College Football 2019: Your complete Week 9 binge-watching guide
By Zach Bigalke
Arkansas at No. 1 Alabama (7:00 pm/ESPN)
Top-ranked Alabama hosts Arkansas on Saturday evening. The Crimson Tide will be playing without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who injured the opposite ankle of the one that required TightRope surgery last year. Mac Jones will get the start under center, which will provide an interesting look at how well Alabama’s offense operates without their superstar. Arkansas doesn’t do a ton of things great, but they have been solid at forcing turnovers and generating sacks — which will put added pressure on Jones.
PREDICTION: Alabama’s offense is going to have issues moving the football, and Arkansas will be within 10 points at halftime, but look for the Crimson Tide to pull away in the second half.
UCF at Temple (7:00 pm/ESPN2)
Two flawed AAC East teams meet in prime time on Saturday evening in Philadelphia. Both UCF and Temple sit behind Cincinnati in the division standings, but with both teams at 5-2 through their first seven games the winner will get to bowl eligibility before November. Dillon Gabriel is playing beyond his freshman years as one of the top 10 quarterbacks nationally in passing efficiency, but he will be challenged by a tough Owls offense hoping to restore pride after their collapse at SMU in Week 8.
PREDICTION: UCF continues their charge toward the school’s third straight 10-win season as they pull away from Temple early and hold off the Owls at the end.
No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 19 Michigan (7:30 pm/ABC)
The showcase on Saturday in prime time is the duel in Ann Arbor between top-20 rivals Notre Dame and Michigan. The Wolverines are coming off a disappointing loss at Penn State, but that game showed the sort of resilience that has been lacking for Jim Harbaugh’s crew through the first half of the season. Notre Dame has not won at the Big House since 2005, and one of the nation’s top passing defenses is going to torment Irish quarterback Ian Book. This could come down to which team has the last possession.
PREDICTION: Look for Michigan to prevail on a late field goal as they pull off a top-10 upset and cool down the seat under Harbaugh heading into November.