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CFB betting: Biggest games of Week 9

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Week 8 featured one of the biggest upsets of the season as Illinois beat Wisconsin. The No. 13 Badgers will now travel to Columbus for a meeting with No. 3 Ohio State, while No. 2 LSU has a tough test against No. 9 Auburn before its showdown with No. 1 Alabama in two weeks.

Here's the betting breakdown for the biggest college games in Week 9.

Wisconsin at Ohio State (-14.5, 51)

A funny thing happened on the way to Wisconsin and Ohio State meeting in a battle of Big Ten unbeatens - the Badgers spoiled the party with their upset loss in Illinois as 30-point favorites.

While this is still a huge game that will go a long way toward determining the Big Ten and national champions, some of the hype is gone after Wisconsin's shocking loss. Heck, ESPN's College GameDay is going to South Dakota this week instead of Columbus.

The Badgers may have got caught looking ahead last week, but they're still one of the best teams in the country. Saturday's matchup could come down to whether Wisconsin can neutralize Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, a Heisman Trophy candidate. Fields has accounted for 1,783 yards and 30 touchdowns through seven games, but he'll be facing his toughest test of the season against a stingy Badgers defense. Even after allowing 24 points last week, Wisconsin ranks first among FBS teams in total defense and scoring defense.

But while the Badgers' defense gets all the love thanks to its four shutouts this season, Ohio State's unit has been just as good; the Buckeyes rank second in both scoring and total defense. After allowing 21 points to FAU in the opener, Ohio State has given up a total of just 35 points in its last six games.

Overall, these two teams have combined to allow just 15.6 points per contest, so under 51 will be a popular play. Meanwhile, the line opened Ohio State -14 and has moved slightly in favor of the Buckeyes. There is some value with the Badgers this week, as Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst has excelled in this spot. He's gone a remarkable 12-3 against the spread when coming off a loss, which includes going 5-1 straight up and 5-0-1 ATS as an underdog. Expect a much better effort from the Badgers on Saturday in what should be a physical, competitive contest.

Notre Dame at Michigan (-1, 50)

Michigan will get another shot at a highly ranked team this week when it hosts Notre Dame. The first two opportunities didn't go well. First, Michigan got blasted by Wisconsin and then fell behind 21-0 to Penn State last week before losing 28-21. The good news is Wolverines did cover in Happy Valley as an eight-point underdog.

The line for this matchup has already moved significantly in Notre Dame's favor. Michigan opened -4, but as of Wednesday, the Wolverines were down to -1. Don't be surprised if the Fighting Irish close as slight road favorites. However, if the Wolverines are favored at kickoff, it doesn't bode well for them. Michigan has covered just six of the last 28 spreads when laying points in this series.

The Irish are entering this game ranked No. 1 in the nation in both turnover margin and red-zone offense. Meanwhile, Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson has struggled to protect the ball this season, which has Michigan tied for 84th in turnover margin. In a tight game, those turnovers could be the difference, so advantage Irish.

Michigan's defense allowed a couple of big plays against Penn State but settled down in the second half and gave the team a chance to win. The Wolverines have now held their last three opponents to a season-low total in yardage, although quarterback Ian Book and Notre Dame's offense will present more challenges than Iowa, Illinois, and a young Penn State squad did.

The home team has dominated this series recently, going 8-1 both SU and ATS across the last nine meetings. Expect a tight battle in Ann Arbor with turnovers likely being the difference. Again, the edge in that department is strongly in favor of Notre Dame.

Auburn at LSU (-10.5, 58.5)

One thing is certain: If LSU makes the College Football Playoff, it will deserve it. The Tigers have a brutal schedule this season, and it will continue Saturday with a home date against Auburn.

If Auburn is going to pull off an upset on the road, it will need to slow down new Heisman Trophy favorite Joe Burrow. LSU's quarterback has been sensational this season, throwing for 2,484 yards with 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Meanwhile, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix was dreadful in his first SEC road start at Florida earlier this year, completing just 40% of his passes and throwing three interceptions. The freshman quarterback will obviously need to play better on Saturday for Auburn to have any hope of staying with LSU.

LSU has compiled a perfect 7-0 record ATS but early bettors are siding with the road underdog in this one. Auburn opened as a 12.5-point 'dog, and as of Wednesday, that number was down to +10.5. The Tigers haven't allowed more than 24 points all year, and even though this a big game, LSU has an even bigger one on deck with No. 1 Alabama looming. It's tough to go against LSU right now, but we recommend siding with the road 'dog as long as the line stays at +10 or more.

Thomas Casale is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. He's been following the sports betting industry for almost 30 years. A devoted fan of the wishbone offense, Thomas bets on all sports but specializes in college football, NFL, and college basketball. Find him on Twitter @TheTomCasale.

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