FAVORITE TEAMS

10) #20 PENN STATE AT #5 OHIO STATE – 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET [ABC]

Ohio State is the favorite to win this weekend. They seem back to normal after the loss to Oregon back in September. Penn State’s defense is one of the nation’s best, but the lack of offensive production could hinder the team’s chances of an upset unless quarterback Sean Clifford can play poised while healthy.

9) #22 IOWA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA – 11AM PT/ 2PM ET [BIG12/ESPN+]

Consider this a trap game. West Virginia is better at home and their stadium is one of the more difficult places to play in. Iowa State is confident and motivated for a big run after upsetting Oklahoma State last week. If the game is close by 4th quarter, Iowa State needs quarterback Brock Purdy to step up to close this game out.

8)#12 KENTUCKY AT MISSISSIPPI STATE – 4PM PT/7PM ET [SEC NETWORK]

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach stated how the team improved on defensive consistency and it’ll likely carry over into this matchup. To make this more interesting, this is Kentucky’s second straight road game and they haven’t won in Starkville since 2008. Kentucky’s offense overall will be key to winning this rivalry game.

7) CHARLOTTE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY – 1PM PT/4PM ET [ESPN+]

Charlotte and Western Kentucky are in a four-way tie with FAU and Marshall for first place in the C-USA East division. Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds and Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe are expected to have a big day in the passing game. Western Kentucky is on a 2-game winning streak against Charlotte and their scoring, passing and total offense are the best in the conference. The Hilltoppers should win to stay within striking distance for the East division title.

6) #9 IOWA AT WISCONSIN – 9AM PT/12PM ET [ESPN]

Iowa’s offense was finally exposed against Purdue. They’re looking to bounce back at Madison, Wisconsin, but it’ll come down to their offense to get it done without their defense bailing them out everytime. Wisconsin won their third straight game and got their first win against a ranked opponent last week. Duo backs Chez Mellusi and freshmen Braelon Allen may have stabilized the Badgers’ offense in the right direction. This is potentially a low-scoring game and it could be Wisconsin’s game to win with Iowa’s offense limited.

5) VIRGINIA AT #25 BYU – 7:15PM PT/10:15PM ET [ESPN2]

Virginia coach and former BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall returns to Provo for the first time since 2015. This will be the sixth meeting in this matchup and the third time Virginia plays ranked BYU (1-1 all-time). The Cavaliers rely heavily on quarterback Brennan Armstrong and pass catchers to get the job done. When they score over 40 points, they mostly win games outright. BYU played a tough October and went 2-2 while overcoming injuries. As good as quarterback Jaren Hall is, the offense relies on Tyler Allgeier. The two games they have lost this season, Allgeier stacked up a total of 110 yards in two games. Either not getting him enough touches or not getting more yards could becomes an issue for the team. Mendenhall’s return will be an emotional one and while BYU owns the last meeting in 2014, they won when he was the coach. Virginia’s hopes of winning rely heavily on their offense outscoring BYU, but BYU’s defense could provide enough disruption and pressure on Armstrong to eek out a home victory.

4) #10 OLE MISS AT #18 AUBURN – 4PM PT/7PM ET [ESPN]

Ole Miss and Auburn will be in a dogfight for second place in the SEC West and an attempt to jump past Alabama for control of the division too. It’s possible this matchup will turn into a shootout. Auburn has a good defense but there will be times where it’ll struggle against Ole Miss’s high-flying offense. That’ll force quarterback Bo Nix and company into a shootout. Since 2013, both teams totaled over 50 points in five of the last eight meetings. Unfortunately, Ole Miss only won one of the eight. Ole Miss has a better turnover margin than the Tigers, and Auburn hasn’t had much success against Top 10 ranked opponents since 2018 (2-10). It’s likely Auburn comes up short at home to another ranked opponent this weekend.

3) FRESNO STATE AT #21 SAN DIEGO STATE – 7:30PM PT/10:30PM ET [CBS SPORTS NETWORK]

Here is the second of the three most exciting games to watch in the West division of the Mountain West. Fresno State’s dangerous offense takes on San Diego State’s strong defense, and both held off Nevada and Air Force to be in position for first place. Quarterback Jake Haener and the receivers are playing lights out football and seem virtually unstoppable. They have the best total offense in the conference (480 yards per game). San Diego State’s defense is one of the most fearless in the conference. They allowed only 20 plus points twice and holds the best total yards allowed in the conference (279 yards per game). Fresno State is 5-4 in the last nine meetings and are this Saturday night’s win away from controlling their own destiny in the West. However, running back Ronnie Rivers is questionable to play after injuring his leg against Nevada. His backup Jordan Mims was able to keep the offense moving with Haener. Rivers is likely to return for this game and that’s enough to give the Bulldogs a chance against the Aztecs. Fresno will push hard to score against the coverage, but it may be too much for them to handle. Unless Rivers and Mims are able to break down SDSU’s defense, the Aztecs will win to set up a Winner-Take-West matchup with Nevada (if they defeat UNLV).

2) #19 SMU AT HOUSTON – 4PM PT/7PM ET [ESPN2]

SMU and Houston duels to stay in the top two spots of the AAC. SMU continues dominating their schedule but their road games thus far were nail biters, and a road game at Houston will be their second toughest of the season. The Ponies’ scoring offense has stayed over 30 points all season long and leads the conference in most offensive categories. They have significant balance everywhere on offense and Oklahoma transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai reaps the benefits. Houston found resurgence this season, especially on defense and special teams. Their defense allowed 17.3 points per game and has not seen a 30-point game since Texas Tech while Mr. All-Purpose Marcus Jones leads the nation in total returning touchdowns. The offense slightly improved and quarterback Clayton Tune improved his passing with a career best 69 percent. Is it possible Houston ends SMU’s run? Sure, but SMU’s defense will pressure Tune and special teams will be cautious with Jones. SMU will do just enough overall to escape an upset over Houston.

1) #6 MICHIGAN AT #8 MICHIGAN STATE – 9AM PT/12PM ET [FOX]

This matchup features two undefeated teams for the first time in history, including a top ten battle for the first time since 1974. The Paul Bunyan Trophy is up for grabs and the winner will be in first in the Big Ten East division with Ohio State for the time being. Michigan is playing good football on both sides for the first time since 2016. They’re defensively sound and their offense has running backs Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins humming along with a good offensive line. Michigan State is playing good football as well in coach Mel Tucker’s second year. Wake Forest transfer running back Kenneth Walker III and young quarterback Payton Thorne made Michigan State’s offense so much better. That by itself was enough to take some pressure off their defense after the offense struggled for a few seasons. It’s possible that points will become a premium, and turnovers and field positioning could factor in the situation. Ultimately, it comes down to who could make more plays when the smoke clears. Since 2015, Michigan State is 3-0 when the game’s decided by five points or less, but that was all in Ann Arbor. The Spartans have an edge with their quarterback and could win their first home game against Michigan since 2014 and retain their trophy in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013.

MY UNDERRATED MATCHUPS OF WEEK 9

GEORGIA STATE AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN

MY PICK: GEORGIA STATE