2018 NCAA Football Week 9 Odds, Overview & Top Picks

Now that we’re getting into the meat of the 2018 college football schedule, we’re seeing more and more dominoes fall with weekly upsets — and we’re also seeing that it may just be impossible for anyone to contain Alabama. They rolled to yet another big win this week, prevailing 54-16, and next week they head to LSU — who lost to Mississippi State in an inexplicable upset this past weekend. Cincinnati, who looked like a solid candidate to be the top Group of Five team in the college rankings, lost to a Temple team that has also lost to FCS foe Buffalo. Northwestern remains in control of the Big Ten West and could end up making it all the way to the conference championship if they can keep winning. If you’re thinking about some college football betting for this coming weekend, take a look at our top picks for NCAA Football week 9. As always, home teams are in all caps.

2018 NCAA Football Week 9 Odds, Overview & Top Picks

More upsets mean some major shake-ups in our week 8 power rankings. pic.twitter.com/UDj6WlWx7v

— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) October 21, 2018

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Georgia (-7) over Florida (in Jacksonville) (3:30pm ET, CBS)

The latest edition of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” is set for this Saturday afternoon from EverBank Field in Jacksonville, and with Florida ranked ninth and Georgia ranked seventh, this is set to be one of the biggest matchups in this SEC East rivalry in years. The Gators have won five in a row to sit at 6-1 (4-1 SEC), taking down Vanderbilt, 37-27, last week. Quarterback Feleipe Franks has had a solid season, with 1,406 yards on seven games and a TD:INT ratio of 15:5. Tailbacks Lamical Perine and Jordan Scarlett have combined for six touchdowns and give the Gators some solid balance on offense, which is one reason why they are averaging 34.4 points per game. Georgia comes in off their bye week, and two weeks ago they took a 36-16 shellacking at LSU, so they’ve had two weeks to think about that debacle. Quarterback Jake Fromm has a TD:INT ratio of 13:4 but had some questions to answer after an ineffective performance in Baton Rouge. Tailbacks D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield have combined for eight scores. Normally this is a high-flying offense, averaging 39 points per game, but LSU showed the blueprint about how to slow the Bulldogs down. Florida has covered the spread in each of their last five wins and in each of their last four SEC games. Georgia has covered the spread in each of their last five neutral-site games. However, this rivalry game will stay closer than a touchdown, so I’m taking the Gators to cover. NCAA Football Week 9 Prediction: Georgia 31, Florida 27

Kentucky (+6.5) over MISSOURI (4:00pm ET, SEC ESPN Network)

Kentucky enters from their bye week to visit Missouri, and the Wildcats took down Vanderbilt two weeks ago, 14-7. Quarterback Terry Wilson only has 721 yards on the season, as the Kentucky offense relies heavily on the running game, led by Benny Snell Jr, who has 893 yards and nine scores on the season. Kentucky averages 27.1 points per game and also leans heavily on their defense, which permits just 12.9 points per game, second best in the FBS ranks. Missouri has a high-flying offense, as they showed last week with a 65-33 win over AAC foe Memphis. That broke a three-game losing streak for the Tigers, who look to quarterback Drew Lock to provide some ball security. He has 16 touchdown passes against just six picks this season. Tailbacks Larry Rountree III and Damage Crockett have combined for 11 touchdowns, and that balance has helped the Tigers average almost 39 points per game. Missouri has covered the spread in four straight home games, while Kentucky has done so just five times in their last 16, but I see the Kentucky defense holding the Missouri offense in check and taking advantage of some holes in that Tiger defense. NCAA Football Week 9 Prediction: Kentucky 27, Missouri 23

Oregon (-10) over ARIZONA (10:30pm ET, ESPN)

Oregon followed up their big upset win over Washington by losing to the upstart Washington State Cougars last week, digging a 27-0 hole for themselves that they simply couldn’t climb out of, losing 34-20. The Ducks did have a +2 turnover margin for the game, and quarterback Justin Herbert went 25 for 44 for 270 yards and a touchdown. Oregon averages almost 40 points per game and should be able to overwhelm the Arizona defense. Arizona has lost two in a row and now has a 3-5 (2-3 Pac-12) record after losing to the lowly UCLA Bruins by a point last week. They did claw back from a 17-7 halftime deficit but couldn’t get the UCLA offense off the field in the fourth quarter, losing 31-30. Arizona had a -2 turnover margin in the game. On the season, the Wildcats permit 29 points per game and are ranked 105th in FBS as far as defensive prowess goes. I see Oregon taking out some frustration in a big win. NCAA Football Week 9 Prediction: Oregon 31, Arizona 17