Week 9 College Football Picks Against the Spread

• Week 9 of the college football season returns with a full slate of Halloween weekend games
• Big favorites look good this week as conference standings get tighter around the country
• See three picks against the spread to bet with confidence this week

No other holiday pairs up better with sports betting than Halloween. Finding winners in some of the big lines this weekend is a little like trying to find the house that gave out the full-size candy bars, but there is always one or two out there.

This week should be good for a couple of monster programs trying to scare up some big wins.

West Virginia vs Kansas State Week 9 Odds

Pick #1: WVU Rebounds at Home vs K-State

The 4-1 Wildcats have garnered most of the action so far in this one with 80-percent of the tickets and 75-percent of cash on the game. An AP Top 25 program coming in as an underdog grabs a lot of attention from the public, but this isn’t going to be a cakewalk for K-State.

Kansas State has won and covered in each of its last three games. West Virginia is undefeated and 3-0 against the spread at home this season, and 3-0 outright and ATS against the Wildcats over the previous three seasons.

The Mountaineers have one of the most disruptive defensive fronts in the country going up against an inexperienced quarterback in true freshman Will Howard. Howard has started the last three games following Skylar Thompson’s season-ending injury against Texas Tech and has completed 57-percent of his passes.

Two of his three touchdown passes this season came last week against lowly Kansas, while West Virginia has been a top-15 defense nationally on third down.

That man @C_Vaughn22 did it again. Cue the music! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/GZaeufUg5z

— Ryan Wallace (@GPCwallace) October 25, 2020

K-State’s offense revolves around Deuce Vaughn, who leads the team in rushing and receiving yards. His numbers as an individual are strong, but the Wildcats only average 3.6 yards per rush while the Mountaineers allow an even stingier 3.1 yards per carry.

Wildcats defensive back AJ Parker sustained a foot injury on Saturday that could be problematic if he is on the field this week. WVU quarterback Jarret Doege has thrown for the 16th-most yards in the country this season with 1,389– and he’s also thrown nine touchdown passes to just three interceptions.

West Virginia should be motivated coming off a disappointing loss last week with a shot to take down a ranked conference opponent at home. The Mountaineers should take this one by at least the 3.5 points they’re favored by.

Oklahoma vs Texas Tech Week 9 Odds

Pick #2: Sooners Floor it Against Texas Tech

Winning the Big 12 is all of a sudden a more of a daunting task than many expected for Oklahoma coming into the season. If the Sooners are going to have a chance to better their conference championship odds, they need to win this week against Texas Tech and next week against Kansas before Bedlam on November 21.

Although the Red Raiders are just 2-3, they have been a plucky team to try and pin down when it comes to betting them. The game is in Lubbock, but Tech might not be playing with a full hand on offense after making the switch to Henry Colombi at quarterback earlier this month.

Three of Tech’s top five receivers are either unavailable or returning from injury in some capacity. Making matters worse, the status of starting running back SaRodorick Thompson is cloudy after he sustained a chest injury against West Virginia on Saturday.

This could be the week that Oklahoma sees the return of Ronnie Perkins on defense. Following a successful appeal to an NCAA suspension, there was optimism that he would be on the field last week, but he was held out of the lineup. As a sophomore, Perkins had 6 sacks, but the junior would give an instant shot in the arm to a Sooners front seven that could use another weapon up front.

Lincoln Riley says they still have nothing new on the three suspended players (Rhamondre Stevenson, Trejan Bridges, Ronnie Perkins). #Sooners

— OUInsider (@OU247) October 27, 2020

Sooners QB Spencer Rattler has been a more balanced player since a tumultuous game against Kansas State early in the year. The emergence of freshman wide receiver Marvin Mims has played a big part in that, but Rattler has four receivers to choose from that all have at least 17 catches and 215 yards receiving on the season.

The total in this game has risen, but the spread has tightened. After another close game that demanded much and came at a high price for Tech, the Sooners should win this one handily.

Notre Dame vs Georgia Tech Week 9 Odds

Pick #3: Irish Pick Yellow Jackets Apart

The last five weeks have been tough for Georgia Tech, save for a 46-27 win against Louisville on October 9th. In the four games on either side of that win, the Yellow Jackets lost each by double-digits, including a 73-7 demolition by Clemson on October 17.

Freshman quarterback Jeff Sims had one of his better games this season on Saturday against Boston College, but BC still won 48-27. For the year, Sims has only completed 55-percent of his passes, thrown 10 interceptions to just eight touchdowns and lost four of his six fumbles.

Meanwhile, undefeated Notre Dame has beat all but one opponent this season by double-digits – and go figure, it was Louisville. This could be a potential look-ahead spot on the road for the Irish, who have Clemson next week, but it feels like Notre Dame could sleepwalk through this game and win by three touchdowns.