S 'n' P Sports is Back! (College Football Week 9 Preview)

Matt: Wow, what a week last week in college football! Upset city! So many giants fell last night, I’m not even sure where to start. Ryan dominated me last week in picks. He pick six more correct than I did and the week before that he had one up on me. Finally the week before that was my biggest victory by winning by four. So overall, Ryan is up by six. Hopefully I can make up some ground this week. This week we are only covering five matchups. Sorry about the hiatus, I guess Ryan was too busy researching picks to write a blog, but we’re back now, so let’s get into it.

Notre Dame at Air Force, CBS Sports Network, 5:00 PM EST Saturday

Ryan: Notre Dame is coming off a big win against rival Southern Cal. However, the Irish were handed a tough loss at quarterback when Tommy Rees was injured in the second half. Andrew Hendrix, who came in for Rees, was unable to move the ball. A bright side is that the Irish defense looks to be clicking. The Trojans were on the receiving end of many hard hits from the Irish secondary, which sealed the win late in the fourth quarter. Air Force has lost five straight games coming into this matchup, all of which in conference play. Of course the Falcons would love to upset Notre Dame in Colorado Springs, but it’s just not in the cards. Notre Dame wins big.
Winner: Notre Dame

Matt: Well, Notre Dame cost me another lose again by beating USC last week. Another one of their rivals. Air Force is pretty terrible at 1-6 and no conference wins, with their only close game coming against Nevada. I don’t see the FIghtin’ Irish having any problems with the Falcons of Air Force. They may pay Ryan’s bills but I don’t see any way the Falcons are able to pull  off the victory.
Winner: Notre Dame

UCLA at Oregon, Saturday, 7:00 PM ESPN

Ryan: Oregon is led by Heisman candidate Marcus Mariotta, who has yet to commit a turnover. The Ducks haven’t lost a step since former coach Chip Kelly went to the Eagles, averaging over 300 yards rushing and passing. The Ducks also have the second highest points per game average and twelfth scoring defense. UCLA is coming off a tough loss to Stanford on the road. The Bruins have had a strong year thus far and don’t want multiple losses in a row. Brett Hundley has thrown for over 1600 yards and 13 touchdowns so far this year. With a matchup of great quarterbacks, I see this game being a shootout. Oregon will continue its success with a double digit win at the Autzen Zoo.
Winner: Oregon

Matt: Oregon remains the only undeafted team in the Pac-12 and quarterback Marcus Mariotta is looking like a stud coming off a huge win over Washington State last week. But now the real test of the season begins, Oregon has UCLA this week and Stanford, these two weeks could make or break their national championship hopes. But I don’t think the high powered offense will have problems against UCLA. I think the Ducks keep on rolling and end up winning this one and going undeafted into Palo Alto.
Winner: Oregon

Stanford at Oregon State, Saturday, 10:30 ESPN

Ryan: If it weren’t for an early season hiccup, Oregon State may be ranked higher. The number 25 Beavers are going into Saturday’s game with something to prove. After falling to East Washington, they have won six straight, including four in conference. Stanford put aside the loss to Utah by beating a top ten UCLA team. Kevin Hogan may not be a top tier quarterback, but he is filling in for Andrew Luck nicely.  The Cardinal controls their own destiny in the PAC-12, as do the Beavers and Ducks. With the Beavers this week and the Ducks next week, the Stanford has a tough road. However, Stanford’s defense and maturity will be too much for the Beavers in this game.
Winner: Stanford

Matt: Stanford came off a lost with class and was able to take care of UCLA in a very exciting game. It doesn’t get any easier for Stanford now having to take on the Beavers this week and the Ducks next week. Oregon State leads the nation in passing yards per game. However, they are ranked 125^th in rushing. I think this game will be a great game, I’ll probably be asleep by halftime because I’m old but I think it’ll be a close one but in the end I think the Cardinal are still sour from that loss against Utah and come out winning this one.
Winner: Stanford

Texas Tech at Oklahoma, Saturday, 3:30 PM EST FOX

Ryan: Before the season started, no one was talking about Texas Tech. Now, after starting 7-0, the Red Raiders are 3-0 and atop the Big 12. The Raiders are number two in the country in passing, led by a duo of quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield and Davis Webb have accounted for over 2900 yards and 19 touchdowns. Oklahoma, the preseason Big 12 favorite, had a slip against Texas in the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners have had controversy at quarterback between Blake Bell and Trevor Knight. Bell has set himself ahead as the starter, but neither has produced much this season. Both teams have a strong defense allowing less than 20 points a game. Neither team has a clear advantage, so home field and coaching are going to be big factors. Bob Stoops has owned Norman, and this weekend doesn’t look to be much different.
Winner: Oklahoma

Matt: I think Ryan and I both over looked a lot of teams in the Big 12 this year. Our conference winners, TCU and Texas, aren’t even ranked and haven’t really been the powerhouses in the Big 12 this year. Looking at the Big 12 schedule earlier, I wouldn’t have thought this would be the marquee matchup of the conference, but here we are in Week 9 and both of these teams are in the top 20. This is going to be a great game, and Texas Tech has a been a pleasant surprise this year. I think the Red Raiders will come out on top of this one and continue to be unbeated.
Winner: Texas Tech

South Carolina at Missouri, Saturday 7:00 PM EST, ESPN2

Ryan: Missouri is an interesting team this year. The Tigers are ranked high, but really have no reason to be. The Tigers beat Georgia and Florida. However, starting quarterback James Franklin is out for the year and Florida is not as good of a team that we thought of at the beginning of the season. South Carolina has also had an interesting season. Jadaveon Clowney has underachieved this year, and the Gamecocks have lost two close games: Georgia and Tennessee.  Missouri is leading the SEC East by two games with South Carolina behind them. A win here by the Gamecock would still keep the Tigers in first, but a loss would most likely mean the end of South Carolina’s SEC title hopes. The Gamecock have the superior team with Connor Shaw at quarterback and a proven defense. This SEC East matchup will end up being closer than it should, but I see the Gamecock having their way.
Winner: South Carolina

Matt: For me, Missouri has been the surprise team of the year. When I saw that my Hoosiers were playing Missouri, I was kind of hopeful because I believed they were a lower tier SEC team that was more of a basketball school, but they have proved me wrong since they dominated my Hoosiers. They are coming off a very impressive win over Florida last week, and now have moved into the top 5 and are in the national championship picture. South Carolina, on the other hand, has underperformed, when the season started, I know they were on a lot of people’s short list for national champion, but they are coming off an upset by Tennessee. I think Missouri keeps this dream season alive and comes out with a W.
Winner: Missouri

Matt: There you have it! Our picks for the big matchups for Week 9. Here is a complete list of our picks. 

Date	TIME (ET)	MATCHUP	TV	Matt	Ryan
Tuesday	8:00 PM	Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas State		Louisiana-Lafayette	Louisiana-Lafayette
Thursday	7:30 PM	Kentucky at Mississippi State		Mississippi State	Mississippi State
Thursday	7:30 PM	Marshall at Middle Tennessee	FOX Sports 1	Marshall	Marshall
Friday	8:00 PM	Boise State at Brigham Young		Boise State	BYU
Saturday	3:30 PM	Michigan State at Illinois		Illinois	MSU
Saturday	12:00 PM	Wake Forest at No. 7 Miami (FL)		Miami (FL)	Miami (FL)
Saturday	12:00 PM	No. 19 Oklahoma State at Iowa State		Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State
Saturday	12:00 PM	No. 20 Louisville at South Florida		Louisville	Louisville
Saturday	12:00 PM	Connecticut at No. 23 UCF	ESPN 3	UCF	UCF
Saturday	12:00 PM	No. 24 Nebraska at Minnesota		Nebraska	Nebraska
Saturday	12:00 PM	Houston at Rutgers		Houston	Rutgers
Saturday	12:00 PM	Ball State at Akron	ESPN 3	Ball State	Ball State
Saturday	12:00 PM	Northwestern at Iowa	BTN	Northwestern	Northwestern
Saturday	12:21 PM	Vanderbilt at No. 16 Texas A&M	ESPN 3	Texas A&M	Texas A&M
Saturday	12:30 PM	Georgia Tech at Virginia	ESPN 3	Georgia Tech	Georgia Tech
Saturday	1:00 PM	Pittsburgh at Navy	CBS Sports Network	Pittsburgh	Navy
Saturday	1:00 PM	Old Dominion at Norfolk State		Old Dominion	Norfolk State
Saturday	2:00 PM	Miami (OH) at Ohio	ESPN 3	Miami (OH)	Ohio
Saturday	2:30 PM	Toledo at Bowling Green	ESPN 3	Bowling Green	Bowling Green
Saturday	3:00 PM	Western Michigan at Massachusetts	ESPN 3	Western Michigan	Umass
Saturday	3:00 PM	Temple at Southern Methodist	ESPN 3	Southern Methodist	Southern Methodist
Saturday	3:30 PM	Tennessee at No. 1 Alabama	CBS	Alabama	Alabama
Saturday	3:30 PM	North Carolina State at No. 2 Florida State		Florida State	Florida State
Saturday	3:30 PM	No. 9 Clemson at Maryland		Clemson	Clemson
Saturday	3:30 PM	No. 10 Texas Tech at No. 15 Oklahoma	FOX	Texas Tech	Oklahoma
Saturday	3:30 PM	Duke at No. 14 Virginia Tech		Virginia Tech	Virginia Tech
Saturday	3:30 PM	Eastern Michigan at No. 18 Northern Illinois	ESPN 3	Northern Illinois	Northern Illinois
Saturday	3:30 PM	Boston College at North Carolina	ESPN 3	Boston College	North Carolina
Saturday	3:30 PM	UTEP at Rice		Rice	Rice
Saturday	3:30 PM	Buffalo at Kent State	ESPN 3	Buffalo	Buffalo
Saturday	3:30 PM	Tulsa at Tulane		Tulsa	Tulane
Saturday	3:45 PM	West Virginia at Kansas State	FOX Sports 1	West Virginia	Kansas State
Saturday	4:00 PM	Utah at USC	Pac-12 Network	Utah	USC
Saturday	4:00 PM	Troy at Western Kentucky	ESPN 3	Western Kentucky	Western Kentucky
Saturday	5:00 PM	Notre Dame at Air Force	CBS Sports Network	Notre Dame	Notre Dame
Saturday	5:00 PM	UAB at UTSA		UAB	UAB
Saturday	6:00 PM	Louisiana Tech at Florida International		Louisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech
Saturday	6:05 PM	UNLV at Nevada	ESPN 3	UNLV	Nevada
Saturday	7:00 PM	No. 12 UCLA at No. 3 Oregon		Oregon	Oregon
Saturday	7:00 PM	No. 21 South Carolina at No. 5 Missouri		Missouri	South Carolina
Saturday	7:00 PM	No. 8 Baylor at Kansas		Baylor	Baylor
Saturday	7:00 PM	Furman at No. 13 LSU	ESPN 3	LSU	LSU
Saturday	7:00 PM	Wyoming at San Jose State		Wyoming	San Jose State
Saturday	7:00 PM	South Alabama at Texas State	ESPN 3	Texas State	South Alabama
Saturday	7:00 PM	Georgia State at Louisiana-Monroe	ESPN 3	Louisiana-Monroe	Louisiana-Monroe
Saturday	7:00 PM	North Texas at Southern Miss		North Texas	North Texas
Saturday	7:30 PM	Florida Atlantic at No. 11 Auburn	ESPN 3	Auburn	Auburn
Saturday	7:30 PM	Idaho at Ole Miss	ESPN 3	Ole Miss	Ole Miss
Saturday	7:30 PM	Texas at TCU	FOX Sports 1	Texas	Texas
Saturday	8:00 PM	Penn State at No. 4 Ohio State		Ohio State	Ohio State
Saturday	8:00 PM	Arizona at Colorado	Pac-12 Network	Colorado	Arizona
Saturday	8:00 PM	Abilene Christian at New Mexico State	ESPN 3	New Mexico State	Abilene Christian
Saturday	10:30 PM	No. 6 Stanford at No. 25 Oregon State		Stanford	Stanford
Saturday	10:30 PM	No. 17 Fresno State at San Diego State		Fresno State	Fresno State
Saturday	11:00 PM	California at Washington	FOX Sports 1	Washington	Washington
Sunday	12:00 AM	Colorado State at Hawaii		Hawaii	Colorado State