Week 9 of the 2024 college football season does not feature any top-5 or top-10 matchups, but there’s still plenty of great action in store this weekend.
After the final weekend of October began with a bang with Kennesaw State’s massive upset of Liberty on Wednesday and Boise State’s tight win over UNLV on Friday night in Las Vegas, Saturday’s top games include No. 20 Illinois vs. No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Penn State vs. Wisconsin and No. 8 LSU vs. No. 14 Texas A&M.
On to our best bets, starting with some overdue recognition of what Curt Cignetti has built in Bloomington, Indiana.
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Washington vs. Indiana (-5.5)
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
No. 13 Indiana (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) is well on its way from going from one of the best stories in college football this year to the story. I’m not proud to admit that as recently as last week, I was among the skeptics who wondered if the Hoosiers’ strong start was just a byproduct of a soft early-season schedule.
Any doubts about whether star QB Kurtis Rourke and this team could get it done against a good defense were obliterated in a hurry against Nebraska. Indiana jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead on the Cornhuskers, who have been outstanding defensively under Matt Rhule — just ask Colorado (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) — en route to a 56-7 win over a team that is allowing just 17.7 points per game.
Even without Rourke (thumb) against Washington, Indiana is not getting nearly enough respect. The Huskies gutted out a 27-17 win over Michigan a few weeks ago to prove that they’re no doormat after losing almost every member of last year’s College Football Playoff finalist, but they’ve otherwise been awful this year. With losses to Washington State, Rutgers and Iowa, Washington looks a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team at best.
Coach Curt “Google Me” Cignetti will have his team ready to rally around backup Tayven Jackson, who was excellent (7-of-8 passing for 91 yards and 2 TDs) in relief of Rourke last Saturday.
We like Indiana to comfortably cover in front of a rocking crowd in Bloomington, and we also recommend a smaller play on the Hoosiers to win by two touchdowns on the alt spread.
Best bets:
- Indiana -5.5 (-110 at bet365) 1 unit
- Indiana alt spread -13.5 (+186 at FanDuel) 0.5 units
Cincinnati vs. Colorado (-6.5)
Kickoff: 10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
We knew coming into this year how high-octane the Colorado offense could be.
Through seven weeks, the Buffaloes have been as good as advertised on that side of the ball, which is a big reason this team has won four of its last five after an underwhelming start (Coach Prime’s team barely beat North Dakota State in Week 1, and it wasn’t competitive in a 28-10 loss to Nebraska in Week 2).
While remaining one of the best passing offenses in the country thanks to QB Shedeur Sanders and a deep receiver group led by potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick Travis Hunter, the Buffs have also come a long way from a year ago in terms of physicality. While they came up just short against Kansas State two weeks ago, both lines held up well against one of the most physical teams in the country, and Colorado bullied Arizona 34-7 in a statement win last Saturday.
Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) is much improved after going 3-9 in Year 1 under Scott Satterfield last year, but they’re not going to be able to stay with Colorado for 60 minutes in Boulder on Saturday night. Colorado won’t necessarily cruise, but we do trust it to cover in this matchup.
Best bet: Colorado (-110 at FanDuel) 1 unit
SMU (-11.5) at Duke
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
Let’s close with a battle between two ACC teams that are flying under the radar despite strong starts to the season. No. 22 SMU (6-1, 3-0 ACC) has been on a roll since an 18-15 loss to BYU in September. The Mustangs made a bold switch at QB from the star of last year’s team, Preston Stone, to Kevin Jennings in Week 4.
That move paid immediate dividends in a 66-42 win over TCU, and the Mustangs have been cruising ever since then, averaging 45.5 points (!) per game in victories over the Horned Frogs, Florida State, Louisville and Stanford.
We don’t expect SMU’s offense to come to a halt in Durham on Saturday night, but we do believe the Mustangs will have a harder time moving the ball on Manny Diaz’s Blue Devils. In Diaz’s first year as head coach, Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) is allowing just 17.3 points per game, and it boasts the No. 14 defense in the nation, according to ESPN’s SP+.
We like the Devils to cover as massive home underdogs, and we are also eyeing the under thanks to not only Duke’s stout defense, but also its sputtering offense.
Best bets:
- Duke +11.5 (-110 at FanDuel) 1 unit
- Under 48.5 (-110 at FD) 0.5 units
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