College football spread picks, Week 9: Oregon-Illinois, Notre Dame-Navy and more

We’re definitely in the thick of it now as we enter Week 9 of the college football season. And to say For The Win’s picks against the spread last week weren’t exactly accurate would be generous.

Only two of our experts finished with a Week 8 record above .500, and everyone else, well, we’d rather not think about it. But hey, can’t win them all, right? Except for our Blake Schuster, who remains comfortably at the top of the standings.

So looking ahead to Week 9’s slate, we’ve got another batch of interesting and challenging picks, including Illinois at Oregon and Missouri at Alabama, plus a couple rivalry games. And we’re hoping we’ll do a little better this time.

Here are our 10 college football picks against the spread for Week 9. Tail responsibly, and best of luck out there.

All odds via BetMGM

No. 17 Boise State at UNLV, Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

Opening Line: Boise State -2.5

Blake Schuster: Boise State -3.5

Ashton Jeanty needs a signature win against notable performance for his Heisman Trophy campaign. Beating UNLV in Vegas while rushing for 200-plus yards ought to do it.

Mitchell Northam: Boise State -3.5

Outside of Army-Navy, this might be the game of the year in the Group of Five. Both teams enter this one with top-5 offenses — whatever the over-under is, take the over. When it comes to picking a winner, one of these teams lost to Syracuse and the other almost beat Oregon. And the latter also has the Heisman favorite in the backfield.

Christian D’Andrea: Boise State -3.5

If Syracuse can win in Vegas, so can the Heisman candidate.

Michelle Martinelli: Boise State -3.5

The Broncos got this, especially if Ashton Jeanty and that prolific offense keep putting up the same numbers.

Tyler Nettuno: Boise State -3.5

UNLV’s offense is also pretty special, but I just don’t think it can slow down Ashton Jeanty.

Rutgers at USC, Friday, 11 p.m. ET on Fox

Opening Line: USC -13.5

Blake Schuster: Rutgers +14

USC is not ready for Schiano Ball.

Mitchell Northam: Rutgers +14

Lol. Please don’t watch this.

Christian D’Andrea: Rutgers +14

That’s so, so many points for an untrustworthy Trojans team.

Michelle Martinelli: Rutgers +14

The way my soul left my body seeing this on our list… Both teams are on three-game losing streaks, but at least the untrustworthy Trojans suffered close losses by a total of 11 points. They’re not good this year, and Rutgers could maybe kinda try to keep it interesting.

Tyler Nettuno: Rutgers +14

The Scarlet Knights also look like an extremely disappointing team right now, and a backdoor cover by the Trojans here wouldn’t shock me. I just don’t have enough confidence in Lincoln Riley’s team, even at home.

No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 24 Navy, Saturday, noon ET on ABC/ESPN+, at MetLife Stadium

Opening Line: Notre Dame -13.5

Blake Schuster: Navy +12.5

I can’t believe this spread is so large when I’m fairly confident Navy wins outright.

Mitchell Northam: Navy +12.5

I know Notre Dame has played better lately, but this is still an Irish team that lost at home to Northern Illinois. Navy’s offense is much more than running out of the triple-option. This game has real stakes this season, and it’s Navy’s best chance at beating Notre Dame in a while.

Christian D’Andrea: Navy +12.5

Rational analysis has no place in this pick. Midshipmen and their immaculate vibes win by four.

Michelle Martinelli: Navy +12.5

Notre Dame is trending upward after its early season loss, and maybe it hands the Mids their first loss of the season, maybe not. But this Navy team is being underestimated, especially at a neutral site.

Tyler Nettuno: Notre Dame -12.5

Navy has been a lot of fun this year, and I think it will find some success against a very good Notre Dame defense. But the Fighting Irish are quietly playing better, and I just don’t see the Midshipmen having the juice to keep this close for four quarters.

No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS/Paramount+

Opening Line: Oregon -22.5

Blake Schuster: Illinois +21.5

I don’t know if Illinois is strong enough to take down the Ducks, but it does a great job of forcing turnovers and working the clock. That’s more than enough reason to trust a cover.

Mitchell Northam: Illinois +21.5

Yeah, I think you can count on the Fighting Berts to muck this game up and keep it somewhat close.

Christian D’Andrea: Illinois +21.5

Bret Bielema only exists to ruin things.

Michelle Martinelli: Illinois +21.5

This is a big spread, even for the No. 1 team. Ducks win but not 22.

Tyler Nettuno: Illinois +21.5

This spread makes absolutely no sense to me. Oregon has looked vulnerable at times, despite boasting one of the most impressive wins in the country over Ohio State, and Illinois is more than competent. A win would be a tough ask, but they should cover this with relative ease.

No. 11 BYU at UCF, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Opening Line: UCF -1.5

Blake Schuster: BYU +1.5

Um. Sure? I don’t understand this line. The Cougars should be favored by at least a touchdown.

Mitchell Northam: BYU +1.5

I know UCF is at home, but what exactly has it done to earn points against an undefeated BYU team?

Christian D’Andrea: BYU +1.5

I’m sick of betting against the Cougars, who keep grinding out wins against good, but not great, teams. And UCF is… alright.

Michelle Martinelli: BYU +1.5

Why four-loss UCF is favored against undefeated BYU is beyond me. The Knights have a better offense on paper, and it’s more well-rounded than BYU’s. Give me the Cougars.

Tyler Nettuno: BYU +1.5

The Cougars may not be quite as good as the unbeaten record would tell you, but there’s just not much about this Knights team that I find compelling at the moment. This is a weird spot for BYU to be an underdog.

No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+

Opening Line: Alabama -8.5

Blake Schuster: Alabama -14

If Missouri was capable of kicking teams when they’re down, don’t you think the Tigers would have more than one 10-win seasons in the last decade? These are not the game Missouri wins.

Mitchell Northam: Missouri +14

I just don’t trust Alabama to win as a double-digit favorite anymore.

Christian D’Andrea: Missouri +14

Still waiting on that Crimson Tide get-right game.

Michelle Martinelli: Alabama -14

This is a trap pick. Mizzou is good, and Bama is certainly having some issues. But for what is essentially a playoff elimination game, I’ll bet the Crimson Tide get their act together enough.

Tyler Nettuno: Alabama -14

The Crimson Tide clearly have a lot of flaws, but Missouri has been even more disappointing to me. After needing to claw back to beat Auburn at home, I think the Tigers will fall victim to an Alabama team looking to bounce back on Saturday.

No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt, Saturday, 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network

Opening Line: Texas -21

Blake Schuster: Vanderbilt +18.5

Simply refuse to pick against underdog Vandy at this point.

Mitchell Northam: Vanderbilt +18.5

Texas has something to prove after that poor performance against Georgia. But this game in Nashville is going to draw a big crowd, and I’m counting on Diego Pavia to work his magic again.

Christian D’Andrea: Vanderbilt +18.5

I will be in attendance for this game. If Vandy wins, I may never return. I will merely be lost to the ether.

Michelle Martinelli: Vanderbilt +18.5

I’ve got faith in Diego Pavia and co. to confound Texas’ top-ranked defense more than other teams and at least keep this one interesting.

Tyler Nettuno: Texas -18.5

Diego Pavio is great, but I don’t think Texas has the same defensive issues that Alabama had. The Longhorns won’t take this one for granted coming off a loss, and they’ll win and cover, though I don’t expect it to be a wide margin.

No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+

Opening Line: Texas A&M -2

Blake Schuster: LSU +2.5

It turns out, Mike Elko can coach. Unfortunately, he cannot play quarterback. LSU gets another signature win at Kyle Field.

Mitchell Northam: Texas A&M -2.5

The home team has won this game in each of the past seven years. A win here and Mike Elko sure looks like the SEC Coach of the Year.

Christian D’Andrea: Texas A&M -2.5

Fine, I will finally, begrudgingly, acknowledge A&M’s competence.

Michelle Martinelli: Texas A&M -2.5

Ah, yes, LSU and Texas A&M fighting for first place in the SEC, just like we all predicted in the preseason. But that’s where we’re at, so give me the home team under the lights.

Tyler Nettuno: LSU +2.5

LSU is a much more complete team than I expected it to be with the defense rounding into form, and Texas A&M still seems to be figuring some things out offensively, though Conner Weigman has played better since returning from injury.

Michigan State at Michigan, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on BTN

Opening Line: Michigan -21.5

Blake Schuster: Michigan State +3.5

I believe karma is real. And winning the title last year means losing to MSU at the Big House. A decent trade off, sure, but this one is gonna sting.

Mitchell Northam: Michigan -3.5

Have some pride, Wolverines.

Christian D’Andrea: Michigan -3.5

It would be hilarious, and prudent, if both teams agreed to just skip forward passes Saturday.

Michelle Martinelli: Michigan -3.5

Neither team knows how to operate a passing offense — that hasn’t stopped them from trying anyway — so maybe we get some turnovers, a lot of defense and a low-scoring game (by regular, not Big Ten, standards).

Tyler Nettuno: Michigan -3.5

The Spartans are a much more competent team than I expected in Year 1 under Jonathan Smith, but they still don’t quite have the talent in the trenches to compete with Michigan in this game.

Kansas at No. 16 Kansas State, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Opening Line: Kansas State -7

Blake Schuster: Kansas +10

Jalon Daniels got some swagger back against Houston, which is perfect considering this is pretty much Kansas’ Super Bowl. Beat State for the first time since 2009, and the Wildcats can probably kiss the playoff goodbye.

Mitchell Northam: Kansas State -10

Sorry, Jayhawks. This ain’t the year the streak ends.

Christian D’Andrea: Kansas +10

The Jayhawks are leaning into misery in 2024, which means this will be a heartbreaker.

Michelle Martinelli: Kansas +10

Don’t make me regret this, Jayhawks. But a rivalry game — even with Kansas’ five-game losing streak this season — needs a smaller spread than that.

Tyler Nettuno: Kansas State -10

The Wildcats really seem to be hitting their stride right now as quarterback Avery Johnson continues to progress. Kansas has been dreadful this year, and beating up on an even worse Houston team doesn’t fill me with confidence heading into a game against what’s probably still the best team in the Big 12.