Week 9 preview: Conference title contenders, key matchups and extra

We’re past the midpoint of the 2025 season and there is not a convention within the nation that has a clear-cut front-runner.

There are 60 FBS faculties with no multiple convention loss, and ESPN’s FPI metric provides 29 of them at the very least a ten% likelihood of successful their league.

It’s not even simply the sheer quantity of contenders, it is the stunning groups which are within the combine (howdy, Virginia, Cincinnati and Vanderbilt).

All of meaning we’re most likely in for one of many wildest Novembers in current reminiscence, with each convention up for grabs and the playoff image as murky as ever. Good luck with all that, committee. — David Hale

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League title contenders | South Florida-Memphis
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Who’s trying like a convention title contender?

ACC: Take seven groups. Throw them right into a hat. Shake it up. Pull out a reputation. There’s your ACC champion! OK, it is not precisely that chaotic, nevertheless it actually feels that means.

The present favourite to win the convention, in line with FPI, is Georgia Tech — a group that’s undefeated however hasn’t performed an entire soccer sport but. The Yellow Jackets have trailed within the second half in three of their seven wins and have misplaced the turnover battle 4 instances.

Virginia has performed with hearth much more than Georgia Techs. The Cavaliers have gained three straight video games through which they trailed within the fourth quarter, together with two that went to extra time.

Louisville trailed Pitt by double digits within the second half, then misplaced to Virginia after surrendering two defensive touchdowns — however the Cardinals even have a win over Miami, which places them in prime place to make a run.

The Hurricanes are unquestionably essentially the most proficient group within the ACC, however a Week 8 loss to Louisville uncovered some obvious weaknesses within the run sport, an absence of a fringe menace within the passing sport, and noticed Carson Beck revert to the worst of his Georgia period when making an attempt to power issues.

Then there’s SMU, which got here inside a whisker of successful the convention final yr, and the Mustangs nonetheless have not misplaced a regular-season ACC contest since becoming a member of the league.

Add in Duke and Pitt, who nonetheless have at the very least a puncher’s likelihood, and the race to Charlotte for the ACC championship sport stays fully up within the air with out a clear-cut favourite to win all of it.

Perhaps the larger takeaway is that, of all of the groups within the combine, Florida State and Clemson aren’t amongst them.

The ACC has had its share of wildness over time — although sometimes reserved to the lesser Coastal Division again within the days of divisional play — however 2025 is perhaps essentially the most chaotic but. — Hale

Big Ten: Two groups are barreling towards Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship on Dec. 6. One has performed there usually, however not since 2020, and never earlier than a full crowd since 2019. The different is the Big Ten college situated closest to the stadium, however largely an afterthought as a title hopeful till coach Curt Cignetti got here to city.

Ohio State and Indiana are the highest two ranked groups within the nation, and the highest contenders for the Big Ten title. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers don’t meet throughout the common season. Indiana has zero ranked opponents left on its schedule and will put up its first 12-0 common season after recording its first 10-0 begin simply final season. Ohio State will end with No. 25 Michigan, which, in case you have been stranded on an abandoned island, has gained 4 consecutive video games in opposition to coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

Both Ohio State and Indiana have crushed No. 23 Illinois, and each squads additionally face preseason nationwide title contender Penn State, which is shockingly 0-4 in Big Ten play and searching for a brand new coach.

No. 6 Oregon Ducks can nonetheless have a say, though the Ducks have misplaced the tiebreaker to Indiana and nonetheless face journeys to Iowa and Washington. Six different groups have just one convention loss, together with Michigan, so issues may get fascinating if Ohio State and Indiana begin to stumble. But it will be a shock if the league does not come all the way down to the Buckeyes and Hoosiers. — Adam Rittenberg

Big 12: Eight Big 12 groups are at the moment projected to complete 8-4 or higher in line with FPI, which ought to make for a ton of last-minute drama in a convention race that got here all the way down to tiebreakers final season amid a four-way tie atop the standings.

Texas Tech was dominant by its 6-0 begin, successful each sport by 24 factors or extra, till its street loss at Arizona State. The Red Raiders have to get senior quarterback Behren Morton again and wholesome in time for his or her massive showdown with BYU on Nov. 8.

BYU is off to a different spectacular 7-0 begin however has arguably the hardest remaining schedule within the convention, together with journeys to Iowa State, Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

Cincinnati emerged as a shock contender after knocking off Iowa State however nonetheless should face BYU plus street checks at Utah and TCU. If Utah takes down Cincinnati, there’s an actual path to 10-2 with FPI at the moment giving the Utes a 17% likelihood of successful out.

Arizona State will get Houston and Iowa State up subsequent. Coach Kenny Dillingham has to love how the remainder of the schedule units up for the Sun Devils if they will hold Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, Prince Dorbah and the remainder of their stars wholesome. Houston is the 6-1 group that no one noticed coming. The Cougars’ lone loss was to Texas Tech, they usually could make a serious assertion this week with an upset in Tempe.

Iowa State misplaced two in a row after rising as excessive as No. 14 within the AP ballot however can get proper again within the race with a win over BYU on Saturday. And do not rely out TCU, which may have an opportunity to play spoiler in opposition to a November slate of Iowa State, BYU, Houston and Cincinnati. — Max Olson

SEC: With a whopping 10 SEC groups ranked within the AP Top 25 ballot this week, it is anybody’s guess as to which two will probably be left standing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 6.

No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia at the moment seem to be the groups to beat.

Or possibly not.

The Aggies appeared like maybe essentially the most full group within the league till their protection struggled in a 45-42 win at Arkansas final week. Texas A&M faces probably the most demanding schedules the remainder of the best way with street video games at LSU, Missouri and Texas.

Alabama has gained six video games in a row since falling 31-17 at Florida State in its opener. The Crimson Tide have two video games left in opposition to ranked opponents — LSU and Oklahoma at house. They’ll play at Auburn within the Iron Bowl, through which something can occur.

Georgia has already performed 5 SEC gamess and has just one true street sport remaining — at Mississippi State on Nov. 8. The Bulldogs play rival Florida in Jacksonville the week earlier than and host Texas the week after.

No. 8 Ole Miss remains to be very a lot within the SEC title hunt, even after shedding 43-35 at Georgia final week. The Rebels must survive street video games at Oklahoma on Saturday and at Mississippi State within the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28.

No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 15 Missouri and No. 22 Texas even have just one loss in SEC play.

The Commodores host Missouri on Saturday and have street video games left at Texas and Tennessee. That’s a tough stretch, however who’s going to doubt quarterback Diego Pavia & Co. at this level?

Oklahoma leads the SEC in scoring protection (9.4 factors), run protection (80.4 yards) and whole protection (213 yards). Can the Sooners get quarterback John Mateer and the offense again on observe? They’ll must as a result of every of their last 5 video games are in opposition to ranked opponents, together with journeys to Tennessee and Alabama.

Missouri has three street video games left in SEC play (at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Arkansas). Texas remains to be a large number on offense, and it must get issues going earlier than it performs three video games in opposition to ranked foes: Vanderbilt (house), Georgia (street) and Texas A&M (house).

There’s loads of parity within the SEC, and the convention title race figures to be even tighter when the league goes to a nine-game SEC schedule in 2026. — Mark Schlabach

How may South Florida-Memphis have an effect on the race for the G5 playoff spot?

What appears pretty clear heading into Week 9 is that the champion of the American Conference will land the Group of 5’s CFP spot. What’s much less clear is what groups will discover their means into the league’s title sport. The South Florida-Memphis game should provide some clarity, although the clash lost a bit of zest after Memphis dropped its first game last week to a UAB team that had fired its coach.

But don’t expect South Florida to be intimidated. Coach Alex Golesh’s team already has road wins against Florida and North Texas, handing the Mean Green their first loss with a 63-36 thrashing on Oct. 10. South Florida has the best profile for CFP selection among Group of 5 teams, although Tulane, which beat Northwestern and Duke, also has a case. Tulane and South Florida don’t play each other during the regular season, and South Florida also visits Navy on Nov. 15.

Missouri-Vanderbilt: Coming into this game, Missouri and Vanderbilt each rank top 15 nationally in run defense, defensive pressure rate and tackle for loss yardage. With that, Saturday’s matchup might swing on whichever team’s offense holds up better in a battle between two of the country’s most aggressive and dominant front-seven units. Auburn and Alabama found ways to slow down Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy and the program’s SEC-leading rushing attack (244.9 YPG) earlier this month. If the Commodores — who have yet to give up more than 146 rushing yards in a game this fall — can contain Missouri on the ground, they’ll be able to keep the Tigers in long-yardage situations and bring the kind of pressure that has tended to disrupt Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula this fall. Vanderbilt has the ultimate X-factor in Heisman hopeful Diego Pavia, who took full advantage of a weak LSU pass rush in Week 8, accounting for three touchdowns in the Commodores’ 31-24 win over the Tigers last weekend. Led by defensive ends Zion Young and Damon Wilson II, a Missouri front seven that’s blowing up opposing backfields more frequently (49.4% pressure rate) than all but three defenses nationally will present a much tougher proposition. Any recipe for a Tigers victory in Nashville begins with limiting Pavia on the ground and keeping a lid on one of college football’s most dynamic playmakers. — Eli Lederman