It shouldn’t be that big of a surprise since we are in the thick of the right time of year to realize this, but last weekend was a stark reminder that we don’t really know anything about how the rest of the college football season will play out.
Texas and Alabama’s offensive struggles have turned the SEC title race on its head once again, and the Big 12 has quietly turned into a three-team (at least) race at the top that can’t be ignored from a national perspective for too much longer.
It was a week away from the television for the most part for K. Becks, and that’s probably a good thing, because Week 8 was a horrible one from a prognostication standpoint. Keegan propelled the guests back into the lead both straight up and against the spread thanks to a gutsy call to take Georgia on the road against Texas.
The current records after Week 8:
K. Becks – 24-16 SU, 22-18 ATS
Guests – 25-15 SU, 23-17 ATS
This week my youngest brother Kevin will take the reins for the guests and try to keep the positive momentum for them going. It’s a sneaky good week in terms of matchups, and for the first time this season a ranked vs. ranked battle didn’t make the 5 Games You Need to Watch This Weekend list.
Before we look at Week 9, let’s take a quick look back at the previous weekend.

3 Things We Learned in Week 8
Don’t sleep on Georgia
You didn’t write the Bulldogs off after the loss to Alabama and most talking heads’ opinion that Carson Beck was no longer as effective due to the departure of guys like Brock Bowers, did you? Of course not! That would have been crazy, after all.
Welcome back to reality, dreamers. Georgia hasn’t left the national title conversation – not by a long shot. Just as people were starting to anoint the Longhorns as the new kings of the SEC, Kirby Smart & Co. reminded everyone why the threepeat was painstakingly close to happening last season, if not for a guy named Nick Saban. Georgia’s defense came to play last weekend, holding the Longhorns to just 29 yards rushing and leaving a potential quarterback controversy behind in Austin. It was a defensive masterclass by the best in the game on that side of the football. Doubt Georgia again at your own peril.
Curt Cignetti is a lot of talk, but that isn’t all he is
In case you haven’t heard of him yet, do as he has instructed and Google him. As it turns out, it’s true that all he does is win. At least so far in Bloomington, where Cignetti has led Indiana to its first 6-0 start since 1967.
The brash comment might have seemed a little ridiculous at the time, but Cignetti’s supreme confidence is doing wonders for his current program, one associated with a school that is usually all-in on the upcoming basketball season by this time of year. Such is not the case in 2024, as the gridiron Hoosiers are doing their best to put up points like a hoops team. The path to Bloomington curled through Tuscaloosa during Nick Saban’s early years at Alabama, where Cignetti was a wide receivers coach and also helped recruit the nation’s top incoming class a year before Saban’s first national title. Now he has his sights set on things that not long ago seemed unthinkable at Indiana (sustained success, Playoff berths, a national title). In short, he is walking the walk in addition to talking the talk.
The wheels have fallen off at Southern Cal
What started as a promising campaign has turned into something of a nightmare for Lincoln Riley, who is facing heat for the current three game losing skid that the Trojans are currently suffering. It wasn’t supposed to be this difficult to adjust to the rigors of the Big Ten, but Riley’s teams have not been physical enough to dispatch of even mid-tier programs in the conference, let alone the traditional powers.
It is not an excuse but a reality that Southern Cal is young at numerous spots, and injuries throughout the season have left the Trojans without a lot of depth. But the results also may point at something more concerning, which is that Lincoln Riley’s offensive magic may not work as well in the Big Ten as it did in the Pac-12 and Big 12.

5 Games You Need to Watch This Weekend
#12 Notre Dame vs. #24 Navy [game in East Rutherford, NJ] (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ABC)
The Midshipmen finally get the opportunity to prove to the country that they are a team worthy of a Top 25 ranking, something that they deserve following a surprising 6-0 start to the season. One of the most potent scoring offenses in the country is not surprisingly buoyed by its rushing attack, but it has been a number of years since Navy has had a true stud orchestrating its triple option offense. Junior quarterback Blake Horvath leads the team in rushing yards and has racked up 10 rushing touchdowns already this season, but is similarly impressive through the air, adding another 10 passing touchdowns to his total. Horvath is well on his way to breaking the single-season passing touchdown record at Navy (13) set by the legendary Ricky Dobbs. His true dual threat ability will test this Notre Dame defense, which will already have its hands full maintaining the discipline to slow down the option.
The real unknown that will be answered in this game is whether Navy’s offense is truly one of the most difficult in the country to stop, or if the Midshipmen have simply been taking advantage of less than stellar defenses. Notre Dame will have the clear advantage in size on both sides of the ball, something that the Midshipmen haven’t truly had to deal with this season going up mostly against mid-tier AAC competition. Horvath will need all the help he can get from his outsized offensive line in order to stay on schedule with the offense, but even if that happens, the Fighting Irish won’t be intimated by a shootout. While I would love to see Navy swap spots with Notre Dame in the rankings following a huge upset victory, I just don’t see them overcoming the size and raw talent gaps. Notre Dame already had its letdown earlier this season and won’t come into this one unfocused.
My Pick: 35-21 Notre Dame (does not cover -14 spread)
Kevin’s Take: 20-17 Notre Dame. Notre Dame has been putting BIG points on the scoreboard the last two weeks. But you can’t sleep on an undefeated Navy squad. Will go down to the wire. Big one to tune into this weekend.
#21 Missouri at #15 Alabama (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – ABC)
Both teams have taken a tumble in the rankings compared with their high-water mark (No. 1 for the Crimson Tide, No. 6 for the Tigers), though there is still hope that the season is not lost for either program. Granted, Alabama’s Playoff hopes are on life support following last weekend’s loss to Tennessee, a result that once again highlighted the Crimson Tide’s recurring struggles in the run game. Missouri only has a single loss on its resume, but it was a bad one (41-10 at Texas A&M) and confirmed the suspicion that many had about the Tigers being made of paper. Many focused on Missouri’s inability to stop the Aggies’ run game, but Conner Weigman was nearly perfect throwing the football and Texas A&M was able to gain yards in chunks through the air. If there is one thing still no one is questioning, it is Kalen DeBoer’s ability to draw up an effective aerial attack.
Frankly, the jury is still very much out on Missouri’s status as a true SEC title contender. The Tigers have not been able to impose their will on any team of note this season, and the offensive performances are night and day when considering ranked vs. unranked opponents as well as conference vs. non-conference opponents. Additionally, the Tigers haven’t had to go on the road much this season, and it will be a raucous, if not irritable, crowd in Tuscaloosa. This start isn’t what anyone had in mind for the post-Saban era, and I’m not convinced that Alabama will become an also-ran under the watch of DeBoer. The run game woes are a bit concerning, but Missouri’s front will feel like a relief having faced Tennessee’s vaunted defensive line the previous weekend. I expect a bounce back game for the Crimson Tide, with Jalen Milroe confidently reminding everyone why his name has been thrown around the Heisman Trophy conversation for the majority of the season.
My Pick: 35-24 Alabama (does not cover -17 spread)
Kevin’s Take: 31-21 Alabama. Wishy-Washy is the game, Alabama is the name. We see a lot of inconsistency in this squad, but Alabama wins in big games…Roll Tide!
#5 Texas at #25 Vanderbilt (Saturday, 4:15 PM ET – SEC Network)
Reality hit Texas like a ton of bricks last weekend. The reality that the top line SEC teams are a lot more difficult to beat than, say, Mississippi State. The reality that keeping the No. 1 ranking isn’t nearly as easy as falling into it can be. The reality that, on some level, a lot of people are now questioning that there isn’t a true quarterback controversy brewing in Austin. After being benched and subsequently brought back into the game in the second half, the notion that Quinn Ewers’ job is safe was brought into serious question in the game against Georgia. Arch Manning’s inability to be more productive brought into question the thought that Texas could be a national title contender with either quarterback. All of this culminates with this week’s most important inquiry – could the Longhorns really fall to Vanderbilt?
The Commodores have seized the role of lovable winners in 2024, led by a quarterback in Diego Pavia whose grit and postgame antics pair quite well with the fact that Vanderbilt is easy to root for because it is rarely very good. The Top 25 ranking seemingly looks past the fact that the Commodores lost to Georgia State earlier in the season and followed up their big win over Alabama with a 10-point victory over 2-5 Ball State, which surrendered 750 yards of offense to Miami earlier in the year. To assert that the ranking is a joke is going a tad too far – it is college football, after all, and Vanderbilt has already upset one SEC blueblood in Nashville. But the Longhorns are embarrassed, looking to prove a point and cannot afford another humbling result if they want to keep pace with the likes of the team they just got whooped by last Saturday night. As much as the dreamer in me would love to see it, I don’t like the prospects of Vanderbilt pulling off a second massive upset this weekend.
My Pick: 41-20 Texas (covers -18.5 spread)
Kevin’s Take: 35-17 Texas. Texas is a powerhouse, and in my opinion, the best team in college football…as of now. Shouldn’t be a problem, however we have seen Vandy do spectacular things already this season. Can they WOW us all again?
#3 Penn State at Wisconsin (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – ESPN)
It may not look like it on paper, but this is arguably the game of the week. The Badgers have looked like a completely different football team in the month of October compared with earlier in the season, finding their rhythm on both sides of the ball when it looked like Luke Fickell was just about to lose control of the locker room. The Nittany Lions have already gone on the road for a couple of important contests this season, one against rival West Virginia and one against new conference foe Southern Cal, coming away with a victory in both. Camp Randall at night is a completely different animal than the Coliseum during the day, however. And on top of that, Wisconsin should be carrying more confidence into this game than either the Mountaineers or Trojans did.
Following a lot of talk that Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo weren’t going to abandon the run game but backed up with questionable results, the Wisconsin run game that fans in Madison have come to know and love finally seems to be operating effectively. Yes, the Badgers have played some of the worst run defenses in the Big Ten over the past few weeks, but during that time a number one back has emerged in senior Tawee Walker. His nine touchdowns are third best in the conference by an individual, and he will certainly give Penn State’s defense things to think about. The Nittany Lions are very tough against the run, though, allowing fewer rushing touchdowns than all but two other teams in the country. The reality is that Wisconsin’s offense will need to get creative to really give Penn State trouble, and Braedyn Locke cannot gift them extra possessions. I think this is the right time for Wisconsin to face a team like Penn State if you’re a fan of upsets, but James Franklin does a great job winning the games he should win. Hot hand for the home team aside, this is still one he should win.
My Pick: 28-21 Penn State (covers -6.5 spread)
Kevin’s Take: 28-17 Penn State. Penn State likes to struggle in matchups of this sort. At some point in this game I plan to see them behind. Despite that, I do believe they will pull it off in the end. Very good squad in the Nittany Lions. Jerry Sandusky once said, “…”; I’ll stop with the commentary here.
#8 LSU at #14 Texas A&M (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – ABC)
The Tigers and Aggies have been a surprise to me this season, but more so the Tigers because I did not have a lot of confidence that LSU would live up to its loftier preseason ranking and expectations. Yet here we are, nine weeks into the season with LSU and Texas A&M sitting atop the SEC standings, both perfect in conference play. Brian Kelly’s squad has rebounded very nicely from its season opening loss to Southern Cal, proving that the absence of Jayden Daniels has done little to slow down the high-powered passing attack. Perhaps even more importantly is that the defense showed up against a potent offensive opponent last week (the Tigers allowed just 278 yards to an Arkansas squad that averages 455 per game), a sign that Kelly’s team could be developing into a complete product.
It is almost a given that Conner Weigman will have some success against LSU’s secondary, a unit that could be described as “bend-not-break” at best and “porous” at worst. Some yards allowed through the air does seem to be baked into the plan for LSU, though, and the run defense has been much more reliable as of late, allowing just a single touchdown on the ground in the past four games. If LSU is able to force the Aggies into a one dimensional approach offensively, it puts a lot of pressure of Weigman to be great in order to keep pace with Garrett Nussmeier. While Weigman has been very solid recently, playing hero ball isn’t really his game. Mike Elko is smart enough to realize this and will likely try to maintain a balanced offensive attack and hope that this will be enough to keep things close. I think it can be, with homefield advantage certainly giving a boost to the Aggies. Though this feels very much like a tossup, LSU has burned me once in close games already this season and I think it could happen again if I pick against the Tigers.
My Pick: 30-28 LSU (covers +1 spread)
Kevin’s Take: 20-17 Texas A&M. I will be honest, I do not know very much about either of these teams. I have seen some hype for the Aggies recently, so I decided to give it the upset pick. Also, big Johnny fan here! Maybe a different pick if it was being played in Baton Rouge.

5 Games to Keep an Eye On This Weekend
#17 Boise State at UNLV (Friday, 10:30 PM ET – CBS Sports Network)
A massive game in terms of Boise State’s Playoff hopes, and in theory UNLV’s as well. The Rebels would be ranked if it weren’t for an overtime loss to Syracuse, a result that suggests that the Broncos will be in for a difficult test on Friday night. The winner of this one is likely in the Top 25 next week.
Washington at #13 Indiana (Saturday, 12 PM ET – Big Ten Network)
The Hoosiers have never welcomed College GameDay to Bloomington for a Saturday tilt prior to this weekend, and Indiana appears ready for the extra fanfare. The Hoosiers boast the Big Ten’s top ranked offense and at this point in the season, that can’t be explained away simply by referencing strength of schedule.
#20 Illinois at #1 Oregon (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – CBS)
Illinois is a solid team having a good year, and if Oregon doesn’t respect that then this one could get too close for comfort in Eugene. The Illini have done a nice job this season staying on schedule and won’t be intimidated by the Ducks’ ability to score quickly. Expect a lower scoring affair if Bret Bielema’s squad hangs tight.
#22 SMU at Duke (Saturday, 8 PM ET – ACC Network)
These two teams are still very much in the thick of the ACC title race, and for Duke in particular this is a surprise. Both teams have been getting the job done on defense this season, so points will likely come at a premium in Durham this weekend.
Cincinnati at Colorado (Saturday, 10:15 PM ET – ESPN)
One of the more underrated games on the slate this weekend, because both teams are quietly on the heels of the Big 12 leaders but receiving almost no attention as legitimate conference title contenders. A win in this game ensures the victor keeps pace with BYU and Iowa State, programs that not many are convinced will navigate the regular season unscathed.