College Football Week 9 Odds, Picks & Predictions (Friday)
Gear up for another awesome weekend of college football action with BettingPros! We’ll have you covered with all of our top picks for the week along with our projected spreads and totals to help guide your college football bets. Below are our top picks and predictions for Friday’s Week 9 college football games.
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Top College Football Picks: Week 9 (Friday)
Louisville vs. Boston College
The Cardinals hit the road for the northeast with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. Louisville lost 52-45 at home in a wild game against top-10 foe Miami last week. The Cardinals were tied into the fourth quarter, but it was actually the Miami run game that did Louisville in. They allowed a 30-yard TD run with 4:05 to go, which was a backbreaker. The Cards were able to go for 448 total yards of offense, but 3rd down efficiency was just 3-of-12. They need to do a better job in that category. On the flip side, Miami was 9-of-15 on third downs, so the Louisville defense just couldn’t get off the field. Boston College has failed to cover the past four outings, and the offense has struggled a little lately. It has 23 or fewer points in the past five games, with the passing game really to blame for the downturn. The Eagles have an adequate defense, but that will be put to the test against Louisville’s powerful offense. BC doesn’t appear to have the tools to hang, if this one turns into a shootout, especially an angry and motivated Louisville side.
Pick: Louisville -7
-Daniel Dobish
Boise State vs. UNLV
The biggest game of the college football slate might be in Las Vegas this weekend, as Heisman-hopeful RB Ashton Jeanty leads the Boise State Broncos into a battle with the UNLV Rebels. Playoff aspirations will take a hit with whoever loses this game, too, as both teams are very much alive for bigger things than just winning the Mountain West. The only blemish on Boise State’s record is a 37-34 loss at Oregon on Sept. 7. The Broncos hung with the Ducks all throughout, and Jeanty is one of the most dangerous players in all of college football. He rolled for 192 yards and three scores that day, and he has 1,248 yards and 17 TDs overall in just six games. UNLV made headlines for the QB Matthew Sluka NIL debacle, but it hasn’t skipped a beat with QB Hajj-Malik Williams. He has taken the reins of the offense, and kept this ship afloat with a 33-25 win at Oregon State last weekend. It lost 44-41 in OT against Syracuse, but it can get right back into the driver’s seat with a win over Boise State. UNLV is stout against the run, allowing just 104.4 yards per game on the ground. Boise can pass, though, as QB Maddux Madsen has this team 68th in the nation in that category. Defensively, though, the Broncos struggle against opposing QBs, so UNLV’s Williams could have a big game. The winner here will be the bettor who goes high, because both of these teams have the potential to score big points.
Pick: Over 65
-Daniel Dobish
Rutgers vs. USC
While the Yankees and Dodgers get the World Series kicked off on Friday night, another New York area team will be traveling to the University of Southern California. It’s been an October to forget for both Rutgers and USC. The Scarlet Knights are 0-3 after a loss to UCLA while USC has lost three consecutive games that they led in the fourth quarter. For USC it’s been the defense that let them down repeatedly late in games. In the fourth quarter and overtime of the last three games, USC has been outscored 42-14. Something has to give here. Rutgers has been gashed repeatedly by strong run games this year. Wisconsin tallied 309 yards on 6.6 per carry earlier this month. Although they struggled last week, USC can run the ball pretty well, ranking 20th in EPA per play. Additionally, Big Ten teams have continued to struggle traveling cross-country. I’ll play the trend and back the stronger team at home.
Pick: USC -13.5
-Ryan Rodeman