Week nine of the 2024 college football season is underway and there are plenty of big games this weekend. Multiple games have college football playoff implications and many games that could eliminate certain teams in their respective conference championship races. Here are my picks for the games this weekend. (All betting lines were as of Oct. 24, 2024, from ESPN BET.)
Thursday and Friday
Syracuse vs No. 19 Pittsburgh (6:30 pm, Thur, Oct. 24)
Starting on Thursday night, the undefeated No. 19 Pittsburgh Panthers (6-0, 2-0) in a major ACC clash against the Syracuse Orange (5-1, 2-1). The Panthers have surprised many with their impressive 6-0 start to the season. That will be tested Thursday against senior quarterback Kyle McCord and the Orange offense. What will throw a wrench into Syracuse’s bid to upset Pitt will be its defense. The Orange allows 356.7 yards per game compared to the Panthers’ No. 8 ranked total offense, which averages 481.3 yards per game.
I believe that Pitt’s offense will be too much and it stays undefeated going into the bye week.
Prediction: 38-31 (-5.5 Pitt )
No. 17 Boise State vs UNLV (9:30 pm, Fri, Oct. 25)
Heisman trophy favorite Ashton Jeanty and the No. 17 Boise State Broncos head to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Rebels in a game that has College Football Playoff implications. The Rebels have seemingly powered through the Matthew Sluka situation and now sit 6-1, sitting at the top of the Mountain West Conference. Now the question is can the UNLV defense limit Jeanty? It’s pretty much guaranteed that he will get over 150 rushing yards, but the offense will have to keep up.
This game will come down to who has the ball last and I believe that the Rebels will have just enough offense to get the upset win, potentially ending Boise State’s CFP chances, while increasing theirs.
Prediction: 42-38 (+3.5 UNLV)
Saturday
No. 12 Notre Dame vs No. 24 Navy (11 am, Oct 26)
Who would have thought that the Navy Midshipmen would be ranked at the beginning of the season? The Midshipmen sit at 6-0 and now have a massive game against the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It will certainly be a test for the Fighting Irish defense and it will be interesting with the game being played on a neutral field at Metlife Stadium. The Navy offense averages 44.8 points per game and is hard to stop when the offense gets going.
In the end, I believe that the Midshipmen can get it done and will in a shootout against Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame offense.
Prediction: 38-35 (+13.5 Navy)
No. 20 Illinois vs No. 1 Oregon (2:30 pm, Oct. 26)
The No. 1 Oregon Ducks have their next Big Ten conference test, this time against the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini. It will interesting how the Illini preforms in the hostile environment at Autzen Stadium. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has been impressive so far this season for Illinois and a good game against a great Oregon defense will be fun to watch. However, quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks offense will be too much for the Illini to overcome, but they will backdoor cover.
Prediction: 35-24 (+ 21.5 Illinois)
No. 5 Texas vs No. 25 Vanderbilt (3:15 pm, Oct. 26)
The No. 5 Texas Longhorns are coming off a tough home loss against the Georgia Bulldogs and now have an intriguing matchup on the road against the now No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores. The Commodores are still riding high after their upset over the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide just a couple of weeks ago. Offensive coordinator Jerry Kill and quarterback Diego Pavia have made the Vanderbilt offense very fun to watch and now they get another chance to stand out against a great Longhorn defense.
Despite the game being a potential trap game for Texas, I do believe that the Longhorns will get back in the win column in a close game against the Commodores.
Prediction: 31-21 (+18.5 Vanderbilt)
No. 8 LSU vs No. 14 Texas A&M
This game will be a battle. A fight to be the last undefeated team in SEC play. The No. 8 LSU Tigers and No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies have rebounded after tough week one losses and now sit at the top of the SEC standings going into this week. This game also has CFP implications and the advantage will certainly be leaning towards the Aggies with the game being played at Kyle Field. It will be key though that A&M quarterback Connor Weigman not turn the ball over against the Tigers.
I believe it will a tough environment for LSU and Texas A&M will take advantage of that and take down the Tigers in one of the most important SEC games of the season.
Prediction: 34-28 (Even)
Horrible commissioner SMH