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With Halloween just around the corner, college football fans are bracing for more chaos after a season filled with upsets. Over the past three weeks, ten teams in The Associated Press Top 25 have suffered defeats, including two top-ranked squads and a No. 2 team that fell to unranked opponents. As Week 9 arrives, the question is whether the holiday will bring even more scares for ranked teams.
Unlike previous weeks, Saturday's slate features only two matchups between ranked teams: No. 22 Arizona visits No. 13 Texas Tech, and No. 17 Florida faces No. 3 Georgia in Atlanta—a departure from their traditional Jacksonville setting for the annual cocktail party. Despite the limited marquee matchups, surprises could still be in store, given the season's unpredictable nature. Through Week 8, 128 conference games have been decided by eight points or fewer, the most at this point since at least 1973.
Key Analysis
In the Big 12, Arizona (6-1, 3-1) rides a five-game winning streak into Lubbock to take on Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1). The winner gains a crucial edge in the race for the conference championship game. Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita has been highly efficient, averaging 295 passing yards per game and ranking as the nation's most accurate passer behind Miami's Darian Mensah. The Red Raiders are eager to rebound from a road loss to Cincinnati, a game that left coach Joey McGuire furious over three turnovers and poor run defense. Texas Tech is favored by 3.5 points.
No. 25 Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) travels to Iowa (5-2, 2-2) after entering the Top 25 for the first time since September 2023. The Hawkeyes have dominated the series recently, outscoring the Badgers 118-26 over the last four meetings, but Iowa is only a 2.5-point favorite this time around.
In the SEC, No. 17 Florida (5-2, 3-2) is a 12.5-point underdog against No. 3 Georgia (6-1, 4-1). The Bulldogs have won eight of the last ten in the series, including five straight, and are coming off a bye week following a surprising home loss to Auburn. However, Florida has shown flashes of brilliance, winning at Texas two weeks ago, defeating Auburn earlier this season, and blowing out a strong Ole Miss team. The Gators have also struggled, suffering back-to-back blowout losses to Missouri and South Carolina. Which Florida team shows up—with quarterback Aaron Philo starting and speedy receiver Vernell Brown III expected to play—will be crucial.
No. 6 Utah (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) remains one of three unbeaten FBS teams, alongside No. 1 Miami and No. 7 UCLA. The Utes are 7-0 for the first time since 2010, own the nation's longest active winning streak at 13 games, and have won nine consecutive Big 12 contests. They face a tough test at Cincinnati (5-2, 2-2), which just upset Texas Tech for its first home win over a top-10 team in 20 years. No unranked Big 12 team has ever won back-to-back games against top-10 opponents, but the Bearcats are only 7.5-point underdogs.
One of the season's feel-good stories is No. 20 Northwestern (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten), which makes a potentially dangerous trip to Oregon (4-3, 2-2). Former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, now Northwestern's offensive coordinator, will face the Ducks for the first time since coaching UCLA from 2018-23. The Ducks are favored by 3.5 points.
No. 2 Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) heads west to take on Southern California (6-2, 3-2), a team whose coach, Lincoln Riley, felt compelled this week to express his enjoyment of leading the Trojans despite an underwhelming tenure. USC is on the brink of College Football Playoff elimination after a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin last week. The Buckeyes, favored by 6.5 points, face quarterback uncertainty: this will be their first full game without injured Julian Sayin, and either Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair will start.
Ohio State star receiver Jeremiah Smith has been the projected Heisman Trophy frontrunner for weeks, but Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney have narrowed the gap. Smith will be in the spotlight against USC, while Mensah and Toney enter Saturday's game at North Carolina after impressive performances. Mensah completed 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-23 win over Pitt, and his 81.4% season completion rate is on pace for an FBS record. Toney caught a school-record 16 passes for 194 yards and three scores and was named AP player of the week.
Many eyes will also be on Fayetteville, where Arkansas (3-4, 1-3 SEC) hosts No. 23 Missouri (5-2, 2-2). The Tigers are expected to welcome back standout running back Ahmad Hardy nearly six months after he was shot during an incident in Mississippi.
Originally reported by yourvalley_net.