College Football Week 9 Picks: Best Early Bets (2026)

We’re firmly in the back half of the 2026 college football regular season, and there’s never been more parity in the sport. In Week 8, we saw No. 2 BYU fall to unranked UCF in 20T, No. 8 Texas Tech lost to unranked Cincinnati, No. 11 Tennessee blew a late lead against unranked South Carolina, and No. 15 Iowa and No. 16 USC both lost to unranked Big 10 opponents on the road.

Even without a bunch of head-to-head matchups between top 25-ranked opponents in Week 9, we now know that no opponent can be taken for granted. I’m honing in on 3 specific matchups based on early line movement, featuring No. 20 Northwestern vs. Oregon, Auburn vs. No. 12 Ole Miss, and No. 2 Ohio State vs. USC.

My College Football Week 8 Picks: Best Early Bets (2026) settled 1-2 for a losing result. BYU’s loss to UCF was one of the biggest upsets on the slate, while Ole Miss rallied late in the game to tie Texas before fading away in the 4th quarter, failing to cover +3.5. Fortunately, we did get a sweat-free win between Houston and Utah, cashing Under 56.5 during the Utes’ 21-13 victory.

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College Football Week 9 Best Bets & Early Line Movement Predictions

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Northwestern (20) vs. Oregon

Northwestern has been one of the biggest surprises in college football this year. The Wildcats’ lone loss is a good one, losing 29-23 to No. 4 Indiana.

QB Aidan Chiles has revived his collegiate career, departing from Michigan State to lead Northwestern into No. 20 in the latest AP poll at 6-1. Chiles has thrown for 12 touchdowns and only 1 interception, while leading the Wildcats with 9 rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, Northwestern is a legitimate threat against any opponent. The Wildcats rank 22nd in points allowed per game (16.6), holding quarterbacks to a 58 percent completion rate and allowing only 1 rushing touchdown in 4 conference games.

Oregon’s season is in free-fall. QB Dylan Raiola filled in admirably in a clutch win over USC. Since then, Raiola has struggled, with the Ducks being held under 20 points with a 1-2 record in 3 straight games played.

Oregon hosts Northwestern in Week 9. The betting market has moved from Northwestern +7.5 to +3.5, while the point total has dipped 1 point from 50.5 to 49.5.

Oregon just gave up 5.8 YPC to an unranked Illinois offense in Week 8. Northwestern is averaging 5.2 YPC and has 17 rushing touchdowns, with Chiles throwing for 3 touchdowns in 2 of his last 3 starts.

Bet Northwestern +3.5 before this number moves through a key number of 3.

Pick: Northwestern +3.5 (-110)

Auburn vs. Ole Miss (12)

Auburn and Ole Miss are both coming off losses. However, the Tigers’ 38-17 home loss to No. 15 LSU has led to them moving from +10.5 to +13.5 in point spread betting markets against the Rebels in Week 9.

There’s value on head coach Alex Golesh’s program, which has had a volatile campaign under their first-year head coach. Auburn’s season-defining win over previously No. 1 Georgia didn’t transfer momentum, instead, losing by 21 points to LSU at home.

Ole Miss fell into a huge deficit on the road against No. 11 Texas in Week 8. QB Trinidad Chambliss is a great talent with a huge arm, yet the Rebels’ defense is a liability.

Ole Miss ranks 80th in points allowed per game (25.3) in 2026. They’ve surrendered 4.1 YPC and 12 rushing touchdowns against 5 SEC opponents.

Chambliss, despite his elite abilities, has not been able to avoid miscues. Ole Miss’ offense has at least 1 turnover in every game played this season, including 3 against the Longhorns.

Auburn’s defense is stout against the run, although they are susceptible to the opposing passing attack. On offense, Golesh’s scheme has led to the Tigers averaging 4.3 YPC, which he’ll definitely lean on against a weak Ole Miss run defense.

Auburn QB Byrum Brown is a true dual-threat, handling 126 carries for 3.8 YPC and 6 rushing touchdowns. He’s landing a relatively soft matchup for the first time since putting up 271 and 3 against Florida.

+13.5 is too many points to ignore. Bet on Auburn to cover on the road in Oxford.

Pick: Auburn +13.5 (-110)

Ohio State (2) vs. USC

There’s a quarterback controversy plaguing one of the nation’s top-ranked college football programs heading into Week 9. Following QB Julian Sayin’s Week 7 injury against Indiana, the Buckeyes are now forced to make a decision on QB1.

A road trip to Los Angeles sends Ohio State to face an unranked USC team that just got blown out by Wisconsin. The Trojans only scored 7 points, while unable to stop the Badgers’ rushing attack.

Expect USC to be prepared and to get up for this game. Ohio State’s quarterback, regardless of whether it’s Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair, will need to be prepared for a motivated Trojans defense.

USC has not allowed more than 3.5 YPC against 3 straight Big 10 opponents. This will place pressure on the Buckeyes’ new QB1 to make some clutch throws.

On the other side, USC QB Jayden Maiava draws a matchup against the Buckeyes’ top-5 scoring defense. Ohio State has not allowed more than 2 total touchdowns in any game, excluding Texas, where they let the Longhorns rally late for their only loss.

I think you know where I’m going with this final play. The point total has steamed down 2 points from 53.5 to 51.5.

With a new quarterback and a top-5 defense, let’s bet Under 51.5 to close out the Week 9 best bets.

Pick: Under 51.5 (-115)