Best College Football Parlays & Picks: Week 9 (2026)

The final 5 weeks of the 2026 college football season should sow even more chaos and division within the AP Top 25. Right now, four 1-loss teams sit ahead of undefeated programs like Utah and UCLA, with strong conference representation: 3 Big Ten, 3 SEC, and 2 Big 12 teams in the top 10, while the ACC sits atop with Miami at No. 1.

Let’s try to build a few winning college football parlays following last week’s disastrous 0-3 finish. My Best College Football Parlays & Picks: Week 8 (2026) whiffed on Auburn +7.5 in a blowout loss to LSU, the point total under parlay went 0-2, and Iowa’s 13-10 loss on a walk-off field goal in Minnesota ended our final moneyline favorite parlay.

I’ll be honing in on a couple of big-time matchups, plus a few smaller ones, to improve our chances of cashing plus-odds parlays heading into Saturday’s Week 9 slate.

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College Football Parlays for Week 9

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Minnesota vs. Indiana Under 41.5/Northwestern vs. Oregon Under 47.5 (+261)

Let’s roll out a pair of Big 10 point total unders to get things started. Indiana enters its home stand against Minnesota with the nation’s second-ranked scoring defense, allowing a stingy 12.0 points per game.

Minnesota just faced a top-25 Iowa defense and needed 60 minutes to score 13 points at home. Expect Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti’s defense to continue clamping down, holding four straight conference opponents, including No. 2 Ohio State, under 20 points.

The Golden Gophers’ defense isn’t a slouch. They have allowed 20.1 points per game, placing them inside the top-40. Minnesota’s offense is 84th in the country, so points should remain a premium in Bloomington, cashing Under 41.5.

For the second leg, we’ll visit the Pacific Northwest with a clash between No. 20 Northwestern and unranked Oregon. It’s been a bad year for the Ducks, who have not had quality quarterback play from Dylan Raiola in relief of Dante Moore’s injury.

Oregon has scored 17 or fewer points in 3 straight games since its win over USC. Dan Lanning’s group is still a strong defense, limiting conference opponents to 21 or fewer points since giving up 27 to the Trojans.

Northwestern’s defense is the strength of its team. The Wildcats rank 22nd in points allowed per game (16.6) and lean on a rushing attack that maintains time of possession while chewing up game clock.

This game script should result in a low-scoring, defensive battle in Eugene on Saturday afternoon. Bet Under 47.5 as the second leg of this point total under parlay to get it to +261 odds.

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Utah Moneyline/Oklahoma State Moneyline (-130)

I’m targeting a couple of ranked Big 12 road favorites on the moneyline for this next parlay. No. 6 Utah is undefeated and goes into Cincinnati, who just handed Texas Tech its first loss of the season in Week 8. No. 24 Oklahoma State looks to keep its offense rolling against Iowa State.

Utah, led by QB Devon Dampier, is coming off a hard-fought win against previously No. 14 Houston on Saturday night. The Utes take on the Bearcats, who are 5-2 thanks to rostering the nation’s 31st-ranked scoring offense.

Defensively, Cincinnati is a disaster. The Bearcats have allowed 24+ points in every conference game played, while Utah sits 9th in points allowed (14.6) and 14th in points scored per game (37.4)

Utah will be prepared for Cincinnati following the Bearcats’ big win over previously undefeated Texas Tech. Expect the Utes to roll in this one as a touchdown road favorite, so let’s bet on Utah moneyline at -258 odds for the first leg.

Oklahoma State also has a star quarterback. Drew Mestemaker has been putting up big numbers with the Cowboys in 2026, shredding Colorado in Week 8 for 410 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in a 57-24 win.

While the defense for Oklahoma State is lackluster, Iowa State’s anemic offense shouldn’t pose a threat. The Cyclones have scored less than 20 points in 3 of their past 4 games played, while allowing 30+ points during this recent 4-game stretch.

In a game where Iowa State requires a shootout to pull off an upset as a +9.5-point home underdog, the matchup and game script favor Oklahoma State. After all, the Cowboys overcame a half-time deficit against Colorado to easily cover as a 2-touchdown favorite.

Plug Oklahoma State’s moneyline at -355 odds into this second leg to get this Big 12 moneyline favorite parlay to -130 odds.

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Wisconsin +3.5/Northwestern +3.5 (+252)

Wisconsin just had a season-defining win over USC in a strong 24-7 outing over No. 16 USC. The Badgers’ top-20 defense heads into Iowa City in Week 9 to take on an equally stout Iowa defense.

The Hawkeyes failed to score more than 10 points against Minnesota in Week 8. Momentum is fully on Wisconsin’s side in this game, as they’ll look to establish the run against an Iowa defense that has allowed just 2.4 YPC and 2 rushing touchdowns in 2026.

Oddsmakers have the total pegged at 36.5, which might be a season-low through 9 weeks. Two elite defenses and a pair of offenses that struggle to score mean this should be a tight game.

I’ll take the points with Wisconsin to cover +3.5 for the first leg of this Big 10 road underdog parlay.

We’ve already talked about Oregon’s issues on offense. Now, they have to overcome a Northwestern defense allowing just a 58 percent completion rate with only 1 rushing touchdown surrendered in each of its previous 4 Big 10 contests.

Raiola’s miscues and struggles likely continue into this matchup against Northwestern. The Wildcats have a +5 turnover differential in their past 4 outings.

Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles is a true dual-threat, leading in rushing touchdowns and only throwing 1 interception this season. The Wildcats’ lone loss was 29-23 to Indiana.

Let’s back Northwestern to cover +3.5 to boost this Big 10 road underdog parlay to +252 odds.

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