Week 9 College Football Predictions – Early Picks for Big Games

• Week 9 of the College Football season kicks off Tuesday
• #21 Cincinnati and Baylor are both averaging 32+ points per game
• See my favorite Week 9 College Football picks, and the best early week bets to make

Week 9 of the college football season is here with games to sweat every day from Tuesday to Saturday. The betting menu is loaded with early week value, and I’m locking in three bets right now before the market adjusts.

Week 9 College Football Predictions

Odds as of Oct. 20. Check out the top college football betting apps to wager on for Week 9.

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My favorite early Week 9 college football prediction is the over in the Baylor versus #21 Cincinnati matchup, as both offenses are incredibly tough to slow down. I’m also backing #16 Virginia against a Bill Belichick UNC team that can’t stop a nosebleed, and taking the points with a red-hot Northwestern program.

Baylor vs Cincinnati Prediction

The opening college football Week 9 odds listed the Baylor-Cincinnati total at 66.5, and that number’s already been bet up a point to 67.5. I won’t be surprised if it closes even higher come Saturday, which is why I’m locking in the over right now.

The Bears and Bearcats rank first and second in the Big 12 in scoring. They’re each averaging 32+ points per game, and both programs feature elite quarterback play. Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson is closing in on 2,400 passing yards already, with 21 TD passes. Cincy’s Brendan Sorsby meanwhile, has a 17-to-1 TD-to-INT rate.

The Bears lead the nation in passing yards per game, while the Bearcats are top-20 in both yards per rush and per pass. Cincinnati is also number one in red zone scoring rate, and has the second lowest sack percentage allowed.

Baylor Defensive Stats

That spells trouble for a truly awful Baylor defense. The Bears rank 120th in scoring defense and yards allowed, and 130th in takeaways. They can’t generate pressure, which is going to allow Sorsby to pick them apart.

Neither of these programs are in the National Championship odds conversation, but from an entertainment standpoint, this matchup profiles as a high-scoring bonanza.

Virginia vs North Carolina Pick

Speaking of struggling defenses, let me introduce you to the Belichick led Tar Heels. UNC is outside the top-80 in scoring defense and yards allowed, and outside the top-100 in sack rate, takeaways and opponent completion percentage.

As bad as that sounds, his offense is even worse. The Tar Heels average only 14 points per game, 260 yards of offense, and 4.4 yards per play. Each of those metrics rank outside the top-120 in the country, and there’s just no way to compete against a high-octane Virginia program if you can’t put up points.

The Cavaliers enter play averaging over 37.5 points per game, and 420 yards of offense. They’ve scored at least 45 points in four of their six victories this season, and boast a flawless ACC record.

UNC is 0-3 versus top-50 teams this season, losing by an average of 29 points per game. Grab Virginia -9.5 now, as this spread will two to three points higher by kickoff.

Northwestern vs Nebraska Best Bet

Last but not least, let’s head to Big Ten country and grab +7 with Northwestern versus Nebraska. These teams are heading in opposite directions, with all the Matt Rhule to Penn State buzz negatively affecting his Cornhuskers.

The Wildcats have won four straight, dropping the Nittany Lions and shutting out Purdue in consecutive weeks. They also took down UCLA during their winning streak, a result that looks a lot better given the Bruins turnaround.

Northwestern has held five of its last six opponents to 21 points or less, and it’s tough to see Nebraska winning by margin here. The Cornhuskers struggle to run the ball, opting for a pass heavy approach, which plays right into the Wildcats defensive strengths.

On the other side of the ball, Northwestern wants nothing more than to establish the run which can expose Nebraska’s biggest defensive weakness. This feels like a field goal game, and I see the line moving in the Wildcats direction throughout the week, making it paramount to grab the key number +7 right now.