The third-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into their visit to unranked Pitt as just ten-point favorites. With fifth-ranked Ohio State starting their season by hosting Nebraska, the Irish needed to make a statement to show that they should stay ahead of the Buckeyes in the rankings. All they did was head to Pitt and deliver a 45-3 shellacking of the Panthers, the biggest margin of victory by any of the top-five teams that had a game this weekend. Ninth-ranked Cincinnati went to then-#16 SMU in a meeting of the top two teams in the AAC and came out with an emphatic win, spoiling SMU’s homecoming and entering the conversation of a potential College Football Playoff outsider. What can we expect in Week 9? Here are our top sports betting picks against the opening spread so you can place your bets against their NCAA Football betting odds.
College Football Betting News | ATS Picks for Week 9
Memphis (+6.5) at Cincinnati
Both of these teams have high-octane offenses, but Cincinnati showed against SMU that they have the ability to slow down offenses with their stingy secondary. Memphis has just one loss (to SMU) and would need this win if they want to threaten SMU in the AAC West. However, it’s hard to argue that Memphis has the defense to slow down Cincinnati. Cincinnati to win and cover.
Texas (+3) at Oklahoma State
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are still undefeated after an impressive win over Iowa State this past weekend. Even so, they’re not getting a lot of respect from the oddsmakers, just getting the home team’s three points against Texas. The Longhorns did deliver a win over Baylor this past weekend, but they’ve also lost to TCU. Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders returned from an ankle injury this past weekend and did well against the Cyclones, but the oddsmakers just don’t trust the Cowboys’ defense against Sam Ehlinger. To be fair, Oklahoma State has long had problems on defense in years past, but this year the unit appears to be legitimate. Oklahoma State to win and cover.
Wisconsin (-11) at Nebraska
How about Graham Metz? The redshirt freshman started for Wisconsin in relief of Jack Coan, and he threw five touchdown passes. Nebraska opened at Ohio State on Saturday and stayed even for a while, scoring on their opening drive and holding firm at 14-14, but then the Buckeyes blew the game open. Wisconsin is a scary team with a legitimate passing threat at quarterback, but an 11-point win on the road? The Badgers have a way of underperforming in matchups like this, getting caught in the brambles of the Big Ten West. Cornhuskers to cover.
Boston College (+31.5) at Clemson
Clemson was favored by as many as 46 ½ points against Syracuse this past week but “only” won by 26, a week after beating Georgia Tech by 66. BC rolled over Georgia Tech this past weekend — and that’s a Georgia Tech team that’s gotten trolled some weeks but also went to Louisville and got an emphatic win. BC has the talent to stay within this point spread, as Clemson may be getting a bit of conference play fatigue, with huge lines to cover every week. BC to cover.
LSU (-2) at Auburn
LSU comes in after demolishing South Carolina (who beat Auburn two weeks ago, their first win over the Tigers since 1933). Auburn comes in after fighting off Ole Miss on the road last week. LSU’s had major problems on defense, and Auburn should be able to take advantage. Auburn to cover.
Ohio State (-11) at Penn State
Penn State lost in overtime at Indiana this past week, while the Buckeyes ended up blowing out Nebraska by 35 points. Penn State’s stadium will be empty of fans, taking away from the Nittany Lions’ typical home field advantage. If Penn State couldn’t slow down the Hoosier offense, what will they do against Justin Fields? Ohio State to win and cover.
