College Football · Week 9 · Saturday, Oct. 24
Last Saturday took a sledgehammer to the polls. Ohio State ended Indiana’s 22-game winning streak in Bloomington. BYU beat Notre Dame. Auburn knocked off Georgia 27-24. Tennessee held Alabama to 201 yards in a 26-10 win. Texas lost to Florida. And Miami survived Florida State when a Hail Mary got picked off, which was enough to make the Hurricanes No. 1. A week like that makes people bet with their eyes instead of the number, and the lines move with them. Here’s the Week 9 card. Rankings are the new AP Top 25, lines are DraftKings as of Wednesday morning, and all times are Pacific.
Game of the Week: No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas
4:30 PM PT · ABC · Texas -3.5, total 53.5. This is the number I’d watch all week. Texas opened as a 6.5-point favorite and it’s down to 3.5. Ole Miss (5-1) moved up to No. 7. Texas (4-2) fell from No. 7 to No. 19 after losing to Florida, and a third loss would put the Longhorns’ playoff hopes in real trouble. When a line drops three points on a ranked home team, someone with real money had an opinion. Find out why before you take a side.
No. 6 Indiana at Michigan
9:00 AM PT · FOX · Indiana -7.5, total 41.5. Before last week, Indiana had won 22 straight. Now it has to answer its first loss on the road at the Big House, at 9 in the morning Pacific. The spread came down from 9.5 to 7.5, and the total dropped three points from 44.5. The market is expecting a low-scoring, grind-it-out game. That half point between 7 and 7.5 matters, too. Seven is one of the most common final margins in football, right behind 3.
No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah
7:15 PM PT · ESPN · Utah -6.5, total 56.5. Unbeaten Utah (6-0) hosts a 6-1 Houston team in the late window. It’s the highest total on this list, and Utah at home at night has been a tough place to play for a long time. The line has barely moved, from 7 to 6.5, so the market has this one priced right around a touchdown.
The Rest of the Card
- Pitt at No. 1 Miami (6-0) · 9:00 AM · ESPN · Miami -20.5, total 49.5. Opened -23.5 and 53.5. Both numbers have come down.
- No. 18 LSU at Auburn · 9:00 AM · ABC · LSU -7.5, total 51.5. Auburn is coming off the Georgia upset. Classic letdown spot to think about.
- No. 8 Texas Tech (6-0) at Cincinnati · 9:00 AM · FS1 · Texas Tech -10.5, total 56.5
- Oregon at Illinois · 12:00 PM · BTN · Oregon -9.5, total 50.5
- No. 2 BYU (6-0) at UCF · 12:30 PM · FOX · BYU -6.5, total 43.5. Opened -9.5. Fresh off beating Notre Dame and the line is still dropping.
- Texas A&M at No. 13 Alabama · 12:30 PM · ABC · Alabama -13.5, total 50.5
- No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina · 12:30 PM · ESPN · South Carolina -2.5, total 50.5. Tennessee opened as the favorite. That’s a five-point flip right after a statement win over Alabama.
- No. 15 Iowa at Minnesota · 12:30 PM · FS1 · Iowa -6.5, total 40.5
- No. 21 Boise State at Washington State · 3:00 PM · USA · Boise State -13.5, total 51.5
- Vanderbilt at No. 12 Kentucky · 4:30 PM · SECN · Kentucky -10.5, total 51.5
- No. 16 USC at Wisconsin · 4:30 PM · NBC/Peacock · USC -2.5, total 50.5
- Iowa State at No. 25 Arizona · 4:30 PM · ESPN2 · Arizona -10.5, total 50.5
Three Rules for the Week After the Chaos
- Don’t bet last week’s score. The team that just pulled the upset gets bet up. The team that just lost gets written off. The number already knows that.
- Know why a line moved. Injury, weather or sharp money, find out before you bet. A move with no news behind it tells you something too.
- Get the best number. Half a point on 3 or 7 is worth real money over a season, and the two big books don’t always agree. Compare them on our Odds board.
Saturday’s plays go to Early Release Club members at the opening line, before the market catches up. 5-Star Plays are hitting 72.2% (221-85), and every club is free right now. Put your email below and each play shows up the moment it’s released.
Live scores for every game are on our Scores page.
21+ · Past results do not guarantee future results · 1-800-GAMBLER. Lines and kickoff times can change.
Sources: AP Top 25 (Oct. 18) via On3; CBS Sports; TV and kickoff times via FBSchedules.com.