caesars-sportsbook-casino
$1,500
Bet up to $1,500 risk free
9.9

Week nine of college football offers quiet slate for top contenders

img/news/CFB week nine.jpg

Georgia's road victory over Texas and Tennessee defeating Alabama at home have caused a major shake-up for the highest-ranked programs in the AP top 25.

After the week eight slate of college football left behind losses for, at the time, number one ranked Texas and number seven ranked Alabama, the Associated Press was left with questions as to how it would rank the top programs in the nation. Heading into week nine currently, the Oregon Ducks claim the number one spot in the AP top 25 while the Georgia Bulldogs were able to use its victory over the Texas Longhorns to move back up to number two. The Bulldogs had been the number one ranked team in the country coming into the season, but had dropped to number five after a loss in Alabama against the Crimson Tide. 

Penn State, Ohio State and Texas round out the top five, as the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes enjoyed byes during week eight. After defeating the Crimson Tide at home, the Tennessee Volunteers jumped up to seven while Alabama dropped eight spots to number 15 after suffering its second loss of the season. 

While the week nine schedule only features five top 25 matchups, Alabama will be one of the teams facing stiff competition in the form of the 21st-ranked Missouri Tigers, coming off a narrow victory over Auburn that moved the program down two spots in the top 25. The Tigers have failed in getting its star wide receiver Luther Burden III opportunities to find open space and create explosive plays on offense. Burden is a projected first round draft pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, but has only generated 447 yards receiving through seven games this season. 

Alabama is a 13.5-point favorite on ESPN Bet and has heavy -600 odds on the moneyline to defeat Missouri in Alabama on October 26, Quarterback Jalen Milroe hasn’t performed well since the game against Georgia, accounting for four total touchdowns against both South Carolina and Tennessee but also throwing four interceptions in those two games. Milroe was beginning to place himself amongst the top signal callers for the 2025 NFL Draft, but has now returned to being seen as a mid-round prospect due to his recent play. Alabama essentially has to defeat Missouri if it hopes to not only play for the SEC Championship this season, but to qualify for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff as well. 

Oregon will be defending its number one ranking against the 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, which just dropped the Michigan Wolverines from the AP top 25 after a 21-7 victory over the defending champions. Although Illinois has put together a surprisingly strong 6-1 record through its first seven games, the Ducks are still a 21.5-point favorite in a home matchup with the Fighting Illini. At -1800 on the moneyline, it would come as quite a shock to those around college football if Illinois was able to upset Oregon on its home turf, but it wouldn’t be the first time the program has pulled off an unexpected victory this season. 

In its wins over Michigan, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Kansas Jayhawks, Illinois was an underdog heading into each matchup. While all but the Michigan game resulted in one-score outcomes, the Fighting Illini have proven it should never be doubted no matter what the spread is prior to the matchup. Oregon will have its hands full with quarterback Luke Altmyer and wide receiver Pat Bryant, but has plenty of talent across its roster to still claim victory and hold its number one ranking for another week. 

The tightest matchup between top 25 teams during the week nine slate features the eighth-ranked LSU Tigers taking on the 14th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies in College Station. LSU has been on a tear since losing its first game of the season to USC, reeling off six straight victories including wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has been playing the best football of his collegiate career, throwing for 2,222 yards and 18 touchdowns through just seven games. After getting knocked as a poor decision maker in his sophomore season, Nussmeier has only thrown six interceptions on the year, but with four coming in his last three games. 

Despite the recent form shown by LSU, the Aggies are still 2.5-point favorites over the Tigers in a game that could determine which program will take on Georgia for the SEC Championship come December. If Texas A&M claims victory over LSU, the only difficult game remaining on its schedule is an inner-state matchup with Texas in the final week of the season. While the Aggies will almost assuredly be underdogs especially with the Longhorns having home field advantage, a single loss on its SEC conference record could still lead to a championship berth for the program and possibly a spot in the Playoff also. 

LSU is +115 on the ESPN Bet moneyline ahead of the game, but will only be wary of an upcoming matchup with Alabama if it can find a win against Texas A&M as a road underdog. Each team is still undefeated in conference play despite having 6-1 records and represent the only SEC teams that have yet to lose a matchup since conference play began. As stated previously, a win for either program would push its standing not only in the SEC title picture, but in the AP top 25 as a whole as well. LSU could easily find itself pushing for a top five ranking with a victory, while the Aggies could vault itself into the top 10 by defending its home turn on October 26.

Slot Reviews

outsourcedcover

Outsourced Slash Game review: What to expect, features and gameplay

Read Review
boocover

Boo slot review: What to expect, features and gameplay

Read Review
vampycover

Vampy Party slot review: What to expect, features and gameplay

Read Review
xscreamcover

Slingo X-Scream slot review: What to expect, features and gameplay

Read Review