College Football Bets: Picks Against Spread for Top-25 Week 9 Games

At this point in the season, the question is not if we will see a top-25 team get upset in Week 9. The better question is how many will go down?

In the last three weeks alone, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams have each lost twice. And 17 more teams with a number next to their name have fallen during that stretch. To borrow a Jon Rothsteinism: Anarchy? Nope. Just college football.

Once again, on paper, this week’s schedule might look tame. There are twice as many games involving top-25 teams with double-digit spreads (12) than single-digit spreads (six). But we now know better.

The first marquee matchup on Saturday is a Big 12 battle between No. 22 Arizona and No. 13 Texas Tech. The Wildcats, led by Noah Fifita, have won five in a row — all by 10-plus points. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders just lost their first regular-season game in over a calendar year.

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Another one to keep an eye on is a rivalry game between No. 17 Florida and No. 3 Georgia, which is being held in Atlanta this year instead of Jacksonville. The Gators are back up after an upset over Texas two weeks ago, while the Bulldogs were upset by Auburn last time out. The recent history of this series has been dominated by Georgia.

Instead of either of those games, ESPN’s “College GameDay” opted for a visit to Bloomington, where No. 4 Indiana will host Minnesota. The Hoosiers’ last three games have all been decided by one score, including an overtime win against Michigan last week. The Golden Gophers have pulled off a few upsets already this season and are pining for another against the defending champions.

No. 25 Wisconsin, ranked for the first time since 2023, has the unenviable task of going on the road against Iowa, which just fell out of the rankings after a loss to Minnesota. No. 20 Northwestern is also on the road against an Oregon team whose season has not gone according to plan. Can the Wildcats — led by offensive coordinator and one-time Ducks head coach Chip Kelly — keep it going at Autzen Stadium?

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No. 6 Utah is on upset watch as it travels to Cincinnati, which just throttled Texas Tech. Along with No. 7 UCLA and No. 1 Miami, the Utes are one of three undefeated teams putting their record on the line this weekend. The Bruins are heavily favored against Nevada and the Hurricanes should have no problems against North Carolina.

One of the most fascinating games on the board is in the Big Ten between No. 2 Ohio State and USC. The Buckeyes will be without star quarterback Julian Sayin, instead starting either Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair against the Trojans. USC fell out of the rankings after a loss last week, but they are technically still alive in the playoff race if they can run the table.

Athlon Sports has picks against the spread for all those games and more. The chaos of the past month dropped Steven Lassan, Tyler Schuster and I all under .500. Like so many teams that got upset, we’re trying to bounce back this week. Here are our picks, followed by our best bets:

College Football Picks Against the Spread for Week 9 Top-25 Games

Week 9 College Football Best Bets

Steven Lassan: No. 24 Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State – Oklahoma State -8.5
Road trips to Ames are always a tough spot in Big 12 play. However, Iowa State’s offense has scored 17 or fewer points in four of its five games against power conference teams this season. That lackluster firepower on offense is problematic for the Cyclones against an Oklahoma State offense coming off a 57-point performance against Colorado and averaging 40 points per game in ‘26. Also, the Cowboys have won three Big 12 games by at least 14 points this season. Unless Iowa State can find a way to slow down quarterback Drew Mestemaker and limit the overall possessions for Oklahoma State’s attack, the Cowboys should be able to cover the spread and exit Ames with a key victory in the Big 12 title picture.

Kyle Wood: Nevada vs. No. 7 UCLA — UCLA -22.5
The Bruins’ offense has not scored more than 28 points in a game since September. That’s a combination of the offense not being the same without quarterback Nico Iamaleava and the quality of opponents UCLA has faced. The Bruins should not have that problem against the Wolfpack, a middle-of-the-pack Mountain West team that lost to an FCS opponent back in September. UCLA has won every home game by 10-plus points and is the only team in the country to cover every game this season. Covering more than three touchdowns is a big ask, but that record against the spread gives me confidence in coach Bob Chesney and Co.

Tyler Schuster: Minnesota vs. No. 4 Indiana — Minnesota +19.5
Despite this being an obvious letdown spot for Minnesota after a big rivalry win over Iowa a week ago, Indiana’s offense is in the toilet right now. The Hoosiers have struggled to run the ball consistently. The offensive line has regressed from a season ago. Couple that with Josh Hoover’s injury and accuracy woes, and you have a team that can’t put up points in a consistent manner. 19.5 feels way too high. Give me the Gophers to keep it within a few scores.

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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.