Breaking Down The Six Biggest College Football Games of Week 9

We're entering Week 9 of the college football season and things are really starting to get interesting. There are only six remaining undefeated teams in FBS, but many of them have critical games this weekend. Here are six games you'll want to make sure you're glued on the couch for, as well as betting leans for every single one of them. You already know you want to watch the Florida Gators face the Georgia Bulldogs, but stick around to find out why you should be watching the rest — including a matchup between the Cincinnati Bearcats and UCF Knights that should really be on your radar. 

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In For Six: Breaking Down The Six Biggest College Football Games of Week 9 

1. Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions - 12:00PM ET

The undefeated Buckeyes travel to Beaver Stadium to take on the one-loss Nittany Lions. The Buckeyes are second in the nation in scoring offense. It will be next to impossible for Penn State to stop quarterback C.J. Stroud and his receivers, but it is possible to limit them somewhat. Penn State has some solid players on defense, like Ji’Ayir Brown and Joey Porter Jr. in the secondary. Brown, Porter Jr. and the rest of the Penn State defense need to make some big-time plays. 

Don’t forget about Ohio State’s defense either, which ranks second in FBS in total defense. Penn State needs to play its best game offensively if it wants any chance at winning this game. 

LEAN: Under 61 - The spread in this game has Ohio State by over two touchdowns. The environment will be crazy inside of Beaver Stadium. We are not super confident in picking against the spread here, but we like the Under given the magnitude of this game. Nerves and importance make for low-scoring affairs. 

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Syracuse Orange - 12:00PM ET 

Syracuse is looking to rebound after a tough road loss to Clemson. The Orange will face a Notre Dame team that has been nothing but inconsistent this season. The Fighting Irish played well in wins against No. 21 North Carolina and BYU but have lost to lesser talented teams like Marshall and Stanford. The main question here is what Notre Dame team are we going to see on Saturday?

Whatever Notre Dame team shows up on Saturday, we know for sure that the offense isn’t very explosive. We also know Syracuse has one of the best defenses in the ACC.

LEAN: Syracuse -3 - We like Syracuse to cover the spread here. This is a mismatch for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish will struggle to put up points against a good Syracuse defense. 

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3. Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs - 3:30PM ET

"The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" is one of the best rivalries in the SEC and in all of college football. Georgia started the season 7-0 and is the current AP No. 1 team. This will be Billy Napier’s first ever meeting with Georgia as the Gators’ head coach. Both teams are coming off of bye weeks.

Georgia has a top four scoring defense and total defense in FBS. However, the Bulldogs defense hasn’t faced a quarterback like Anthony Richardson before. If the Florida offense can find some true balance, the Gators could put up some points. Florida has struggled a bit on defense. That bodes well for a Georgia offense that is top 10 in FBS in scoring offense and total offense. 

LEAN: Under 56.5 - We aren’t confident picking against the spread here since it is a rivalry game and the spread is large. We don’t think Florida will have success running the football and the Gators offense is built on pounding the rock. Give us the Under as the best bet.

4. Cincinnati Bearcats vs. UCF Knights - 3:30PM ET

This could be one of the top Group of Five matchups of the season. Cincinnati hasn’t been in the national spotlight since Week 1 when the Bearcats lost at Arkansas. The Bearcats now travel to UCF. The Knights lost last week at East Carolina, so they will be looking to bounce back.

Last season, Cincinnati had an elite defense, but the Bearcats lost a lot of talent to the NFL. Expect UCF to bounce back offensively after only posting 13 points last season.

LEAN: UCF +1 - The Bounce House is always a tough place to play. We like UCF to win this game outright. Cincinnati is ranked by the AP, but the Bearcats haven’t faced an FBS team with a winning record since Week 1. The Knights should get right back in the heat of the AAC title race. 

5. Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Kansas State Wildcats - 3:30PM ET

The Big 12 gets more entertaining as the season rolls along. Oklahoma State and Kansas State are both within striking distance of league leader TCU, which makes this game pivotal.

Kansas State’s quarterback situation is a big question heading into Saturday. Adrian Martinez started the Wildcats’ last game against TCU, but he was knocked out of the game due to injury. Backup Will Howard also missed some of the game due to injury, but eventually re-entered. Oklahoma State is a disciplined, clean football team. The Cowboys aren’t great defensively, but they can put up points against any defense in the nation. 

LEAN: Oklahoma State +1.5 - We like Oklahoma State to win this game outright. Kansas State’s quarterback situation leaves room for concern. Oklahoma State is also the more consistent football team.

6. Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers - 7:00PM ET

The undefeated Volunteers return to the field after a bye week to take on a physical Wildcats team. This could be a tricky spot for the Volunteers as they play undefeated Georgia next week. Tennessee can’t afford to look ahead because Kentucky is good enough to trip the Volunteers up.

The key for Kentucky to pull the upset is quarterback Will Levis and the passing game. The one weakness of Tennessee is the passing defense, so if Levis and the Wildcats can expose it, the Wildcats could pose a challenge.

LEAN: Under 63.5 - This is a possible look ahead spot for Tennessee, so we don’t have a heavy lean against the spread. But Kentucky’s offense probably isn’t explosive enough to expose Tennessee’s secondary, especially in a tough Neyland Stadium environment, so we like the Under here.