Georgia’s win against Texas reset the top of the odds board in college football, and Texas isn’t out of the woods just yet. The Longhorns face a road test at Vanderbilt this week, which is freshly ranked in the new AP Top 25 poll. Oregon also takes on 6-1 Illinois and Penn State goes to Wisconsin. This week has the chance to send even more chaos into the College Football Playoff race.
Texas is favored by nearly 20 points on BetMGM ahead of that top-25 clash in Nashville. The Longhorns had early-season blowout wins against Michigan and Oklahoma that look a lot less impressive now than they did at the time they happened. Bizarrely, Vanderbilt could arguably become Texas’ best win if the Longhorns bounce back from what happened in Austin a couple days ago.
There are four other top-25 matchups on the Week 9 schedule, including No. 1 Oregon hosting No. 20 Illinois. The Ducks are favored by about three touchdowns even after Illinois cruised past Michigan 21-7.
No. 12 Notre Dame has a tricky game against undefeated No. 24 Navy. The Midshipmen have been cruising, having won every game by double digits so far, but Notre Dame will represent a big step up in competition from the rest of Navy’s schedule so far. The Fighting Irish are favored by double digits ahead of that game in MetLife Stadium.
The SEC has a pair of top-25 matchups. No. 8 LSU and No. 14 Texas A&M play in a game that figures to have massive CFP implications. The Aggies are already halfway through their SEC schedule with a 4-0 conference record, while the Tigers are the only other team undefeated in SEC play at 3-0. A&M is favored by a field goal at home. In Tuscaloosa, the reeling Alabama Crimson Tide host No. 21 Missouri in a meeting of teams that were in the top 10 earlier this season. Alabama is favored by two touchdowns, and it would get rough for first-year coach Kalen DeBoer if Alabama drops this one.
No. 13 Indiana is getting some buzz after blowing the doors off Nebraska on Saturday. The Hoosiers are 7-0, and no one has come close yet. However, quarterback Kurtis Rourke is out with a thumb injury, and it’s not clear when he will return. With Rourke out, the Hoosiers are favored by less than a touchdown. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 3 Penn State is roughly a touchdown favorite at 5-2 Wisconsin.
There’s also a fun one in the race for the Group of 5’s guaranteed playoff spot. No. 17 Boise State heads to Las Vegas for a meeting with 6-1 UNLV. Heisman Trophy favorite Ashton Jeanty can show off his talents in a Friday night game. The Broncos are favored by about a field goal.
Five AP Top 25 teams are on bye this week: No. 2 Georgia, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 9 Clemson, No. 10 Iowa State and No. 23 Army.
Here are the odds and schedule for every game featuring an AP Top 25 team, plus a few other notable games in Week 9.
Odds update live and are from BetMGM. All kickoff times are Eastern. Rankings from the AP Poll. For information on streaming, click here.
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Thursday, Oct. 24
Syracuse at No. 19 Pittsburgh — 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Friday, Oct. 25
Louisville at Boston College — 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 17 Boise State at UNLV — 10:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
Rutgers at USC — 11 p.m. on Fox
Saturday, Oct. 26
Nebraska at No. 4 Ohio State — Noon on Fox
No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 24 Navy — Noon on ABC
At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Washington at No. 13 Indiana — Noon on Big Ten Network
Oklahoma at No. 18 Ole Miss — Noon on ESPN
Tulane at North Texas — Noon on ESPN2
No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon — 3:30 p.m. on CBS
No. 11 BYU at UCF — 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama — 3:30 p.m. on ABC
No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt — 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
Florida State at No. 6 Miami — 7 p.m. on ESPN
No. 3 Penn State at Wisconsin — 7:30 p.m. on NBC
No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M — 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Michigan State at Michigan — 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Kansas at No. 16 Kansas State — 8 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 22 SMU at Duke — 8 p.m. on ACC Network
Cincinnati at Colorado — 10:15 p.m. on ESPN
(Photo of Diego Pavia: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
