Post by Uncle on Oct 25, 2024 18:01:24 GMT -6
Fresh off of a Week 8 that included a couple "tricks" - including two Top 10 teams losing (#7 Alabama and #1 Texas), the Week 9 slate certainly offers up a plenty of "treats" to College Football fans. You have a whopping 5 matchups between ranked teams, a Friday night showdown for the top of the Mountain West Conference and some new Top 25 teams with some key games...
...but if this 2024 College season has taught us anything, it's that the "tricks" come when you least expect them. With the exception of Weeks 3 & 4, there has been a Top 10 team beaten every week, and there's been 5 weeks in total in which multiple Top 10 teams have been beaten, including the last 4:
Week 0/1: #10 FSU lost to Georgia Tech
Week 2: #10 Michigan lost to #3 Texas; #5 Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois
Week 5: #2 Georgia lost to #4 Alabama; #6 Ole Miss lost to Kentucky; #10 Utah lost to Arizona
Week 6: #1 Alabama lost to Vanderbilt; #4 Tennessee lost to Arkansas; #9 Missouri lost to #25 Texas A&M; #10 Michigan lost to Washington
Week 7: #2 Ohio St lost to #3 Oregon; #9 Ole Miss lost to #13 LSU
Week 8: #1 Texas lost to #5 Georgia, #7 Alabama lost to #11 Tennessee
The 10th ranked team in the country has lost 4 times, with the #1 and #2 teams losing twice...
....and just what will Week 9 bring: more "tricks", or just a handful of "treats"? Just like a long night of trick-or-treating on Halloween, you need to unwrap the candy to see exactly what you're gonna get...
Friday, October 25th - Late Game
#17 Boise St @ UNLV - 10:30PM ET (CBSSN); spread is Boise St -4
The Mountain West Game of the Year 1.0 takes place in Vegas late on Friday night. Boise St and RB Ashton Jeanty has been running through everyone on their schedule (except for a loss @ #1 Oregon, where they lost on a last second FG) and are the favorites to get into the Playoffs as the highest ranked Group of Five Team. Standing in their way are the Runnin' Rebels who have been one of the more fascinating stories in College Football this year. Their starting QB walked away after after a few weeks into the season, but their backup, Hajj-Malik Williams, has played even better and has UNLV as one of the top offenses in the country. They also have a 2025 Draft prospect in WR Ricky White III, who also has 3 blocked punts. Speaking of numbers, just how good is Broncos RB Ashton Jeanty? He has amassing more rushing yds so far (1,248) than 88 FBS teams and if he continues on the pace he's at, he won't be that far from Barry Sanders historic 1988 season (2,628 rush yds and 37 TD's). This one is going to be a high-scoring affair and might actually come down to who has the ball last and if UNLV can stop Jeanty just enough to force FG's vs TD's. With the Raiders stinkin' up the joint in 2024, this might be the biggest Regular Season football game played in Allegiant Stadium this year and a big crowd is expected. One of these teams is going to end up with some spoiled candy, but College Football fans should get a "treat" of a game in this one.
Saturday, October 26th - Early Afternoon Games
#12 Notre Dame vs #24 Navy - Noon ET (ABC); spread is Notre Dame -13.5 (game will be played at MetLife Stadium)
Last season, the Fighting Irish opened up the 2023 season in Ireland with a 42-3 drubbing of Navy, but something tells me that won't be the case this year as this is a vastly improved Navy team from a season ago. The Midshipmen are 7th in the FBS at 7.3 yds per play thanks to the nation's 4th-best rushing attack. Navy has a capable QB in Blake Horvath (a Heisman candidate in some circles) and a very good OL, and their defense ranks 2nd nationally in turnover margin (+2.0) and in the Top 50 for sacks and TFL's. The problem for Navy is that they haven't faced anyone as good as Notre Dame, and the Fighting Irish have a really good defense of their own, only allowing 11.9 pts per game and ranking in the Top 30 for rush defense, pass defense and total defense. Ironically enough, Notre Dame hasn't allowed a single 100-yd rusher all season so the Midshipmen might have a tough time on offense if they can't sprinkle in a few throws. The atmosphere at MetLife will be electric between these old rivals and Navy puts their undefeated record on the line, and could very well end Notre Dame's chances of getting into the Playoff.
Washington @ #13 Indiana - Noon ET (BTN); spread is Indiana -6
Hoosier Mania has taken over College Football and ESPN's College Gameday will take place in Bloomington on Saturday morning right before the 13th-ranked Hoosiers take on Washington. There were questions heading into the Week 8 matchup with Nebraska if Indiana was legit and they absolutely clobbered the Cornhuskers 56-7 to prove they do belong in the conversation in the BIG10. If they win this one, they could very well go undefeated all the way to a big matchup in Columbus with Ohio St on 11/23. The issue in this one for Indiana is their starting QB, Kurtis Rourke, injured his thumb in the win over Nebraska last week and won't be available and even though the Huskies won't be repeating last season's Playoff appearance, they are a formidable opponent.
Saturday, October 26th - Late Afternoon Games
#20 Illinois @ #1 Oregon - 3:30PM ET (CBS Paramount+); spread is Oregon -22.5
The Fighting Illini have beaten 3 ranked opponents at the time they played them (Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan) and I believe are the only team in FBS to do so. They get yet another shot at beating a ranked team this week; the problem, though? The team they're up against is the #1 team in the nation and they are playing at home who had an extra day of rest from clobbering Purdue 35-0 last Friday night. I don't think the Ducks will be taking this game too lightly (hence the high pt spread for a matchup between ranked teams), but I do believe that Illinois can put a decent fight as they are well balanced on both sides of the ball, and they always have a solid defense which always travels well. There have already been 4 teams dropped from the #1 ranking this season and it's quite possible that the Ducks become the 5th if they aren't focused.
#21 Missouri @ #15 Alabama - 3:30PM ET (ABC); spread is Alabama -17.5
It's been quite the roller coaster ride this season for both of these SEC teams. For Missouri, they were a Top 10 team before falling @ Texas A&M and then last week, QB Brady Cook went to the hospital in the 1st half only to return in the 2nd half and complete a double-digit comeback vs Auburn. For Alabama, they started off strong with a road victory @ Wisconsin and hung-on vs #1 Georgia, but stinging losses in the state of Tennessee (first @ Vanderbilt and then on Rocky Top) have their Playoff hopes on life support. The Crimson Tide haven't lost 3 Regular Season games since 2010 and with the way they're playing, they might lose another. Brady Cook was not expected to play in this one, but was upgraded to "Questionable" so it's possible. If he doesn't, I would expect Alabama to run away with it, but if Cook pulls another miracle and plays, the Tigers have a chance to get back into the Playoff conversation if they pull this off.
#5 Texas @ #25 Vanderbilt - 4:15PM ET (SEC Network); spread is Texas -18
I don't think anyone who follows College Football had this Week 9 matchup as one between two ranked teams prior to the season, but here we are. After getting beaten at home by Georgia last week, the Longhorns will be looking to "get right" at a place they thought they could, but this isn't the same old Vanderbilt that top SEC teams can just pound away at for an easy win. The Commodores are a legit team (as is evidence by their win over Alabama) and they've won games vs Va Tech and UK and took Missouri to 2OT. There could be a bit of QB controversy as Quinn Ewers got benched last week in favor of Arch Manning so it's anyone's guess who starts/plays at QB for Texas in this one, but they do need to "get right" before the final 4 games of their SEC schedule, including a big matchup in College Station during Rivalry Week.
Saturday, October 26th - Evening Games
#3 Penn St @ Wisconsin - 7:30PM ET (NBC Peacock); spread is Penn St -6.5
The Nittany Lions have had a terrific season up to this point: unbeaten with a big win over Illinois, a comeback win @ USC and they are ranked in the Top 15 in both offense and defense. The problem is that even though they won @ USC and are ranked #3, people aren't completely sold on them, as-is evident by the less than TD pt spread to a 2-loss Badgers team who got hammered by Alabama in Madison earlier this year. But Wisconsin had found a rhythm after that beating by the Crimson Tide and have won 3 straight by a combined score of 117-16. The Nittany Lions are no doubt looking ahead to next week's massive showdown w/ the Buckeyes at Happy Valley, but they can't overlook the Badgers and Camp Randall at night will be a tough place to earn a win.
#8 LSU @ #14 Texas A&M - 7:30PM ET (ABC); spread is Texas A&M -1
The premier Week 9 matchup comes from College Station and features 1-loss SEC teams who are still undefeated in Conference play (the only undefeated teams in Conference play), so someone will be getting their first SEC loss, but more importantly their 2nd overall loss and possibly out of the Playoffs. LSU had a dramatic win over Ole Miss 2 weeks ago and parlayed that into a road beating @ Arkansas in Week 8, while Texas A&M weathered that early home loss vs Notre Dame to get impressive victories over Arkansas, Missouri and Florida. This should be a terrific LOS battle between LSU's offense (who have 2 OT's that are expected to be drafted high in 2025) and A&M's Front 7 that has been highly disruptive. The 12th man home field advantage could be what puts the Aggies over the top in what is expected to be a very, very tight game.
#22 SMU @ Duke - 8PM ET (ACCN); spread is SMU -11.5
No one had Vanderbilt, Indiana, BYU or Navy ranked in the Top 25 at this point in the season, and even though Duke isn't ranked, I don't think anyone would have thought that this SMU/Duke matchup would potentially play a pivotal role in determining who goes to the ACC Championshi game. The Blue Devils have only 1 loss this year (2 weeks ago vs Georgia Tech) and have decent wins over UNC and FSU. The Mustangs are also 6-1 and don't have any losses in ACC Conference play and while Miami, Clemson & Pitt sit currently sit atop the ACC, just below them are the likes of SMU and Duke, making this a key ACC game, with the winner still within striking distance of the leaders while the loser might fall too far back to get an invite to Charlotte. SMU has a big matchup with undefeated Pitt next week at home, but if they want to get there and have that game mean something, they need to beat a solid Duke team led by Texas QB transfer Maalik Murphy.
...but if this 2024 College season has taught us anything, it's that the "tricks" come when you least expect them. With the exception of Weeks 3 & 4, there has been a Top 10 team beaten every week, and there's been 5 weeks in total in which multiple Top 10 teams have been beaten, including the last 4:
Week 0/1: #10 FSU lost to Georgia Tech
Week 2: #10 Michigan lost to #3 Texas; #5 Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois
Week 5: #2 Georgia lost to #4 Alabama; #6 Ole Miss lost to Kentucky; #10 Utah lost to Arizona
Week 6: #1 Alabama lost to Vanderbilt; #4 Tennessee lost to Arkansas; #9 Missouri lost to #25 Texas A&M; #10 Michigan lost to Washington
Week 7: #2 Ohio St lost to #3 Oregon; #9 Ole Miss lost to #13 LSU
Week 8: #1 Texas lost to #5 Georgia, #7 Alabama lost to #11 Tennessee
The 10th ranked team in the country has lost 4 times, with the #1 and #2 teams losing twice...
....and just what will Week 9 bring: more "tricks", or just a handful of "treats"? Just like a long night of trick-or-treating on Halloween, you need to unwrap the candy to see exactly what you're gonna get...
Friday, October 25th - Late Game
#17 Boise St @ UNLV - 10:30PM ET (CBSSN); spread is Boise St -4
The Mountain West Game of the Year 1.0 takes place in Vegas late on Friday night. Boise St and RB Ashton Jeanty has been running through everyone on their schedule (except for a loss @ #1 Oregon, where they lost on a last second FG) and are the favorites to get into the Playoffs as the highest ranked Group of Five Team. Standing in their way are the Runnin' Rebels who have been one of the more fascinating stories in College Football this year. Their starting QB walked away after after a few weeks into the season, but their backup, Hajj-Malik Williams, has played even better and has UNLV as one of the top offenses in the country. They also have a 2025 Draft prospect in WR Ricky White III, who also has 3 blocked punts. Speaking of numbers, just how good is Broncos RB Ashton Jeanty? He has amassing more rushing yds so far (1,248) than 88 FBS teams and if he continues on the pace he's at, he won't be that far from Barry Sanders historic 1988 season (2,628 rush yds and 37 TD's). This one is going to be a high-scoring affair and might actually come down to who has the ball last and if UNLV can stop Jeanty just enough to force FG's vs TD's. With the Raiders stinkin' up the joint in 2024, this might be the biggest Regular Season football game played in Allegiant Stadium this year and a big crowd is expected. One of these teams is going to end up with some spoiled candy, but College Football fans should get a "treat" of a game in this one.
Saturday, October 26th - Early Afternoon Games
#12 Notre Dame vs #24 Navy - Noon ET (ABC); spread is Notre Dame -13.5 (game will be played at MetLife Stadium)
Last season, the Fighting Irish opened up the 2023 season in Ireland with a 42-3 drubbing of Navy, but something tells me that won't be the case this year as this is a vastly improved Navy team from a season ago. The Midshipmen are 7th in the FBS at 7.3 yds per play thanks to the nation's 4th-best rushing attack. Navy has a capable QB in Blake Horvath (a Heisman candidate in some circles) and a very good OL, and their defense ranks 2nd nationally in turnover margin (+2.0) and in the Top 50 for sacks and TFL's. The problem for Navy is that they haven't faced anyone as good as Notre Dame, and the Fighting Irish have a really good defense of their own, only allowing 11.9 pts per game and ranking in the Top 30 for rush defense, pass defense and total defense. Ironically enough, Notre Dame hasn't allowed a single 100-yd rusher all season so the Midshipmen might have a tough time on offense if they can't sprinkle in a few throws. The atmosphere at MetLife will be electric between these old rivals and Navy puts their undefeated record on the line, and could very well end Notre Dame's chances of getting into the Playoff.
Washington @ #13 Indiana - Noon ET (BTN); spread is Indiana -6
Hoosier Mania has taken over College Football and ESPN's College Gameday will take place in Bloomington on Saturday morning right before the 13th-ranked Hoosiers take on Washington. There were questions heading into the Week 8 matchup with Nebraska if Indiana was legit and they absolutely clobbered the Cornhuskers 56-7 to prove they do belong in the conversation in the BIG10. If they win this one, they could very well go undefeated all the way to a big matchup in Columbus with Ohio St on 11/23. The issue in this one for Indiana is their starting QB, Kurtis Rourke, injured his thumb in the win over Nebraska last week and won't be available and even though the Huskies won't be repeating last season's Playoff appearance, they are a formidable opponent.
Saturday, October 26th - Late Afternoon Games
#20 Illinois @ #1 Oregon - 3:30PM ET (CBS Paramount+); spread is Oregon -22.5
The Fighting Illini have beaten 3 ranked opponents at the time they played them (Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan) and I believe are the only team in FBS to do so. They get yet another shot at beating a ranked team this week; the problem, though? The team they're up against is the #1 team in the nation and they are playing at home who had an extra day of rest from clobbering Purdue 35-0 last Friday night. I don't think the Ducks will be taking this game too lightly (hence the high pt spread for a matchup between ranked teams), but I do believe that Illinois can put a decent fight as they are well balanced on both sides of the ball, and they always have a solid defense which always travels well. There have already been 4 teams dropped from the #1 ranking this season and it's quite possible that the Ducks become the 5th if they aren't focused.
#21 Missouri @ #15 Alabama - 3:30PM ET (ABC); spread is Alabama -17.5
It's been quite the roller coaster ride this season for both of these SEC teams. For Missouri, they were a Top 10 team before falling @ Texas A&M and then last week, QB Brady Cook went to the hospital in the 1st half only to return in the 2nd half and complete a double-digit comeback vs Auburn. For Alabama, they started off strong with a road victory @ Wisconsin and hung-on vs #1 Georgia, but stinging losses in the state of Tennessee (first @ Vanderbilt and then on Rocky Top) have their Playoff hopes on life support. The Crimson Tide haven't lost 3 Regular Season games since 2010 and with the way they're playing, they might lose another. Brady Cook was not expected to play in this one, but was upgraded to "Questionable" so it's possible. If he doesn't, I would expect Alabama to run away with it, but if Cook pulls another miracle and plays, the Tigers have a chance to get back into the Playoff conversation if they pull this off.
#5 Texas @ #25 Vanderbilt - 4:15PM ET (SEC Network); spread is Texas -18
I don't think anyone who follows College Football had this Week 9 matchup as one between two ranked teams prior to the season, but here we are. After getting beaten at home by Georgia last week, the Longhorns will be looking to "get right" at a place they thought they could, but this isn't the same old Vanderbilt that top SEC teams can just pound away at for an easy win. The Commodores are a legit team (as is evidence by their win over Alabama) and they've won games vs Va Tech and UK and took Missouri to 2OT. There could be a bit of QB controversy as Quinn Ewers got benched last week in favor of Arch Manning so it's anyone's guess who starts/plays at QB for Texas in this one, but they do need to "get right" before the final 4 games of their SEC schedule, including a big matchup in College Station during Rivalry Week.
Saturday, October 26th - Evening Games
#3 Penn St @ Wisconsin - 7:30PM ET (NBC Peacock); spread is Penn St -6.5
The Nittany Lions have had a terrific season up to this point: unbeaten with a big win over Illinois, a comeback win @ USC and they are ranked in the Top 15 in both offense and defense. The problem is that even though they won @ USC and are ranked #3, people aren't completely sold on them, as-is evident by the less than TD pt spread to a 2-loss Badgers team who got hammered by Alabama in Madison earlier this year. But Wisconsin had found a rhythm after that beating by the Crimson Tide and have won 3 straight by a combined score of 117-16. The Nittany Lions are no doubt looking ahead to next week's massive showdown w/ the Buckeyes at Happy Valley, but they can't overlook the Badgers and Camp Randall at night will be a tough place to earn a win.
#8 LSU @ #14 Texas A&M - 7:30PM ET (ABC); spread is Texas A&M -1
The premier Week 9 matchup comes from College Station and features 1-loss SEC teams who are still undefeated in Conference play (the only undefeated teams in Conference play), so someone will be getting their first SEC loss, but more importantly their 2nd overall loss and possibly out of the Playoffs. LSU had a dramatic win over Ole Miss 2 weeks ago and parlayed that into a road beating @ Arkansas in Week 8, while Texas A&M weathered that early home loss vs Notre Dame to get impressive victories over Arkansas, Missouri and Florida. This should be a terrific LOS battle between LSU's offense (who have 2 OT's that are expected to be drafted high in 2025) and A&M's Front 7 that has been highly disruptive. The 12th man home field advantage could be what puts the Aggies over the top in what is expected to be a very, very tight game.
#22 SMU @ Duke - 8PM ET (ACCN); spread is SMU -11.5
No one had Vanderbilt, Indiana, BYU or Navy ranked in the Top 25 at this point in the season, and even though Duke isn't ranked, I don't think anyone would have thought that this SMU/Duke matchup would potentially play a pivotal role in determining who goes to the ACC Championshi game. The Blue Devils have only 1 loss this year (2 weeks ago vs Georgia Tech) and have decent wins over UNC and FSU. The Mustangs are also 6-1 and don't have any losses in ACC Conference play and while Miami, Clemson & Pitt sit currently sit atop the ACC, just below them are the likes of SMU and Duke, making this a key ACC game, with the winner still within striking distance of the leaders while the loser might fall too far back to get an invite to Charlotte. SMU has a big matchup with undefeated Pitt next week at home, but if they want to get there and have that game mean something, they need to beat a solid Duke team led by Texas QB transfer Maalik Murphy.
... and neither is this Chris guy.