Ohio State, Georgia facing upsets? College football bold predictions for Week 9

You may or may not believe in the spookiness of Halloween. But when you add a college football Saturday into the mix, there is bound to be some weird outcomes in stadiums across the country.

The schedule for Week 9 does not include a ton of high-profile matchups that would seem to impact the College Football Playoff race. That often matters little. Just look back to Week 8 when there upsets of Big 12 unbeatens Brigham Young and Texas Tech in games each was significantly favored.

Among the possible surprises include No. 3 Georgia's annual showdown with Florida, Utah paying a visit to Cincinnati one week after the Bearcats topped that Texas Tech team and No. 2 Ohio State visiting Southern California in its first game since an injury to starting quarterback Julian Sayin.

Are these the places where the shockers will happen? That’s where the college football staff at USA TODAY Sports comes in. Our experts weigh in with their bold predictions.

College football bold predictions for Week 9

Notre Dame looks like CFP contender again

Given two weeks to stew and improve from a galling loss at BYU, Notre Dame torches Navy. Which is the expectation. But the Irish get five touchdowns from quarterback CJ Carr. They get a long score from thus-far underutilized freshman sensation Jonaz Walton. And, most importantly, they get all the focus back on Nov. 7, when top-ranked Miami visits for what amounts to a one-game shot at controlling their own destiny. -- John Brice

Ohio State finds a way against USC

No, I don't believe in Lincoln Riley. No, Southern California isn't better than we've seen after a lifeless performance against Wisconsin last week. It's a long trip for an Ohio State team without its starting quarterback. The Buckeyes aren't done just yet minus Julian Sayin due to a serious shoulder injury, they're just going to need a couple of weeks to figure it out. -- Matt Hayes

Texas Tech continues to spiral with another loss

It was only a matter of time before Texas Tech was exposed, and it happened pretty badly against Cincinnati. The Red Raiders return home, where an tantalizing Arizona team is coming in. The Wildcats are red-hot with Noah Fifita slinging it, and he has enough firepower to stun the Texas Tech defense, while the offensive inconsistency continues. Texas Tech has won 12 straight games at home, but that streak ends courtesy of the Wildcats, giving the home team a devastating loss that really puts it on the outside of the playoff hunt. One can only wonder what Cody Campbell will say this time around. -- Jordan Mendoza

SEC flipped on head after Florida stuns Georgia

Things get even stranger in the SEC with Florida pulling off a major upset against Georgia to hand the Bulldogs a second loss. The Gators haven't won this rivalry since 2020 and have just twice since Kirby Smart was hired in 2016. This would leave at most a single one-loss SEC team in Kentucky and create a logjam of two-loss teams before even the end of October. -- Paul Myerberg

Ohio State stumbles against USC

It would seem counterintuitive to expect Southern California to rebound from a listless performance against Wisconsin and then beat the No. 2 team in the country. However, there's nothing more dangerous than a team backed up against a wall. And that's what the Trojans are. Add in the fact that Ohio State has a first-time starter at quarterback and the USC loss might take a bit of edge from their game, and you have a situation where the Buckeyes are ripe for an upset. -- Erick Smith

Michigan, Rutgers live up to scary Halloween expectations

Count Floyd, here. Velcome, kids, to Monster Chiller Horror Theater. Ah-woooo! Very scary! Vant to see something really scary, something truly horrifying? Tune into BTN at about 12:30 ET on Halloween to see the scariest thing imaginable – a football game between Michigan and Rutgers. Hey, come on! Of course it’s scary! What happens when a resistible force meets a movable object? And all those big booms! Oh wait, those are just punts. Oh, this is supposed to be a prediction? Well, Michigan will probably win, and the Wolverines might even break the 20-point barrier. But really, kids, don’t vatch. It vill give you nightmares. -- Eddie Timanus

Wisconsin stays alive, Iowa says goodbye

Luke Fickell will trade his preseason hot seat for a midseason brass bull — yes, that’s a real trophy — when his Wisconsin Badgers beat Iowa. Better yet, the road upset will keep Wisconsin on the list of longshot playoff contenders after a game that amounts to a playoff elimination battle of two-loss Big Ten teams. Although the sportsbooks favor the Hawkeyes, and I’m generally loathe to pick against home teams in conference games, these teams appear to be trending in opposite directions. Wisconsin is fresh off a dominating win over Southern California, while Iowa just lost to Minnesota. Both teams have defenses that rank within the top four of the Big Ten. First team to 17 wins? -- Blake Toppmeyer

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State, Georgia facing upsets? College football bold predictions for Week 9