Teams have one more chance to make a statement before the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings. Here are five bold predictions for Week 9.
Other than the massive surprise in the Big Ten, few things were really that surprising in Week 8. Ohio State’s drop salvaged a shocker from a chalk-filled weekend, but otherwise there was little to brag about from the Week 8 action.
Now we head into the final weekend of October. Kids are waiting for Halloween, but for college football fans the treat will come a day early with the release of this year’s first set of Top 25 rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee.
What is going to happen with this last opportunity to make a statement for the committee? Here are five bold predictions about what will transpire in Week 9 across the country.
5. The best games of the week will take place in the Group of Five
There are several great games being played throughout the country this week. Three matchups feature a duel between a pair of Top 25 opponents. But none of those will offer quite as much excitement as a pair of Group of Five contests with major implications.
On Thursday night, No. 25 Appalachian State plays Georgia Southern in a showdown of two former FCS national champions that transitioned to the FBS in the same season. The Eagles are an 8.5-point underdog at home as of Tuesday night, but both teams are 6-1 and unbeaten in Sun Belt play. This game will determine which of these two squads remains in the division hunt alongside Troy.
Then, on Saturday, an interdivisional battle takes another ranked Group of Five team on the road against another top opponent. Houston hosts No. 21 South Florida at TDECU Stadium in a matchup of American Athletic Conference contenders. The Bulls are the undefeated team, but Houston is a one-touchdown favorite at home.
Both of these games are going to be decided by a single score. The first will be a defensive battle, the latter an offensive shootout. In their own way, these two Group of Five games will provide the most Week 9 intrigue from a New Year’s Six standpoint.