College Football Betting: 10 Things We Learned From Week 9

The college football season is now through nine weeks, with October action done and November now upon us. What was especially important in Week 9? Let’s take a look:

Georgia Remains Steady And Reliable, Closing In On Playoff Berth

The Georgia Bulldogs smothered the Florida Gators with a typically dominant defensive performance, clinching the SEC East championship and a spot in the SEC Championship Game in December in Atlanta. The Bulldogs have trucked their opponents this season with the nation’s best defense. It is extremely hard to score merely 14 or 17 points per game against Georgia; few teams have been able to do even that much all season long. The Bulldogs are on a collision course with Alabama in the SEC title game. Even if Georgia loses that game, it will still probably make the playoff if it wins all its games leading up to that clash. A 12-1 Georgia team would have a better resume than most other teams with that same record. The SEC would be poised to get two teams into the playoff if Alabama and Georgia both finish 12-1, due to Bama beating Georgia in the SEC title game. Georgia knows that if it simply takes care of business in November, it will very likely make the playoff. Something really special and improbable would need to happen for the Dawgs to be denied in that scenario, should it unfold. Georgia would be ahead of 12-1 Ohio State and 12-1 Oregon. The Dawgs would be locked out only if Oklahoma and Cincinnati and Wake Forest all finish unbeaten, or another similar scenario.

Ohio State Leaves Behind Questions After Shaky Win Over Penn State

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Penn State, but a narrow win – which wasn’t sealed until the final two minutes – as an 18-point home favorite will not quiet the questions about this team. Ohio State was scoring blowout wins over the previous several weeks, but those wins came against Indiana and Rutgers and Maryland, not any of the elite teams in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes need to score a blowout win against Michigan State and/or Michigan in order for them to be viewed as a top-tier team in the country. Right now, they won’t get as much credit for wins by small margins. Alabama and Oklahoma will be valued higher as we continue in November. Ohio State is definitely a team which needs style points and emphatic victories to maximize its playoff chances, since that home loss to Oregon will continue to look like a big flaw as the season moves along.

Pittsburgh Blows The Driver’s Seat In The ACC; Now It’s Wake Forest’s Turn to Handle The Heat

The Pittsburgh Panthers hammered the Virginia Tech Hokies in Week 7. In Week 8, they defeated Clemson with no problems. However, they did slip on the banana peel in Week 9 at home against Miami. The Panthers allowed 31 first-half points and were simply not ready to go against Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who sliced them up for most of the game. Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett didn’t play poorly, but he also didn’t come through for his team on a few late-game drives in which the Panthers had a chance to take the lead with a touchdown. Pickett’s ACC Player of the Year candidacy and his Heisman Trophy candidacy both took massive hits in this game. It will be hard for him to recover. He must win the ACC championship to have any remaining chance.

Wisconsin Moves Back To The Forefront Of Big Ten West Race

Wisconsin had been left for dead after a series of dreary performances and awful results earlier in the season. Wisconsin lost at home to Penn State and Wisconsin. Iowa was ranked No. 2 in the country. It seemed clear that Wisconsin would not win its division. Yet, look at how much everything has changed. Wisconsin’s defense dominated Iowa’s weak offense to climb in the Big Ten West Division standings. Minnesota has just one Big Ten loss, but the Gophers have to face Wisconsin later in the year. If the Badgers win the rest of their games, they are likely to win the division championship once again. Their win over Purdue now becomes crucial, since the Boilermakers won at Nebraska to stay in the division race.

Auburn Takes Big Step Forward

The Auburn Tigers have overachieved this year. First-year head coach Bryan Harsin has come from Boise State and made this team a lot tougher than many people felt he could in a short period of time. Harsin had a very good chance to remake Auburn in two seasons, but doing this in one season is what seemed beyond his reach. Not anymore.

Auburn held Ole Miss and quarterback Matt Corral in check, continuously thwarting fourth-down attempts from the Rebels and doing a brilliant job of defending their own third of the field. Auburn is getting enough offense from quarterback Bo Nix to support the defense. The pieces are coming together for this team, which has a much brighter future than it seemed it did four weeks ago.

Michigan State Beats Michigan, Becomes Main Contender To Ohio State In Big Ten East

When Michigan State fell behind Michigan 30-14 on Saturday, it seemed the Spartans were done. Instead, they outscored Michigan 23-3 to close the game and score a brilliant 37-33 victory. The Spartans are still unbeaten, and if they beat Ohio State, they will have a chance to make the College Football Playoff. Coach Mel Tucker has done a great job with this year’s team, better than anyone was expecting. Some industry insiders think he could become the next head coach at LSU. He is certainly raising his stock price.

Pac-12 South Belongs To Utah

The Pac-12 South Division was up in the air for two months, but now it has a clear leader who is not likely to cede the advantage. Utah’s 44-24 win over UCLA not only gives the Utes the lead in the standings, but head-to-head wins over UCLA, Arizona State, and USC. Even if one team catches Utah in the standings, the Utes get the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head win. Utah is closing in on three division titles in the past four seasons.

Big 12 Is Now A 3-Team Race

The Iowa State Cyclones lost at West Virginia. This means the Big 12 is currently a three-team race. Maybe Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, or Baylor will lose twice and bring Iowa State back into the race, but for now, it’s the two Oklahoma universities and Baylor who will duke it out. Oklahoma State has beaten Baylor, but Baylor has not played Oklahoma. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma have not yet met, either.

Fresno State Makes Its Case Versus San Diego State

The San Diego State Aztecs were unbeaten, but now they aren’t. Fresno State beat San Diego State on the road to take the lead in the Mountain West’s West Division. The Bulldogs have head-to-head wins over San Diego State and Nevada, so they clearly have the inside track to the division championship.

Houston Steps Forward In AAC As Main Challenger To Cincinnati

The Houston Cougars knocked off previously unbeaten SMU to become the second-place team in the AAC. Houston would love to meet Cincinnati in the AAC Championship Game and, with a win in that game, earn a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl. SMU has to win out to have any chance at the AAC title and a New Year’s Six bowl.