Ricky Dimon
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Following a weekend of lackluster matchups, the 2021 college football season heats back up with an intriguing Week 9 schedule. It includes a showdown between undefeated rivals Michigan and Michigan State, while top-ranked Georgia returns from an off week to battle Florida at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. In addition to Michigan vs Michigan State, other all-Top 25 affairs feature Ole Miss, Auburn Penn State, and Ohio State.
As always, there are plenty of betting opportunities to be found.
College football Week 9 lines
It’s never too early to look ahead toward the betting slate once the lines have come out. So without further ado, let’s dive into the numbers and discuss some potential opportunities on which to capitalize (lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook).
Thursday
Troy +19 at Coastal Carolina
South Florida +7.5 at East Carolina
Friday
Navy +10 at Tulsa
UNLV +21 at Nevada
Saturday
Michigan -3.5 at Michigan State
Indiana +2.5 at Maryland
Iowa +3 at Wisconsin
Virginia Tech +3.5 at Georgia Tech
Texas +2 at Baylor
Miami (FL) +11.5 at Pittsburgh
Cincinnati -24.5 at Tulane
Iowa State -7 at West Virginia
Missouri -17 at Vanderbilt
Washington State +15 at Arizona State
Minnesota -7.5 at Northwestern
Purdue +7 at Nebraska
Georgia -14.5 vs Florida
Florida State +10 at Clemson
TCU +3.5 at Kansas State
Boston College +4.5 at Syracuse
Texas Tech +18.5 at Oklahoma
Colorado +26.5 at Oregon
Duke +16.5 at Wake Forest
SMU +1 at Houston
Kentucky -1 at Mississippi State
Oregon State -1.5 at California
Arizona +20.5 at USC
Ole Miss +1 at Auburn
Kansas +31 at Oklahoma State
Penn State +17.5 at Ohio State
North Carolina +3.5 at Notre Dame
Louisville +6.5 at NC State
UCLA +4.5 at Utah
Virginia +2.5 at BYU
Washington +2.5 at Stanford
Make sure you check out our previews for all of these games later in the week
Week 9 games to watch
Michigan is 7-0 and has Big Ten title and College Football Playoff aspirations, but it can’t look ahead to the finale against Ohio State. The Wolverines have in-state rival Michigan State to deal with this week. Also 7-0, the Spartans were disrespected by the pollsters and the oddsmakers earlier in the year but are now ranked No. 8. They aren’t getting many points (3.5) in this one, but the ones they are getting could be enough. In a rivalry game and what should be a classic Big Ten battle, I would not be surprised at all to see this game decided by a field goal or less. As long as this line stays above the key number of 3, I would advise grabbing Michigan State and the points.
I also see a potential opportunity in the SEC, with the annual neutral-site showdown between Georgia and Florida. The Bulldogs are unequivocally the best team in college football team right now. If anyone can compete with them, it’s Alabama. It’s certainly not Florida. The line has opened at Gators +14.5, above the key number of 14 as the sportsbooks try to convince bettors to take the underdogs and the points. But don’t do it; it’s hard to see how head coach Dan Mullen’s crew keeps this competitive. UGA hasn’t won by fewer than 17 points since its opening game against Clemson.
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