After yet another change at No. 1 in the college football rankings, Week 9 will provide more potential for a shake-up as the schedule features five games between ranked teams and some interesting tests for the top teams in the country. Sportsbooks have already identified the favorites and underdogs for the week ahead, setting the betting lines for Week 9.
One of the biggest games of the week will be Oregon’s first game as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll since 2012 when the Ducks host No. 20 Illinois on Saturday afternoon in Eugene. And while No. 2 Georgia is off this week and No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State are facing unranked conference competition, the tests for top teams also includes No. 8 LSU opening up as an underdog at No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 5 Texas looking to bounce back on the road at No. 25 Vanderbilt which already flexed its upset muscles by taking down No. 15 Alabama earlier this season.
Speaking of the Crimson Tide, Kalen DeBoer will have his squad back at home after falling to 5-2 on the year, and Caesars Sportsbook has them penciled in as double-digit favorites against No. 21 Missouri.
Let’s get into some of the early betting lines for Week 9:
All sports betting odds via Caesars Sportsbook. Check out the latest Caesars promo code to get in the game.
Big games
No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon (-21.5): The Fighting Illini have been exceeding the oddsmakers’ expectations nearly every week but this is going to be a stiff test going from an emotional home win against Michigan to paying a visit to the Pacific Northwest to take on the new No. 1 team in the country. The Ducks were impressive on a short turnaround from their Ohio State win, dismantling Purdue 35-0, and now they will have an advantage of extra rest for this big-time showdown in the Big Ten.
No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M (-3): The SEC championship implications are huge for this head-to-head battle between former SEC West rivals. LSU and Texas A&M are both 6-1 overall and a combined 7-0 in conference play giving the winner a huge edge in potential tiebreaker scenarios when it comes to getting one of the two spots in Atlanta for the conference title game.
No. 5 Texas (-18.5) at No. 25 Vanderbilt: The Longhorns’ path to a bounce-back win unfortunately brings them to the same stadium where both Alabama and Virginia Tech lost outright as double-digit favorites. The Commodores continued their winning ways in Week 8 to improve to 5-2, but it was not sweat-free as the 24-14 margin was far less than expected against Ball State.
No. 12 Notre Dame (-13.5) vs. No. 24 Navy in East Rutherford, New Jersey: Undefeated Navy enters one of the most highly-anticipated games vs. Notre Dame in decades with a national ranking and surging momentum after another blowout victory over the weekend. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will be the setting for this year’s clash, which in 2024 is carrying College Football Playoff implications.
No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama (-14): The Crimson Tide are reeling after losing a fourth quarter lead for the second time this season, but their opponent for Week 9 has plenty of its own issues at hand. Missouri quarterback Brady Cook had to overcome an ankle injury to lead the team to a fourth quarter comeback against Auburn, and he’s just one of many Tigers dealing with injury issues during this midseason stretch of the schedule.
Best of the rest
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