it.

Marquee Matchups

#3 Georgia vs. #17 Florida: The largest outdoor cocktail party is played indoors but the rivalry is back to meaning something. These SEC foes matchup fairly evenly on offense with the defense stats going to the Bulldogs. Both teams are coming off a bye week, Georgia loss to Auburn and Florida beat Texas in their last outings. The Bulldogs are tied for the lead in the conference standings with Kentucky, whereas Florida is desperate to stay in the playoff hunt with two losses. Georgia has won the last 5 meetings, and this College Football podcaster believes they will make it 6. Fully admit the spread is a bit difficult to choose what side to be on.

BetMGM

4.5/5

Florida +12.5

• Rivalry Game
• Florida is Desperate
• Georgia Wins

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The Pick: Georgia wins but Florida +12.5 is the pick.

#13 Texas Tech vs. #22 Arizona: The Red Raiders suffered their first loss of the season last week. The offense not finishing drives versus elite foes was a major issue for Texas Tech last year. Tech’s defense has taken a clear step back and will have their hands full against the Wildcats. Arizona QB Noah Fifita is rock solid and gives Zona a great chance of pulling an upset. With one loss a piece, neither team can afford a loss in the Big-12 which adds another layer of urgency. Texas Tech will bounce back and find a way to win at home.

Caesars

4.4/5

Texas Tech -3.5

• Red Raiders Bounce Back
• Fifita to Play Well
• Red Raiders at Home

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The Pick: Texas Tech –3.5

Under The Radar

#25 Wisconsin vs Iowa: Last week Iowa had hopes of a playoff run but lost to bitter rival Minnesota. Wisconsin shut down the Trojans running game and overall offense with an impressive victory in Madison. The Hawkeyes take advantage of the opponent’s mistakes and pounce when that time comes. The turnovers against the Gophers were uncharacteristic, so don’t think it will happen this week. The Badgers defense is playing at a high level, and as we know, defense travels. Can Wisconsin break the trend of 4 straight wins by Iowa? Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz will have his team ready to perform in what should be an ugly, nasty scrap.

FanDuel

4.6/5

Iowa -3.5

• Badger Defense Playing at High Level
• Iowa will be Ready
• Low Scoring Game

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The Pick: Iowa –3.5 

#2 Ohio State vs. USC: USC is on the brink of losing its third game of the season, which would surely knock them out of playoff contention. The Buckeyes are coming off a bye week, something that was time perfectly considering they might be starting a true freshman quarterback. The Tojans will need to establish the run to make it easier on QB Jayden Maiava. Also, USC must find a way to get pressure on which either of the quarterbacks OSU plays between Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey. Strange things continue to happen this year, but I’m not ready to call for this upset.

DraftKings

4.5/5

Ohio State -6.5

• Trojans need to Establish the Run
• OSU To Good
• Smith Goes Off

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The Pick: Ohio State –6.5 

Saturday Upset Special

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Hardcore Barnburners

#20 Northwestern vs Oregon: The Ducks will be without QB Dante Moore and Wildcats OC Chip Kelly has found a way to make QB Aidan Chiles effective. The key stat is Northwestern averages 205 rushing yards per game but give up 153 per outing. Can Oregon find a run game or any semblance of a normally consistent Ducks offense? The Wildcats played well against Indiana, but don’t really have a quality win.

The Pick: Northwestern +3.5 although I could see Oregon winning.

Oklahoma vs South Carolina: The Gamecocks have lost back-to-back against the Sooners. Oklahoma, winners of the last 2 out of 3 have finally got decent play from QB John Mateer. QB LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina have found a groove with wins over Tennessee and Florida. A legit argument can be made for either squad which fits nicely for a hardcore barnburner.

The Pick: South Carolina +5.5

Against The Spread

Cincinnati +6.5 versus #5 Utah

Purdue +10.5 versus Penn State

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Quick Hits Recap

-Indiana outlasted Michigan 13-6 in overtime to earn their first victory in the Big House dating back to 1967

-Texas RB Raleek Brown rushed for 157 yards in a much-needed victory for the Longhorns over Ole Miss 34-27.

-UCF QB Keyone Jenkins had 4 total touchdowns in a 39-31 double overtime upset over BYU.

-QB Devon Dampier rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns in a hard-earn 21-14 win over Houston.

-Wisconsin outrushed USC 142 to –17 in a decisive 24-7 win over USC.

-With a victory over Iowa, Minnesota now possesses the Floyd of Rosedale, Paul Bunyan’s Axe, and the Little Brown Jug for the first time since 1978.

-Miami superstar WR Malachi Toney had 16 catches for 194 and 3 touchdowns in a 52-23 victory over Pitt.

Written by Chris Carlson Host of The College Ball Show available under  The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Tunein, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox  & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio