College football picks, predicted vs. the spread for Week 9, including Texas A&M-LSU and Notre Dame-Navy | Sports News

The SEC will continue to dominate college football in Week 9 with three more matchups between ranked teams.

The title consists of two sets of losses in the first place of the season. No. 8 LSU and No. 14 Texas A&M meet at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

Elsewhere, No. 21 Missouri visits No. 15 Alabama and the Crimson Tide will look to avoid a third loss. No. 25 Vanderbilt — which joined the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2013 — hosts No. 5 Texas. That should make for a lot of shocks in what has been the best conference so far.

The Week 9 slate features two teams ranked outside of the SEC playoffs, with No. 12 Notre Dame meets No. 24 Navy and No. 20 Illinois visits No. 1 Oregon.

• Specifically: 107-30 (14-3 in Week 8)
• Against publication: 69-68 (10-7 in Week 8)

Here are our picks against the Week 9 broadcast.

MORE: College football predictions after Week 8

College football Week 8 picks against broadcast

Thursday, October 24

• Syracuse at No. 19 Pitt (-5.5) (7:30 p.m., ESPN)

Surprisingly, Syracuse hasn’t won a road game in this series since 2001. Kyle McCord ranks second in the FBS with over 360 yards per game. Pitt’s Desmond Reid ranks second in the FBS with 182.6 all-purpose yards per game. This game should have more than enough offense between the teams in third and fourth place, respectively, in points per game. The Panthers and Orange have combined to play seven games against Power 4 opponents, and six of those have been one-point games. Why would this be different?

Select: Pitt wins 31-27 but FAILS TO COVER the announcement.

Friday, Oct. 25

• No. 17 Boise State (-3) at UNLV (10:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN)

This game could determine who represents the 5th seed in the College Football Playoff. This is a power-on-power matchup. The Broncos (289.9 rushing yards per game) and Rebels (251.4 ypg.) have the top two rushing attacks in the Mountain West Conference, and they also have the top two defenses . UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malk Williams is one of four players averaging at least 5.0 yards per carry. Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (1,249 yards, 17 TDs) averages 9.9 meters per carry. Boise State has won the last seven meetings, a streak that began in 1977.

Select: Boise State wins 38-28 and COVERS the spread.

Saturday, Oct. 26

• Nebraska at No. 4 Ohio State (-25.5) (12 p.m., Fox)

Nebraska is coming off a poor performance against Indiana where the Huskers committed five turnovers and allowed 495 total yards. It was definitely a surprising loss, and the Buckeyes are coming off a good week. Ohio State has allowed 6.8 points per game to unranked opponents this season, but is 2-2 ATS at home. The Buckeyes have won the last seven meetings with the Huskers by an average of 30.8 points per game.

Select: Ohio State won 42-17 but FAILED to get the coverage.

• No. 12 Notre Dame (-12) vs. No. 24 Navy (12 p.m., ABC)

This is the first of two tough matches against the Service School teams for the Irish. Navy is 6-0, and quarterback Blake Horvath is a matchup problem. He is averaging 7.9 yards per carry with 10 TDs and 10 passing TDs. Notre Dame hasn’t allowed more than 4.0 yards in a game since Week 2 loses to Northern Illinois. The Irish also have a strong rushing attack averaging 5.8 yards per carry. If Riley Leonard protects the football, the Irish will be fine. The line is down 1.5 points since opening, which is good value if you like Notre Dame here. The Irish have won the last six meetings by an average of 21.8 points per game.

Select: Notre Dame wins 35-21 and COVERS the spread.

• Oklahoma at No. 18 Ole Miss (-20) (12 p.m., ESPN)

Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after a 35-9 loss to South Carolina. They recently scored just 12 points in their last two losses, and held Ole Miss out of the bye week. The Rebels have the best pass rusher in the SEC in Jaxson Dart. Ole Miss is averaging 23.3 points per game in SEC play, and the Sooners may be around Jackson Arnold if he starts here. Rebels will win, but spreading is a tough, tough call.

Select: Ole Miss wins 38-16 and it COVERS the spread.

• Washington at No. 13 Indiana (-6.5) (12 p.m., BTN)

The line is down a half point, and the absence of quarterback Kurtis Rourke (thumb) certainly plays a role in that. Tayven Jackson will start, and the Hoosiers will rely on a rushing attack that averages 202.4 yards per game with Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawson. The Huskies are 14th in the Big Ten in scoring defense and are 0-2 S/U when making one of those two regional trips to the Big Ten.

Select: Indiana wins 34-24 and COVERS the spread.

BENDER: Indiana shows it’s a force with a blowout of Nebraska

• No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon (-21.5) (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Ducks are No. 1, and they face an interesting test against Illinois. The Illini have a 7-7 passing rate and are capable of breaking plays with a rushing attack averaging 4.0 yards per carry. Luke Altmyer has 15 TDs and just one interception this season. Oregon, however, will have success against a defense that gave up 200-plus rushing yards to Penn State and Purdue. Take out the Ohio State game, and the Ducks have allowed 7.7 points per game to Big Ten opponents. Illinois is better than that, but it’s still a tough assignment at Autzen Stadium. The Illini are 4-0 ATS as an underdog this year.

Select: Oregon wins 38-17 but FAILS to GET the layup

• No. 11 BYU (-2) at UCF (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

This will be a very popular option when the Cougars make a last-minute run against Oklahoma State, and may be the closest to the kicking option. The Knights are averaging 280.3 yards per game – but they don’t have a spectacular offense. BYU feeds off turnovers, and they beat SMU and Baylor this season. They can take the show on the road – even in the wild. Can you really count on a four-game losing UCF team here? The Cougars find a way to stay undefeated.

Select: BYU wins 30-27 and COVERS the spread.

• No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama (-14) (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Alabama is at the top of the season. The Crimson Tide have fought hard over the past three weeks, and there is no margin for error left in the race for the SEC and the College Football Playoff. Missouri is also in the game knowing their last SEC outing was a 41-10 loss to Texas A&M. Alabama has turned in one measure completely, averaging just 2.5 yards in the last two games against South Carolina and Tennessee. If the Tigers defense is quick, and has been good without a loss to the Aggies, then this will be a game.

Select: Alabama wins 34-21 but FAILS to GET the coverage.

MORE: How Texas, Alabama losses shake up SEC race

• No. 5 Texas (-18) at No. 25 Vanderbilt (4:15 p.m., SEC Network)

The Commodores are in position! Will they treat the Longhorns with the same attitude that Alabama had on Oct. 5? Vanderbilt continues to be a solid matchup with QB Diego Pavia. Vandy has committed just two turnovers this season, and if they can avoid those game-changing mistakes this could be close. Texas will get the run game going with Jaydon Blue, and Quinn Ewers will have a bounce-back game against the 11th best defense in the SEC.

Select: Texas wins 34-17 and FAILS to cover the announcement.

• Florida State at No. 6 Miami, Fla. (-21) (7 p.m., ESPN)

Florida State has a poor 10th rating and hasn’t scored more than 16 points in a game since Week 0. The pass defense has been better the last two weeks, but that won’t not enough against the Hurricanes – who are averaging 577.3 yards per game and Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward. Will the competitive scene start at all? Florida State has won the last three meetings, but if the Hurricanes have a chance to sweep it here, they will sweep it, and this score will be almost identical to the Week 1 win against Florida.

Select: Miami wins 42-16 and COVERS the spread.

• No. 3 Penn State (-6.5) at Wisconsin (7:30 p.m., NBC)

Wisconsin has a chance to lean into Camp Randall Stadium on a night against a top-five opponent. The Badgers have racked up 245.3 rushing yards per game in their three-game winning streak, but those teams aren’t Penn State. The Nittany Lions are allowing just 3.2 yards per carry, and Drew Allar has passed 70% in each of his last four games. UCLA and USC loaded the box to stop the run – but Allar was able to beat Tyler Warren hard. As long as the Nittany Lions don’t tie, it will set up another game in five against Ohio State.

Select: Penn State wins 27-14 and COVERS the spread.

• No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M (-3) (7:30 p.m., ABC)

The best game of the weekend. Texas A&M is still reeling from a season-opening loss to Notre Dame. Garrett Nussmeier will have to be efficient and avoid turnovers, and Caden Durham – who had 101 yards and three TDs in Week 8 – will need to develop a running game for of the Tigers. The home team has won the last seven meetings in this series, but this LSU team can win on the road.

Select: LSU wins 31-28 in UPSET.

• No. 22 SMU (-11) at Duke (8 p.m., ACC Network)

The Blue Devils are an impressive 6-1 under first-year coach Manny Diaz, but have yet to play a ranked opponent. Duke struggles to run the football (3.5 yards per play), and they only commit one turnover per game. SMU is averaging 40.7 points per game and is third in the ACC with 199.6 rushing yards per game. We are wary of the Mustangs traveling from Stanford last week to Duke this week, but an early start should help.

Select: SMU wins 37-17 and COVERS the spread.

• Kansas at No. 16 Kansas State (-10) (8 p.m., ESPN2)

The Wildcats have won 15 straight games in the series. The Jayhawks are on a tear and snapped a five-game losing streak with a 42-14 win against Houston in Week 8. Kansas State returns home, however, where they beat Arizona and Oklahoma State by an average of 23 points. Avery Johnson is coming off his best game, and the Wildcats can one-up the Jayhawks with a rushing defense that leads the Big 12 at 83.1 yards per game.

Select: Kansas State wins 35-24 and COVERS the spread.