College football enters Week 9 with unprecedented parity, as only three unbeaten teams remain — No. 1 Miami, No. 6 Utah, and No. 7 UCLA — the fewest at this stage of a season since 1977. Three top-two teams have fallen to unranked opponents over the past three weeks, a first since the 2007 season, with Texas, Georgia, and BYU all suffering upsets. No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State both hit the road this week against unranked teams, while No. 3 Georgia faces No. 17 Florida in Atlanta for the first neutral-site meeting in the rivalry's history.
Miami at North Carolina
Miami travels to Chapel Hill as a 14.5-point favorite, carrying a 30-0 all-time record against unranked opponents as the AP's No. 1 team. North Carolina is 0-11 all-time against the nation's No. 1 team and is coached by Bill Belichick. Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal emphasized the danger of complacency: "If not, you're putting a win at risk." CBS Sports experts project the total to stay under 52.5 points, with Miami favored to cover the spread.
Ohio State at USC
Ohio State, a 7-point favorite, heads to Los Angeles without a named starting quarterback after Julian Sayin was ruled out indefinitely. Luke Fahey, who replaced Sayin late in the win over Indiana, and former five-star recruit Tavian St. Clair battled for the job during the bye week; both could play. USC, under scrutiny over coach Lincoln Riley's future, has struggled offensively against ranked opponents. The expert consensus leans toward the under on a 51.5-point total.
Georgia vs. Florida in Atlanta
The Bulldogs, favored by 12.5 points, meet the Gators at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after a bye week that followed a turnover-plagued home loss to unranked Auburn. Georgia aims to avoid becoming only the second No. 1 team in history to lose back-to-back games (Texas did so earlier this month). Florida arrives after an upset win at Texas but has shown defensive vulnerability. Quarterback Gunner Stockton is expected to rebound from a poor outing against Auburn. All CBS experts pick Georgia to cover.
Minnesota at Indiana
Minnesota, holder of all three rivalry trophies for the first time since 1978, visits No. 4 Indiana as a 19.5-point underdog. The Hoosiers have not scored 21 points in three straight games, and coach Curt Cignetti's conservative game management — frequently punting on fourth-and-short — has kept totals low. The CBS panel unanimously favors Indiana straight up but sees the 41.5-point total as too high, picking the under.
Texas Tech at Arizona
Arizona, a 3.5-point underdog, is described as perhaps the most underrated team in the country, with quarterback Noah Fifita playing the best football of his career. Cincinnati recently exposed major holes in Texas Tech's defense in an upset win, and the Wildcats are seen as even better positioned to exploit them. The expert pick is Arizona +3.5.
SportsLine's computer model, which is on a 68-59 run on top-rated college football picks this season, has simulated every Week 9 game 10,000 times and offers additional projections.
