Crunch time is approaching for teams with national championship aspirations with the first College Football Playoff Rankings set for this coming Tuesday. Though there are three major rivalry showdowns involving top-five teams on Saturday, none feature spreads at less than two touchdowns. As such, if upsets occur, they will be significant ones.
Bookending the day are a couple significant Big Ten rivalries. No. 2 Ohio State opens at No. 13 Penn State in the Buckeyes’ first legitimate test of the season, one in which they are nevertheless 15.5-point favorites, according to Caesars Sportsbook. While the Nittany Lions have already suffered a loss on the campaign, they do have homefield advantage against a rivalry they have struggled to take down over the last decade. In the night cap, No. 4 Michigan hosts Michigan State as a 22.5-point favorite. The Spartans are simply hoping to keep their season from totally collapsing, while the Wolverines are focused on remaining undefeated ahead of their showdown with the Buckeyes in the regular-season finale.
Sandwiched between is the SEC on CBS Game of the Week with No. 1 Georgia and Florida meeting in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The 22.5-point spread in favor of the Bulldogs is the largest in rivalry history, and they enter coming off a bye week the Dawgs got to enjoy after outscoring Auburn and Vanderbilt by a combined 97-10 the last two weeks. The Gators’ only losses this season are to currently ranked teams — all of which they played tough — but they have yet to rekindle past glory under new coach Billy Napier.
By the time Saturday’s action concludes, we will have a much more clear picture as to what the initial CFP Rankings will look like once Tuesday rolls around. Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the day for college football coverage from the opening kickoff onward. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the best games in Week 9.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 13 Penn State
Featured Game | Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Noon | Fox, fuboTV (Try for free) — Penn State is at its best when it can run the ball. Ohio State’s defense has been incredible this season, and the Buckeyes should be able to limit what Penn State does on the ground. That puts a ceiling on Penn State’s offensive production. That said, Penn State matches up better with Ohio State on the defensive end than most other teams, and it could force the Buckeyes to turn to the run game more…
Read More: College football picks, schedule: Predictions against the spread, odds for top 2022-10-29 12:00:00