Week 9 College Football Betting Tips

Week 9 offers some marquee games with College Football Playoff implications and plenty of potential betting value for our best bets.

Of course, SEC action is fast and furious, starting with a Noon ET game between the Ole Miss Rebels and Oklahoma Sooners on ABC. Ole Miss is coming off a painful loss at Georgia, but has no time to cry against resilient Oklahoma.

The Big Ten offers an interesting early matchup, as the resurgent UCLA Bruins are facing the host Indiana Hoosiers at Noon ET on FOX. Indiana continues to steamroll opponents, but the Bruins are on a heater under new coaches.

The Texas Longhorns will visit the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 4:15 p.m. ET on SECN. Somehow, Texas got past Kentucky in a gutsy road overtime win last week to keep its playoff hopes alive, but with no margin for error.

In the Big Ten, one of the most bitter rivalries will renew when the Michigan State Spartans host the Michigan Wolverines at 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC. If there was ever a circle the wagons game for the Spartans, this one is it. Michigan could be cocky after routing Washington at the Big House last week.

Finally, the Texas A&M Aggies will visit the LSU Tigers at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. So far, this edition of the Aggies is not letting fans down, and LSU is not living up to expectations under the embattled Brian Kelly.

Notable CFB Week 9 Odds

Alabama (-13.5) is an intriguing price against the host South Carolina Gamecocks, who are not up to the same level as past Shane Beamer teams. The Tide has been rolling since its Week 1 loss to Florida State.

Virginia (-10.5) is an interesting line at North Carolina. The Bill Belichick to UNC experiment continues to fail, and Virginia is on track for a landmark season. The Cavaliers are on track for the ACC championship game if they can keep it going.

Nebraska (-7.5) catches the attention of bettors at home again against Northwestern after their humiliating loss at Minnesota last Friday night. The Cornhuskers are on the brink and facing a resurgent Northwestern team that is 5-2 but might be feeling overconfident. Nebraska should be fully focused and motivated to redeem itself.

CFB Week 9 Predictions

Michigan State +12.5 vs. Michigan – It has certainly been a rough second season for head coach Jonathan Smith and the Michigan State Spartans. But if anything will capture Sparty’s full focus, it's a showdown against their bitter, hated rival. Michigan, while solid, is nowhere near the championship form it displayed two years ago. Smith needs a signature win to spark optimism for the future and to change the narrative. Michigan State is the pick.

Indiana -24.5 vs. UCLA – UCLA was written off for dead after losing its first four games. However, since changing its head coach and offensive coordinator, the Bruins appear to be a completely different team. Now they are on the FOX Big Noon game to prove they are for real. But the improvement for UCLA is likely to end on Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers. IU head coach Curt Cignetti has a tough team that takes no prisoners. Additionally, Indiana is far more talented than the casual sector realizes. Indiana should roll.

Ole Miss +4.5 vs. Oklahoma – Oklahoma was exposed in its loss to the Texas Longhorns as a 1-dimensional team that lacks the offense to be a serious title contender. Ole Miss has offense in spades. Beyond that, head coach Lane Kiffin’s Rebels have enough defense and fearlessness to deliver a big road win. We like Ole Miss to prevail for a name brand road cover and win.

Texas -7.5 vs. Mississippi State – At the outset of the season, the Longhorns were the top-ranked team in college football. But losses to Ohio State and Florida put the Longhorns in a ditch. And quarterback Arch Manning was taking the brunt of the criticism. But a win over Oklahoma sparked hope that the Longhorns had turned their season around.

Texas A&M -2.5 vs. LSU – At the beginning of the season, the LSU Tigers got plenty of preseason love. But a loss at Ole Miss reminded fans and gamblers what annoyed them about head coach Brian Kelly. Now the Bayou Bengals face the most overlooked power team in the land. Texas A&M is rolling and is getting a good road team price against a fading power and failed coach.