3 College Football Bets for Week 9

It is no secret that through two months of the college football season, the sport has seen some of its craziest upsets in recent history. Just a couple of weeks ago five of the AP top-25 teams went down. In back-to-back weeks in October, as well, we’ve seen two different No. 1 teams lose to unranked opponents — Texas going down to Oklahoma and Georgia losing to Auburn. 

There is nothing better in sports than seeing upsets take place all over the board in college football. All these results have placed more scrutiny on coaches all across the country, with several head coaches already losing their jobs. That’s why this week we have three plays focusing on programs who are coming off bad weeks. 

Illinois vs Maryland:

Play: Maryland +2.5

It’s not pretty. It’s not sexy. It’s ugly. Maryland has been a disaster this year. The Terps have been so bad and so disappointing this season that they fired their head coach, Mike Locksley's, leading into this game. Maryland has lost five straight games and has been getting gashed in every game, allowing at least 35 points in each of those losses. 

Illinois is 4-3 and coming off a 21-10 victory over Oregon at home. Now, that win would have looked impressive two months ago when Oregon was healthy and predicted to be a playoff contender, but the Ducks have regressed massively since Dante Moore got hurt. Nonetheless, the Illini have won two straight. 

So why are we backing Maryland? In part, Illinois is due for regression after back-to-back wins, with the first being in overtime against Michigan State. Also, Illinois will be starting backup freshman Michael Clayton II for the second straight game. He was fine against Oregon, going 11-18 for 84 passing yards. 

Maryland does a good job of protecting the football and has the necessary playmakers on the outside to hurt Illinois. Illinois’ pass defense is anemic, allowing almost 250 passing yards per game. We’ve also already seen a team that fired its head coach, Baylor, respond with a win this season against UCF.

Coming off a bye and Illinois due for regression, Maryland can — at worst — cover the +2.5 spread and keep it close. 

Wisconsin vs Iowa:

Play: Iowa ML

This one is more simple. Wisconsin is simply overrated. The Badgers have struggled in this series under Luke Fickell, losing the last three games and getting blown out in the last two meetings. 

Iowa’s defense is ferocious and plays even better at home. The Hawkeyes did not play well last week, but the defense only allowed up 13 after Minnesota kicked a last-second field goal to win the game. The offense outgained Minnesota last week but kept shooting itself in the foot with turnovers. 

Wisconsin does not have an overly explosive offense which will make it even harder for the Badgers to consistently move the ball on the road. The Badgers average less than 200 passing yards per game and recently got held to only seven points on the road against UCLA, who also have a great defense like Iowa. 

The Hawkeyes don’t have one of the sport’s best offenses, but they have shown enough competent moments to back them in this spot. Iowa also has a solid offensive line, only giving up six sacks in seven games, which will be key in this matchup.

Ohio State vs USC:

Play: USC +6.5

Look, I’m not a Lincoln Riley guy. He has severely underachieved at USC and is probably heading to another disappointing season. Last week was bad. The Trojans laid an egg against Wisconsin on the road, losing 24-7. But this might be Riley’s and USC’s last chance to redeem themselves this season before wholesale changes happen in Southern California.

Ohio State will be without starter Julian Sayin, which might not be a big loss considering how mediocre he has been this season, but his backup — Luke Fahey — is not better. Fahey came in for Sayin against Indiana two weeks ago and did not complete a pass on two attempts. Jeremiah Smith is fantastic, but it won’t matter if his QB can’t get him the ball. 

USC’s offense is much better at home. The Trojans average over 300 passing yards per game. Ohio State has a very strong defense, but Jayden Maiava might be one of the few QBs in the country who can have a shot to have success against Matt Patricia’s defense. 

The Buckeyes are coming off a bye week, but they are also coming off a lucky victory against Indiana. Nick Marsh had the game-winning touchdown two weeks ago if he simply stayed inbounds. There was no defender within miles of him. Some regression is due here, especially on the road.