\nIt’s dangerous being ranked near the top of the polls. Three top-two teams have lost to unranked opponents over the last three weeks, a first since the carnage that was the 2007 season.
\n<\/p>\n
\n\tTexas<\/a> fell, Georgia<\/a> tripped and BYU<\/a> was overwhelmed.
\n<\/p>\n
\nNow, No. 1 Miami<\/a> and No. 2 Ohio State<\/a> both hit the road this week against unranked teams. At least for Miami, the Hurricanes have history on their side. They’re 30-0 all-time against unranked opponents as the AP’s No. 1 team. They travel to North Carolina<\/a>, which is 0-11 all-time against the nation’s No. 1 team. If Miami can get past Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels, a marquee matchup awaits next week at Notre Dame.
\n<\/p>\n
\nNo team is safe as parity runs rampant nationwide. Coach Mario Cristobal said there’s no sense in letting up this week.
\n<\/p>\n
\n“If not, you’re putting a win at risk,” he said.
\n<\/p>\n
\nMeanwhile, Ohio State enters a road trip to USC<\/a> with a problem. The Buckeyes still haven’t announced a starting quarterback to replace Julian Sayin<\/a>, who is out indefinitely. Luke Fahey<\/a>, who replaced Sayin late in the win against Indiana<\/a>, and former five-star Tavian St. Clair battled for the starting gig during the bye week. Both could play. If so, Fahey will play near his home in Mission Viejo, California<\/a>. USC needs a win as questions about coach Lincoln Riley’s future swirl.
\n<\/p>\n
\nWe enter Week 9 with only three unbeaten teams \u2014 Miami, No. 7 UCLA<\/a> and No. 6 Utah<\/a>. That’s the fewest this early in a season since 1977. Utah goes to Cincinnati<\/a>, which just beat then-undefeated Texas Tech<\/a> and can become the first unranked team since 1938 St. Mary’s to beat ranked teams at 6-0 or better in back-to-back games.
\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMinnesota<\/a>, holder of all three of its rivalry trophies for the first time since 1978, visits No. 4 Indiana, which hasn’t scored 21 points in three straight games.
\n<\/p>\n
\nWe also have a monster rivalry game as No. 3 Georgia plays No. 17 Florida<\/a> in Atlanta for the first time in the rivalry’s history. The Bulldogs are coming off a bye week after losing at home to unranked Auburn<\/a>. Georgia is trying to avoid becoming only the second No. 1 team in history to lose back-to-back games.
\n<\/p>\n
\nThe other team was Texas, and it happened this month.
\n<\/p>\n
\nCollege football in 2026 is a different kind of beast. Here’s how the CBS Sports experts see it developing in Week 9, the final Saturday of the regular season without the College Football Playoff rankings.
\n<\/p>\n
\n Minnesota vs. Indiana prediction, picks
<\/p>\n
\n\t3:30 p.m. on CBS\u00a0CBSSports.com<\/a>,\u00a0CBS Sports App<\/a>\u00a0Paramount+ Premium<\/a>:\u00a0If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Hoosiers are quite simply an under machine right now. It’s not just that they have an elite defense and a sputtering offense, but it’s the way Curt Cignetti is managing games. The lack of trust in Hoover is never more apparent than when he trots the punt unit out on a fourth-and-short at midfield without hesitation. Even if Indiana dominates, it’s hard to see them piling up points on a good Minnesota defense, and there’s a real world where the Gophers keep this close throughout. Either way, it’ll come down to the team that converts opportunities into touchdowns rather than field goals, and this total is a bit too high at 40.\u00a0Pick: UNDER 41.5
\n<\/p>\n
\n Where to watch Georgia vs. Florida live
<\/p>\n
\n\tDate: Saturday, October 31\u00a0|\u00a0Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
\n Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
\n TV: ESPN\u00a0|\u00a0Live stream:\u00a0Fubo<\/a>\u00a0(try free)
\n<\/p>\n
\n Georgia vs. Florida prediction, picks
<\/p>\n
\n\t3:30 p.m. on ESPN,\u00a0Fubo<\/a>\u00a0(try free):\u00a0Expect to see an angry Georgia team after the Bulldogs were forced to stew on a turnover-fueled home loss to Auburn during a bye week. Florida will have the Bulldogs’ full attention after an upset win at Texas, and UGA won’t be remotely caught off guard by anything the Gators attempt offensively. Georgia’s defensive staff knows Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner well. On the opposite side, the Gators have shown they are vulnerable on defense, and Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton<\/a> will be playing with a chip on his shoulder after a rare poor performance against Auburn.\u00a0Pick: Georgia -12.5
\n<\/p>\n
\nOhio State vs. USC prediction, picks
<\/p>\n
\n\t7:30 p.m. on NBC,\u00a0Fubo<\/a>\u00a0(try free):\u00a0I have a tough time asking Ohio State to go on the road and cover a touchdown with a first-time starter at QB, so I’m avoiding the spread altogether. The smarter play is to attack the total. It’s safe to assume Ohio State’s offense will struggle a bit, and they’ll probably lean on the run game a lot more to take pressure off Fahey. We’ve also seen USC’s offense struggle in games against ranked opponents. \u00a0Pick: Under 51.5
\n<\/p>\n
\n Miami vs. North Carolina\u00a0 prediction, picks
<\/p>\n
\n\t7:30 p.m. on ABC,\u00a0Fubo<\/a>\u00a0(try free):\u00a0Miami’s first season of ACC play featured a trip to Chapel Hill on Halloween night to take on a North Carolina team that was 3-4 overall, with four 20-plus-point losses to ranked teams. The Hurricanes, ranked No. 4 at the time, were 6-0 and looking to establish themselves as the class of the ACC, having joined the conference just a few years removed from a national championship. A lot has been made about Miami’s struggles in the last five meetings, but the Hurricanes’ issues with the Heels date back to the very beginning of their time in the league, and Connor Barth’s game-winning kick to seal the spooky upset. Bill Belichick and North Carolina’s defense can get enough stops to keep this close, and with Notre Dame<\/a> on deck, the Hurricanes might not be in the mindset to push this game deep into the evening. We’re projecting North Carolina to flirt with the cover, but ultimately for the total to come in under the oddsmaker’s number.\u00a0Pick: Under 52.5 \u00a0
\n<\/p>\n
\nTexas Tech vs. Arizona prediction, picks
<\/p>\n
\n\t12 p.m. on ESPN,\u00a0Fubo<\/a>\u00a0(try free):\u00a0Arizona<\/a> might be the most underrated team in the country, and Noah Fifita<\/a> is playing the best ball of his career. Cincinnati exposed major holes in Texas Tech’s defense during an upset win, and the Wildcats are even better positioned to take advantage. Unless the Red Raiders offense can find something, Arizona will waltz away with a marquee victory.\u00a0Pick: Arizona +3.5
\n<\/p>\n
\n\tSportsLine’s proven computer model has simulated every Week 9 college football<\/a> game 10,000 times. Visit SportsLine now to see the picks<\/a>, all from the model that’s on a 68-59 run on top-rated CFB picks this season.
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