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The Week 9 College Football slate features Mizzou at Alabama and LSU at Texas A&M, plus other intriguing, ranked matchups. Happy Saturday. Let’s make some picks.
It’s another huge weekend of College Football as the season enters Week 9. The SEC slate is highlighted by potential CFP elimination games featuring No. 21 Mizzou at No. 15 Alabama and No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M. Plenty of other ranked match ups in store to set you up for a fun Saturday. Let’s make some picks.
Standings recap after Week 8:
Chad Moller (30-10)
Sammy Stava (25-15)
No. 21 Missouri Tigers at No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide (-17.5) (2:30 p.m. CST on ABC)
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook (12) celebrates scoring a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter of a game against Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia.(CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
Sammy Stava: Mizzou comes in with a depleted roster facing an Alabama team on the road that will be desperate and mad after losing to Tennessee last week. Not great.
I will say Missouri puts up a better fight and will have a better performance than they did against Texas A&M, but Bama will be too much in the end. 31-17 Crimson Tide.
Chad Moller: My initial pick on this one early in the week was Mizzou 24-23, I want noted for the record. However, after the week progressed and we found out Cook is doubtful, Noel is likely out, among other injuries that have reared their ugly heads, I’m less optimistic about this one. Mizzou can still be in the mix for a CFP at-large bid even with a loss here – if they were to win out and finish 10-2. Would it be likely? Maybe not, but you never know, so I think a major storyline Saturday will be the tactical decisions Mizzou makes in how aggressive they will be. If the Tigers hang around early, then absolutely they’ll throw everything they have into it. If ‘Bama was to jump out to an early 17-20 point lead, then how much do you risk Brady Cook (I’m assuming that even with his ‘doubtful’ designation that he’ll start the game and give it a try) and potentially impact the rest of the season? Based on all of that, I’m going to amend my pick to Alabama 30, Mizzou 13. 🙁
No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-13.5) vs No. 24 Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium (11:00 a.m. CST on ABC)
Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Sammy Stava: This should be a fun one to watch. Navy (and Army) have been a good story thus far and I would love to see them both stay undefeated heading into the Army-Navy game, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Riley Leonard and Notre Dame are in a must win out situation in order to make the College Football Playoff, so they find a way to get it done. 24-20, ND.
Chad Moller: Okay so you’re going to notice a pattern from me this week. I tend to be more of a square who likes the favorites too often, but this week is different. It would be such a cool result to see Navy pull the upset here, but I don’t see that happening. However, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think the Midshipmen can hang around just enough to make this interesting. The favorite wins but the dog covers. I’ll go Notre Dame 31, Navy 23.
No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 1 Oregon Ducks (-21.5) (2:30 p.m. CST on CBS)
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Sammy Stava: After their win over Ohio State, Oregon looks like the best team in the country. This is just a tough matchup for pretty good Illinois team in Eugene. Ducks roll at home, 35-17.
Chad Moller: Oregon is due for a regression game, and I see Illinois as the type of team who can control the ball enough to hang around. Same as above, the favorite wins but the dog covers. I’ll say Oregon 27, Illinois 17.
No. 5 Texas Longhorns (-18.5) at No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores (3:15 p.m. CST on SEC Network)
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Sammy Stava: Texas is coming off a lost and they can’t afford to take this Vanderbilt team lightly. As much as I would like to see Vandy pull off another upset here, Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns bounce back in a big way. 38-21, Texas.
Chad Moller: We’d all love to see it happen, and if it did, SEC Shorts would likely break the internet. IYKYK. I just don’t see Vandy pulling the upset, but they only play close games – their final margins against FBS teams have been 7 points, 4 points, 3 points, 5 points, 7 points and 10 points. I’ll give Texas the pass but they’ll be sweating it out in the second half a bit. The favorite wins, but the dog covers. Texas 30, Vandy 20.
No. 8 LSU Tigers at No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies (-1.5) (6:30 p.m. CST on ABC)
Sammy Stava: Texas A&M has a lot of momentum going in Year 1 under Mike Elko after the season-opening loss to Notre Dame. They’re well coached, and they’re tough to play at home. That continues on Saturday night in College Station.
Should be a good one. 24-20 A&M.
Chad Moller: Thinking about A&M gives me hives after the whooping they put on our Mizzou Tigers. However, I think the LSU Tigers are immune to that type of outing, and in fact are one of the hottest teams in the country coming into this one at Kyle Field. I see LSU’s offense as better than A&M’s defense, with the LSU defense finding its stride against an Aggie offense that has already peaked (against Mizzou, unfortunately). I’m going with the road dog here, LSU 34, A&M 28.
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