What to watch: Week 9 college football viewing guide

Week 9 features five matchups between teams ranked in the AP Top 25.

It’s the most ranked matchups so far this season, though there are some big spreads involved. Of those five games, just one has a line that’s within single digits.

Don’t take that to mean that Saturday could be a dud, however. We’ve seen some surprising upsets already this season by big underdogs, and there’s also a top-12 team that’s a road underdog at an unranked opponent.

Here’s what to watch in Week 9. All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.

Time: Noon | TV: ABC | Line: Notre Dame -12.5 | Total: 51.5

The line has moved 1.5 points in Navy’s favor after the Fighting Irish opened as 14-point favorites.

You can see why bettors like Navy. The Midshipmen have been absolutely dominant in their 6-0 start. Navy’s 44.8 points per game is fourth in the country and opponents are averaging just 19.7 points a contest. Granted, Notre Dame is by far the toughest team Navy has seen this season, but don’t overlook the fact the Midshipmen put up 56 against Memphis in Week 4.

Navy is led by QB Blake Horvath. He’s rushed 79 times for 621 yards and 10 TDs while also capitalizing on defenses looking to stop the triple-option. Horvath has completed 64% of his passes for 888 yards and 10 TDs with just one interception. He’s averaging 12.3 yards an attempt and 19.3 yards a completion.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, continues to deal with injuries. The Fighting Irish are out five starters and that doesn’t include kicker Mitch Jeter, who enters the game questionable with a back injury. The Irish looked very good against Georgia Tech, however, as the passing game continues to improve after its early season struggles. Riley Leonard was 21-of-30 for 217 yards against the Yellow Jackets. Opponents haven’t had much success running against Notre Dame so far this season, but Notre Dame also hasn’t faced a triple-option team either.

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: Oregon -21.5 | Total: 54.5

The Ducks did exactly what they needed to do after their big win over Ohio State in a cross-country trip to Purdue on a short week in Week 8. Now, Illinois visits after knocking off Michigan a week ago.

Oddsmakers clearly like Oregon as the Illini are the last remaining ranked team on Oregon’s schedule unless someone like Michigan or Wisconsin jumps back into the AP poll in the coming weeks. QB Dillon Gabriel is completing 77% of his passes and has 19 total TDs. Jordan James is averaging 5.9 yards a carry and has eight TDs. TE Terrance Ferguson is likely out after having an appendectomy ahead of the Purdue game, and defensive lineman Jordan Burch could also miss his third straight contest after five sacks in the first four games of the season.

After Purdue put up 49 in an overtime loss to the Illini, Illinois held Michigan’s sluggish offense to just a single TD in Week 8. The Illini are allowing just 18 points per game and can be very dependent on turnovers. Illinois has forced 13 through the first seven games of the season. The only two games Illinois didn’t get a turnover came in a 21-7 loss at Penn State and in the 50-49 win over the Boilermakers.

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: Alabama -16.5 | Total: 51.5

The Tigers’ chances of an upset seem to have gotten longer during the week. Leading rusher Nate Noel is reportedly out after suffering a foot injury in the team’s comeback win over Auburn. And QB Brady Cook, the orchestrator of that comeback, is reportedly doubtful to play because of the ankle injury he suffered on the first drive of the game against Auburn. Cook missed most of the first three quarters before returning to lead the Tigers on two TD drives in the 21-17 win.

Without Noel, Missouri will turn to No. 2 rusher Marcus Carroll. He’s been the team’s short-yardage back. It’s a much less seamless transition at QB. Former Arizona State and Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne took over for Cook against Auburn and was just 10-of-21 for 78 yards.

Alabama has two losses in its first seven games for the first time since Nick Saban’s first season in 2007. Penalties have been a big factor. Just Cal, UTSA and New Mexico are averaging more penalties per game than the Crimson Tide. Alabama had 15 penalties for 115 yards in its loss to Tennessee and it was the third time all season the Crimson Tide were flagged at least 10 times.

The offense has also turned the ball over twice in each of the last three games as Jalen Milroe threw two picks against the Vols and in the Tide’s two-point win over South Carolina.

Time: 4:15 p.m. | TV: SEC Network | Line: Texas -18.5 | Total: 53.5

Can Vanderbilt do to Texas what it did to Alabama?

The newly ranked Commodores get the Longhorns at home three weeks after one of the biggest upsets of the season. After being picked last in the SEC’s preseason media poll, Vanderbilt is one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018.

QB Diego Pavia is completing 66% of his passes and has 11 passing TDs to just one interception. He’s also the Commodores’ leading rusher with 118 attempts for 470 yards. The former New Mexico State QB has been responsible for multiple TDs in every game against an FBS opponent so far this season.

Texas is looking to bounce back after Georgia absolutely dominated the first half in its 30-15 win. Quinn Ewers will start at QB for the Longhorns. He played the entire second half against the Bulldogs after Arch Manning replaced him for two series in the second quarter. Even though Texas gave up 30 to Georgia a week ago, the Longhorns are still allowing just 9.7 points per game. No other team in college football is allowing less than 10.5 points a contest.

Time: 7:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: Texas A&M -2.5 | Total: 53.5

There are no unbeaten teams left in the SEC, but these two are the only ones without a conference loss. LSU went to Fayetteville and easily beat Arkansas 34-10 in Week 8 while Texas A&M took care of business in Starkville against Mississippi State.

That win over Arkansas was the best game of the season for LSU’s defense. The Tigers held Arkansas’ potent rushing game to just 38 yards and forced three turnovers. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier had his first game without a passing TD, but that wasn’t an issue as Caden Durham ran 21 times for 101 yards and three scores.

Nussmeier has thrown for 2,222 yards and 18 TDs this season. Just five QBs have more passing yards. A&M’s defense is holding opposing QBs to just a 54% completion percentage. No QB has completed more than 60% of his passes since Florida’s Graham Mertz in Week 3 and he left that game early due to an injury.

The Aggies’ passing offense has perked up since the return of Conner Weigman from he shoulder injury he suffered in Week 1. Though Weigman has thrown just one TD since he’s been back, he’s completed 33-of-47 passes for 493 yards.

Other games to watch

No. 17 Boise State at UNLV (10:30 p.m. Friday, CBSSN): If you can stay up late enough before a full day of football on Saturday, it’s a great chance to watch Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty. The junior running back is averaging over 200 yards and three TDs a game so far this season.

No. 11 BYU at UCF (3:30 p.m., ESPN): The Knights almost pulled off the upset at Iowa State a week ago and now get the other undefeated team in the Big 12 at home. BYU avoided an upset of its own in Week 8 with a 35-yard TD pass with 10 seconds to go. A UCF win also wouldn’t be considered an official upset, either. The Knights are 2.5-point favorites.

Texas Tech at TCU (3:30 p.m., Fox): The Red Raiders were inexplicably blown out at home by Baylor in Week 8 and are now a part of a four-way tie for third in the Big 12. TCU is a game back after grinding out a 13-7 win over Utah. Both teams love to throw it as each is averaging over 40 pass attempts per game.

No. 3 Penn State at Wisconsin (7:30 p.m., NBC): If the last you saw of Wisconsin came in the team’s losses to Alabama and USC, you may be surprised that the Badgers are 5-2. But Wisconsin enters this game on a three-game win streak and has outscored its (lowly) opponents by 117-16.

No. 22 SMU at Duke (8 p.m., ACC Network): Who’d have guessed before the season that this would be a pivotal game in the ACC race. SMU is one of four teams without a conference loss and Duke is one of three teams at 2-1 in the conference.

Cincinnati at Colorado (10:15 p.m., ESPN): The loser of this game will see its Big 12 title game hopes take a big hit. Both the Bearcats and Buffaloes are 3-1 in the Big 12 for a four-way tie behind BYU and Iowa State. We’ll see how much Travis Hunter plays in this one after he’s missed the second half of back-to-back games because of a shoulder injury.