Ranking the 10 Best College Football Games in Week 9
TJ Inman
Host · Writer
We are now in the back half of the college football season, and the Week 9 schedule is filled with great games. Some of these games have conference title implications, some have College Football Playoff chances on the line, and some should be really entertaining showdowns. Here are the ten best (in chronological order)!
1. UCLA at Indiana (-24.5) – Noon on FOX
The UCLA Bruins have won three games in a row, and they are one of the hottest teams in the country since making the move to interim head coach Tim Skipper. Skipper’s Bruins face their toughest test yet as they travel to play the Indiana Hoosiers. Nico Iamaleava’s status is unknown after suffering a late injury against the Maryland Terrapins, but he did practice early in the week. If he plays, he presents a unique challenge as a running quarterback. Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles had a bit of success running the ball against IU, and Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph had two long touchdown runs against the Hoosiers in the season-opener. This is a super long shot for an upset, but the Bruins are talented, and this could at least be an interesting test for the nation’s No. 2 team.
2. Ole Miss at Oklahoma (-4.5) – Noon on ABC
The Ole Miss Rebels and Oklahoma Sooners meet in Norman, and the stakes are obvious. Both teams have one loss and are sitting at 6-1 on the season. A trip to the SEC Championship Game is still a possibility for either team. Still, the loser will almost certainly be eliminated from that conversation, and the path to the College Football Playoff becomes increasingly narrow with a second defeat. Oklahoma has the nation’s best pass rush and one of the best defenses, period. Ole Miss has an explosive offense, but Georgia shredded the defense, and John Mateer should get into a better rhythm as he continues to recover from his wrist injury and surgery. If Oklahoma can consistently pressure the Ole Miss backfield, the Sooners will feel good about their chances, but can they score enough points to keep up with the Rebels?
3. South Florida (-5.5) at Memphis – Noon on ESPN2
The Memphis Tigers and South Florida Bulls were set to play each other in a marquee matchup in the American Athletic Conference this week. Still, the contest lost a bit of luster as Memphis fell in a shocker to the UAB Blazers. I dubbed Memphis a “paper tiger" a few weeks ago, but it was still surprising to see Memphis fall to UAB (sans Trent Dilfer, probably helped their cause). South Florida is my pick to earn the Group of Five’s College Football Playoff selection, and that confidence was buoyed two weeks ago as they put on a fireworks display on offense against North Texas. The Bulls will attempt to do the same thing this Saturday against Memphis as they seek to establish themselves as the top Group of Five team in the country. A Memphis victory would throw the race for that playoff spot into chaos.
4. Northwestern at Nebraska (-7.5) – Noon on FS1
The Northwestern Wildcats are 5-2 after a shutout win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, and head coach David Braun deserves a ton of credit for a surprising rebound season in Evanston. The Wildcats were mildly competitive against Oregon a few weeks ago, and most assumed it was simply a result of the Ducks’ lackluster performance throughout the game. Still, perhaps Northwestern deserves more respect, particularly on defense. Nebraska is also 5-2, but there are significant concerns about the offensive line after they allowed nine sacks to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Can Matt Rhule’s team right the ship and take care of business against the Wildcats, or will Northwestern throw the Huskers into another late-season tailspin?
5. Missouri at Vanderbilt (-2.5) – 3:30 on ESPN
The Vanderbilt Commodores are a very real threat to make the College Football Playoff. Heck, they are a threat to make the SEC Championship Game (although they do not control their own destiny for that goal). The Commodores have a wonderfully creative offense led by fierce competitor Diego Pavia and unique tight end Eli Stowers. The offensive line is significantly better than it was a season ago, and the defense, although not elite, is still good enough. After bullying the LSU Tigers in Nashville, Vanderbilt hopes to treat Missouri the same way. The Tigers only have one loss of their own, though, and they have a favorable schedule, and a win over Vanderbilt would propel Eli Drinkwitz’s team right into the thick of the playoff chase.
6. Illinois at Washington (-4.5) – 3:30 on BTN
The Illinois Fighting Illini have played three high-profile games this season in a front-loaded schedule. IU embarrassingly beat them, but the Hoosiers are now No. 2. They were handled comfortably by Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are now No. 1. They beat USC with a last-second field goal. Still, the Trojans are no longer ranked after losing to Notre Dame. Take a peek at Illinois’ schedule: at Washington, Rutgers, Maryland, at Wisconsin, and Northwestern (receiving votes). If Illinois can win on the road at a very flawed Washington team, they’ll be 6-2 before playing three teams in free-fall mode and finishing with Northwestern at home. Washington had a lot of momentum entering a matchup at Michigan, but the Huskies played poorly and were handled by the Wolverines. They head back home and try to rebound against an Illinois team that needs to prove it can compete against quality opponents.
7. Alabama (-11.5) at South Carolina – 3:30 on ABC
There is very little reason to think the red-hot Alabama Crimson Tide, fresh off wins over Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee, would go to South Carolina and lose. Still, college football is a strange game, and there are reasons for the Crimson Tide to be quite wary. Kane Wommack’s defensive system struggles against mobile quarterbacks (Vanderbilt would have really threatened the Tide if not for red zone mistakes), and South Carolina’s best (and really only) weapon on offense is LaNorris Sellers being unleashed as a scrambler. Alabama has had to get up for big games over and over again, and they have a bye week on the horizon, so if their level of play slips a bit and Sellers can get loose as a runner, the Gamecocks could pull off a shocker and throw the SEC title race into complete disarray.
8. BYU at Iowa State (-2.5) – 3:30 on FOX
The BYU Cougars keep on winning. After surviving against Arizona in Tucson, they advanced to 7-0 and 4-0 in the Big 12 with a win over rival Utah in Provo. The Cougars are now tied with Cincinnati at the top of the Big 12 after Texas Tech fell to Arizona State in Tempe, and they have ascended to No. 11 in the rankings. BYU has some challenging games upcoming, so they cannot afford to slip up in Ames, but Matt Campbell will have his Iowa State team ready to play after some disappointing outings in recent weeks. BYU’s defense has been the driving force behind its success, and this will be a challenging road test for freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
9. Texas A&M at LSU – 7:30 on ABC
There’s a ton of hot seat talk all around the country, but it doesn’t seem like LSU head coach Brian Kelly’s name is being mentioned yet. That could change on Saturday as the Texas A&M Aggies roll into Baton Rouge with a second-year head coach and the No. 3 team in the country. Texas A&M pressures the quarterback at a really high rate, and LSU’s offensive line struggled against Vanderbilt as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier took a beating. The offense has not looked right all season, and Texas A&M is capable of exacerbating the issues. With a third loss this season, would LSU start to take a long look at the trajectory of the program? Or, will the Tigers rally in Death Valley and give the Aggies their first defeat of the campaign?
10. Houston at Arizona State – 8:00 on ESPN2
The Arizona State Sun Devils controlled the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, lost the lead, and then rallied for a late score to pull off the upset. The Sun Devils now have to get back up for another big test, although this one is going under the radar. Houston is much-improved in year two with Willie Fritz at the helm, and they now sit at 6-1 after wins over Oklahoma State and Arizona. The Cougars are already 3-0 on the road, and they are only allowing 3.5 yards per rush, so they could at least provide some resistance to Tech’s rushing attack.
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