Last week, there were no matchups between Top 25 teams, but that changes for Week 9, as three games feature ranked opponents. Sixth-ranked Michigan plays #8 Michigan State; fifth-ranked Ohio State takes on Penn State, and #18 Auburn squares off against #10 Ole Miss. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, as the annual Georgia-Florida game is known, is also set for this Saturday in Jacksonville.
Let’s take a look at some college football betting advice for you going into the weekend.
NCAA News: Must Betting College Football Games for Week 9
Check out Kentucky (-1) at Mississippi State. They play in prime time on Saturday, and this should be an easy cover for the Wildcats. They are 6-0 against the spread and frequently cover easily. Mississippi State has gone just 1-3 against the spread at home. Mike Leach’s offense at Mississippi State is likely to struggle against Kentucky’s aggressive defense, and Kentucky’s ground game, behind Chris Rodriguez Jr, should be able to sustain long drives. I would take Kentucky to win and cover before that line sneaks up any higher.
Another matchup worth looking at is #25 BYU (-2.5) hosting Virginia. Bronco Mendenhall, the longtime BYU coach from 2005-2015, returns home with his Virginia squad. The Cavaliers have won four in a row, both straight up and against the spread, but they face a BYU team that is 6-2 and has a strong running game featuring Tyler Allgeier. Jaren Hall has replaced Zach Wilson at quarterback and has the Cougars moving the ball up and down the field. The loss to an overrated Baylor squad may have been a bit of an outlier; I expect BYU to win and cover at home.
Navy (+10) visits Tulsa on Friday night this week. The Midshipmen have lost three in a row, but two of those three losses have come against ranked opponents (then-#24 SMU and then-#2 Cincinnati) — and both of those losses just came by seven. Navy operates a triple-option offense, which slows the game down significantly when they can sustain drives, and when their defense is cooking, they can keep the other team from getting too far in front. Their passing game can also stretch the field in a hurry. Tulsa got rolled by Houston on Oct 1 but then scored a combined 67 points in tight wins over Memphis and South Florida. I like Navy to cover, slowing down the Tulsa attack and forcing them to make mistakes out of impatience.
Georgia (-14.5) is a huge favorite against Florida in their neutral-site game this week. Last year, Florida was a significant underdog but rolled the Bulldogs, 44-28. In 2019, Georgia won, 24-17; the year before that, Georgia rolled to a 36-17 win. Given how tough Florida has played Alabama in recent seasons — and given the hype around this yearly rivalry — I’m not going to give Florida more than two touchdowns. Yes, Georgia has been rolling right over opponents this year, but I’m still taking Florida to cover.
West Virginia (+7) hosts Iowa State this week. The Cyclones are fresh off their upset win over Oklahoma State last week, but West Virginia is also coming in off a win, as they came out of the bye to go down to Fort Worth and roll TCU, 29-17. Iowa State has a potentially explosive passing game, and their offense has been cooking ever since they lost to Iowa back in Week 2. However, Morgantown is a tough place to play, and Iowa State has a tendency to crater right after an impressive win. West Virginia’s defense handled a TCU offense that can stretch the field, so I like West Virginia to cover at home.
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