For the second weekend in a row, enough chaos ensued in college football that if you didn’t know any better, you’d think it was already November.
Of course, it’s hard to be fooled in that way right now, as much of the country is experiencing unseasonable warmth throughout the month of October.
While the weather is bound to take a turn at some point over the next few weeks, there is no such guarantee that the craziness will slow down in college football. In particular, teams appear to be allergic to the No. 2 spot in the AP poll, with the spot changing hands in each of the past four weeks and the team that holds the spot losing in each of the past three.
The potential unlucky program this week? The Ohio State Buckeyes.
We’ll see if there’s anything to that trend, or if the upsets occur elsewhere in the polls this weekend.
Let’s take a look at the matchups you cannot miss during Week 9.
Embed from Getty Images5 Games You Need to Watch This Weekend
#22 Arizona at #13 Texas Tech (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ESPN)
The Big 12 title race got a whole lot more interesting over the course of last Saturday, with favorites BYU and Texas Tech both going down for the first time this season. The conference now has a four-way tie for second place and only a couple of those teams will get a crack at Utah before the end of the regular season. Business as usual in the Big 12 considering the past couple of seasons, in fairness. Two of those teams currently tied for second face off in Lubbock on Saturday afternoon. The Red Raiders are reeling after a sound beating which exposed its defensive weaknesses, whereas the Wildcats are riding a five-game winning streak and will get their first opportunity since mid-September to announce themselves as a legitimate Playoff contender.
Texas Tech getting gashed on the ground by Cincinnati wasn’t as surprising as it may have seemed in the moment. The perception of the Red Raiders’ defense being stifling just hadn’t completely worn off yet. While Arizona won’t be looking to move the ball as much with the run game, its offense still presents a real danger for Texas Tech’s defense. Noah Fifita is one of the Big 12’s best passers (and most experienced) and the Red Raiders statistically struggle more stopping the pass than the run. The Wildcats have the defensive prowess to hold Joey McGuire’s team in check as well. While I do think Texas Tech will be reenergized following last weekend and have the benefit of playing at home, Arizona does feel like a team with everything necessary to deliver a second loss to the Red Raiders. If they don’t get the job done, it will still be very close to done.
My Pick: 31-28 Arizona (covers +3.5 spread)
#25 Wisconsin at Iowa (Saturday, 12 PM ET – FOX)
Fans of the classic Big Ten look and feel, rejoice: Big Noon Kickoff will feature your preferred style of play on Saturday afternoon. While the Badgers aren’t the most dominant rushing offense in the Big Ten, the ground game is again the core of a true identity in Madison and one that is working. Luke Fickell’s squad has cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season (well deserved, I may add) and will put their strength to the test against the Big Ten’s second-best run defense. Kirk Ferentz is doing Kirk Ferentz things yet again, and while the Hawkeyes did slip out of the Top 25 themselves following a loss to Minnesota last weekend, Iowa has as usual been very tough to beat in both losses this season.
It isn’t going out on much of a limb to suggest that this game will be low scoring, defined by work in the trenches and perhaps decided by which team takes better care of the football. That said, it takes a bit of searching to find a real advantage in this one. While the Hawkeyes are far from being labeled as a potent passing team, they have found ways to move the ball through the air effectively against Big Ten opponents. Wisconsin has required less of that, but with both defenses capable of preventing big days on the ground, I think a quarterback will need to step up to win this one. Iowa’s three interceptions can be highlighted in last weekend’s loss to Minnesota. While the Hawkeyes do have a bit of a quarterback controversy to contend with internally (who is more equipped to lead between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski is really tough to say), it also presents options, something that Wisconsin has fewer of in the passing game. These rivals don’t like each other, and it will be evident in terms of the physicality that this game presents. In what should be a battle of wills with a few key plays through the air, I’ll give the slight nod to the home team.
My Pick: 17-16 Iowa (does not cover -2.5 spread)
#17 Florida vs. #3 Georgia [game in Atlanta] (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – ABC)
It does feel a bit sacrilege that this game is being played in Atlanta, the first time since 1930 that The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be played in a locale outside of Jacksonville, Gainesville or Athens, Georgia. We can take solace, however, in the matchup being legitimately relevant from a national perspective for the first time since 2020. That was the last time both teams were ranked in the Top 25 heading into the rivalry, and also the last time that the Gators have beaten the Bulldogs. Albeit somewhat inconsistent, the Florida offense has been a revelation this season under the tutelage of Jon Sumrall and creates an air of evenness in this matchup that hasn’t existed for half a decade.
Buster Faulkner’s offense has been a 180-degree shift from what Florida experienced last year, but it still appears to have its limitations. Highly effective against non-SEC and defensively challenged SEC foes, the Gators have been figured out by the SEC’s best in recent weeks, particularly on the ground. Losses in two of the past three games have come to teams in the top half of the conference in terms of run defense, and the surprise victory over Texas was a function of lopsided time of possession and the Longhorns’ inability to move the football themselves. I think that the Gators will have a difficult time moving the football on the ground against Georgia’s defensive front, which is currently leading the No. 2 unit in the SEC in run stoppage. On the other side, Florida’s issues stopping the aerial attack open the door for Georgia to have a lot of success over the top. As long as the Bulldogs don’t give up the ball uncharacteristically again, they should atone for the surprising loss to Auburn last time out.
My Pick: 40-28 Georgia (does not cover -12.5 spread)
#6 Utah at Cincinnati (Saturday, 3:45 PM ET – ESPN)
The Bearcats would have pulled off the upset of Week 8 had it not been for fellow Big 12 member UCF stealing the show over the past weekend. Cincinnati’s double-digit dog status heading into its game against Texas Tech proved to be a slap in the face for a team that has now rushed for over 200 yards in five of its seven contests this season. Scott Satterfield’s team will again get a chance to shock the college football world when it welcomes a second Top 10 opponent to Nippert Stadium in as many weeks. This week, the challenge ramps up, with Utah boasting the Big 12’s best run defense, allowing just over 88 yards per game on the ground.
It took 30 minutes of gametime, but Utah eventually got it together against Houston last weekend, scoring all 21 of its points in the second half to maintain an unblemished record in 2026. The Utes proved that they could overcome losing the turnover battle with a relentless rushing attack led by quarterback Devon Dampier. Unlike Houston, the Bearcats have been a bit soft against the run this season and this presents Utah with an excellent opportunity to avoid the same fate that Texas Tech suffered last Saturday. On the other side, Cincinnati figures to need more from its passing game between the 20s against this stout Utah defensive front. The Bearcats do have the best turnover margin in the Big 12 this season, though Dampier’s performance last weekend hanging onto the ball is certainly something that will have been worked on throughout the week. If Utah can avoid multiple giveaways in this one, it’ll be all that much more difficult for Cincinnati to play spoiler in back-to-back weeks. I have raised the white flag on Utah – I was incorrect about the Utes preseason. This team is for real.
My Pick: 27-21 Utah (does not cover -7.5 spread)
#2 Ohio State at Southern Cal (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – NBC)
What was once pegged as one of the top Big Ten matchups of the season has turned into a battle of survival in more ways than one. For Ohio State, the label is a bit of a stretch, but the Buckeyes will be breaking in a new starting quarterback following the injury to Julian Sayin in the Indiana game. Sayin’s timetable to return this season is undefined, and so, too, is his replacement to start this game (at time of this article’s publication). Whether it’s true freshman Luke Fahey (who came in relief of Sayin in the Indiana game) or former No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2025 Tavien St. Clair may be undefined, but what’s nearly certain is that Ohio State’s offense will look very different than it has with Sayin at the helm. Southern Cal, meanwhile, dropped from the Top 25 following yet another Big Ten loss outside of the Pacific time zone, and now its Playoff hopes are on life support. So, too, perhaps is Lincoln Riley’s tenure with the program.
It sounds lazy to say that Southern Cal’s loss to Wisconsin last weekend helped solidify my prediction for this game, but it’s true. Even if you choose to ignore the fact that the Trojans outgained the Badgers by nearly 40 yards and still lost by 17 points, it’s almost impossible to overlook the glaring failure by Southern Cal’s run game. On 25 carries Lincoln Riley’s group managed an astoundingly (bad) negative 18 rushing yards. With everything going on offensively for the Buckeyes, a lot of pressure is on Matt Patricia to have the defense ready to lock down what the Trojans will try to do to turn this game into a track meet. He’s one of the best in the business and therefore I don’t think Jayden Maiava is simply going to be able to throw all over this Ohio State secondary without some semblance of balance offensively to loosen coverage. The Buckeyes have also been strong against the run, last allowing more than 100 yards rushing in September. I do think we may see something more similar to the Urban Meyer/J.T. Barrett days with Ohio State on offense, but a change in pace with a new quarterback that has had a bye week to prepare could actually end up being an advantage for Ryan Day. In the end, the Trojans didn’t instill any confidence in me last time out and it was a bad enough performance to flip my winner in this one.
My Pick: 17-13 Ohio State (does not cover -6.5 spread)
Embed from Getty Images5 Games to Keep an Eye On This Weekend
Minnesota at #4 Indiana (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – CBS)
The Golden Gophers have been a bit inconsistent this season but, in classic P.J. Fleck fashion, have been up to the task in the biggest of contests. This one will set a new watermark in that regard. Although Indiana has seemingly already experienced enough close calls this season so as not to be caught off guard, Minnesota’s defensive efforts against Big Ten competition not named Purdue suggests that Fleck’s squad could make this one interesting as well.
#20 Northwestern at Oregon (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – Peacock)
Raise your hand if you correctly predicted the Wildcats would be ranked and the Ducks would not heading into this matchup. Now put them back down, you liar. Northwestern looks like the team we all expected Oregon to be, averaging over 200 yards per contest on the ground (second-best in Big Ten). The Ducks look lost offensively and more inclined to try to flip the field with its defense. Expect a low scoring game, but it’s hard to see even the Autzen Zoo saving Dan Lanning’s group here.
#1 Miami (FL) at North Carolina (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – ABC)
Opportunities for the rest of the ACC to get the best of the Hurricanes are waning, and this is one of two road tests left on the slate for Miami. The Tar Heels may benefit from facing the Hurricanes a week ahead of the big one against Notre Dame. Being competitive in matchups like this is what Bill Belichick was (supposedly) brought in to do.
Texas State at #20 Boise State (Saturday, 10 PM ET – The CW Network)
What I initially expected to be a potential preview of the Pac-12 title game has effectively turned into an elimination game for the Bobcats. Texas State will look to engage in a track meet on the blue turf, and despite their conference leading scoring defense (20.6 PPG allowed), Boise State will give up some ground to the Bobcats’ potent and balanced offensive attack.
Oregon State at Fresno State (Saturday, 11 PM ET – USA)
Pac-12 After Dark truly takes center stage this weekend, with two matchups from the conference making my watch lists in a single week for the first time this season. It has been a rough start for the Bulldogs but outside of the season-opening loss to Southern Cal, far from an uncompetitive one. Everything still points to Fresno State having a say in who ends up in the league title game, even if it isn’t them (which isn’t out of the question, either).
