The 2026 college football season enters Week 9 with a loaded Saturday slate that includes No. 1 Miami visiting North Carolina and No. 2 Ohio State traveling to USC. The Hurricanes are 14.5-point favorites with an over/under of 52.5, while the Buckeyes are favored by 7 points with a total of 51.5. Three more top-10 teams lost last week, adding intrigue to a schedule that also features No. 3 Georgia facing No. 17 Florida at a neutral site in Atlanta, No. 4 Indiana hosting Minnesota as a 20.5-point favorite, and No. 5 Notre Dame meeting Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Notable Matchups and Opening Lines
Other ranked contests include No. 11 Texas (-20.5) vs. Mississippi State, No. 13 Texas Tech (-3.5) vs. No. 22 Arizona, No. 20 Boise State (-11.5) vs. Texas State, and No. 23 Missouri (+10) at Arkansas. The full Saturday schedule spans from noon ET kickoffs through late-night games on the West Coast, with over 40 FBS matchups listed.
Key Betting Trends for Week 9
Several statistical trends highlight the week: the over is 9-0 in Wisconsin's last nine October games; Iowa is 6-1 against the spread in its last seven meetings with Wisconsin; BYU is 6-0 ATS in its last six games as a home favorite; Ohio State is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games as a road favorite; and the over is 8-0 in USC's last eight games as a home underdog. Northwestern enters on a four-game winning streak and is 5-0-1 ATS against teams with winning records, while Utah is 6-0 ATS against winning teams and 7-1 ATS in its last eight games as a favorite.
Heisman Trophy Odds Update
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith leads the Heisman Trophy odds at +122, followed by Miami quarterback Darian Mensah at +270 and Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney at +360. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr is next at +2000.
