Week 9 College Football Picks Against the Spread

• Week 9 of the college football season features crucial games in the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC
• No. 2 Ohio State visits No. 9 Penn State in a Big Ten East showdown, the game of the day
• Read below for the best ATS picks for Week 9 of the college football season

Week 9 features a de facto elimination game in the Big Ten East, where No. 2 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0) plays No. 13 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) in Happy Valley. Each are coming off blowout victories as they joust with No. 4 Michigan (7-0, 4-0) for league supremacy and a spot in the CFP Final Four.

No. 9 Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1) visits No. 22 Kansas State (5-2, 3-1) to stay in the Big 12 hunt behind No. 7 TCU (7-0, 4-0). No. 3 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0) and No. 20 Cincinnati (6-1, 3-0) face challenges to their undefeated league records against Kentucky and CFU, respectively.

Here are CFB betting odds and three ATS picks to consider for Week 9.

Oklahoma State vs Kansas State Odds

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook on Oct 25.

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ATS Pick #1: Oklahoma State (+1.5) vs Kansas State

Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders has regressed with a 58.8 completion percentage in this fourth season as a starter, but otherwise, he has stepped up. Sanders is on pace for career highs in passing yards, passing touchdowns and rushing touchdowns and a career low in interceptions.

Here are my top performing players from week 8!

Jayden Daniels @LSUfootball
Bo Nix QB @oregonfootball
Spencer Sanders @CowboyFB
Brandon Johnson @DukeFOOTBALL
Dae Dae Hunter @LibertyFootball
Richard Reese @BUFootball
Ivan Pace Jr. LB @GoBearcatsFB pic.twitter.com/0wliIghBSz

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) October 24, 2022

Spencer was at his best in Oklahoma State’s 41-34 home victory over Texas last Saturday, when he threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns, both scores in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys scored the final 17 points to overcome a 34-24 deficit and remain viable in the Big 12 conference title odds.

There is no question Oklahoma State misses defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who signed a three-year, $5.7 million contract to take the same position at Ohio State (more on that later), but the Cowboys had two of their three interceptions in the fourth quarter against Texas.

It’s wild how Kansas State hasn’t thrown an INT this year

Starting QB Adrian Martinez threw 30 interceptions during his time at Nebraska but 0 so far at Kansas State pic.twitter.com/EbJ9SnIKMo

— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) October 20, 2022

Both teams have lost road games at TCU, the Cowboys 43-40 in double overtime two weeks ago and the Wildcats 38-28 last Saturday. Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez aggravated a lower leg injury in the first series against the Horned Frogs and his status is unclear. Backup Will Howard, who started 10 games the last two seasons, passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. The Wildcats’ plus-6 turnover margin is among the Division I leaders.

Oklahoma State is 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in the last three meetings, all as a favorite of at least four points. Eight of the last 11 games in the series have gone over the total, but three of the last four have gone under. The Cowboys are 5-0 ATS and 4-1 SU in their last five on the road.

• Pick: Oklahoma State +1.5 (-110), 2 units

Ohio State vs Penn State Odds

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook on Oct 25.

ATS Pick #2: Penn State (+16) vs Ohio State

There is a lot to like in this team from Columbus. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is the clear favorite in the Heisman Trophy odds, and the defense has made considerable defensive improvement under new coordinator Jim Knowles. They have trimmed 120 yards in total offense and seven points per game off their numbers from 2021 to 2022, and they had six takeaways and five sacks against over-matched Iowa in a 54-10 rout last week.

CJ Stroud makes NFL throws & he does it week in & week out but this one is an absolute dime 🤩 pic.twitter.com/GPfZh6SYMn

— 𓃵 (@Goaty_Szn) October 22, 2022

Penn State followed its lopsided loss to Michigan two weeks ago with a 45-17 victory over Minnesota, which played without concussed quarterback Tanner Morgan. Nittany Lions’ quarterback Sean Clifford, who heard a smattering of boos when he took the field, threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns.

The public went all in on this game after Ohio State hammered what looks to be the worst Iowa team in a decade. The Buckeyes were a 10.5-point favorite the when future line was released last week and opened at 13.5 Sunday after both teams’ decisive victories.

“F*** it, Parker’s down there somewhere,” Sean Clifford, probably pic.twitter.com/9RXUPax10Q

— Onward State (@OnwardState) October 23, 2022

The Buckeyes are 5-0 SU but 1-4 ATS in the last five games against Penn State. They are 9-1 SU and  4-6 ATS in the last 10. The Nittany Lions are 1-3 SU and 3-1 ATS in the last four meetings at home.

• Pick: Penn State +16 (-105), 1 unit

Arkansas vs Auburn Odds

Odds from Barstool Sportsbook on Oct 25.

ATS Pick #3: Arkansas (-3.5) vs Auburn

Arkansas emerged from a rough three-game losing streak with a dominant 52-35 victory over BYU the last time out two weeks ago, when quarterback K.J. Jefferson threw for 367 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in his first healthy game since a flukey loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 24. (Google the Aggies’ fumble return.)

Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson is getting some NFL Draft buzz after his big game vs. BYU, ranking 7th overall with a 122.8 NFL Passer Rating. Here is a long cut of his most impactful throws from the BYU game: pic.twitter.com/ANrUYLkOFo

— Eric Froton (@CFFroton) October 19, 2022

Jefferson was removed with what the Porkers called a head injury in a 49-26 loss to Alabama on Oct. 1 and missed the 40-17 loss to Mississippi State. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman acknowledged Monday that Jefferson actually has been hampered by a shoulder injury suffered in practice the week of the A&M game. Jefferson did not throw in practice during the bye week but is expected to go against Auburn.

The Razorbacks are among the least efficient defensive teams in Division I, giving up 458 yards and 32.5 points per game, but Auburn does not appear capable of taking advantage behind reserve quarterback Robby Ashford, who has completed 48 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and five picks after taking over for T.J. Finley.

Looking at how QB's perform on "true" Dropbacks (removing screens/RPOs/Play Actions). We have film based moving left to right (PFF grade), and then results based going up and down (Passer rating). Anthony Richardson… yikes #CFB #CollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/s9aqhCJi0J

— CFBNumbers (@CFBNumbers) October 17, 2022

Auburn is giving up 4.9 yards per carry, and Arkansas’ Raheim Sanders ranks eighth in Division I with 124.3 yards per game after gouging BYU for a career-high 175. Ole Miss had 448 yards rushing in a 48-34 victory over Auburn on Oct. 15.

Both teams enter with strong records after a bye week — Arkansas is 7-2 ATS in its last nine such spots and Auburn is 6-1 ATS in its last seven. Auburn is 2-5 ATS this season, 1-4 at home, a trend not worth bucking as Tigers coach Bryan Harsin fights for his job while trying to end a three-game losing streak

• Pick: Arkansas -3.5 (-110), 2 units