College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds: Oregon vs. Illinois, Texas vs. Vanderbilt are among the best bets in Week 9

The SEC title race in late October is always exciting, and this week is no exception. No. 8 LSU faces No. 14 Texas A&M in a matchup featuring the last two teams undefeated in conference play. Many people would not have expected this before the start of the season.

Even for the winner, the path to the SEC title game remains unclear. To close out the regular season, Texas A&M hosts Texas, while Alabama, currently ranked eighth, visits LSU on November 9th.

Alabama, eighth. Things are that wild.

Each week I will use this space to tell you what I think are some of the best bets for the sports betting weekend. I’ll also include a surprise of the week, which is a team that is at least a touchdown underdog at BetMGM that I’m picking to win overall.

I’ll also give you tips on other games involving potential College Football Playoff teams. Now that we’re in October, I’ve expanded the list of other CFP contenders to include the top 16 teams in the AP Poll.

Games against FCS opponents are not taken into account.

Purdue is taking the week off, so I’ll have to go somewhere else in the state for a good bet. The current and a former No. 1 are also presented.

Odds via BetMGM sportsbook. Get the latest BetMGM promo code to join the game.

Week 9 Pick

No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon (-21.5): The Ducks are riding a wave of momentum that has propelled them to the top of the polls, but they aren’t exactly destroying their schedule. Oregon has only won two games by more than that betting limit this season, and oddly enough, both were on the road. The Ducks posted 35-point wins against rival Oregon State and, just last week, Purdue. Illinois will make Oregon work hard to win, but they will win. Pick: Illinois +21.5

Washington at No. 13 Indiana (-6.5): Indiana was one of the more pleasant surprises of the season as new coach Curt Cignetti led the Hoosiers to a 7-0 start. Indiana doesn’t just win; it overwhelms its opponents. No team has played closer than 17 points against the Hoosiers this season. Washington could be first, I suppose. After all, this week’s ESPN Gameday is in Bloomington, and the home team is just 3-5 this season entering the game. Still, the Hoosiers should be fine unless Lee Corso coaches them again on Saturday. Pick: Indiana -6.5

No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt (+18.5): When Vanderbilt beat Alabama, the Crimson Tide caught it at a good time and got a big win over Georgia. I don’t mention this to diminish the Commodores’ victory, but as the old saying goes, it’s not always who you play, but when you play them. Well, Vandy is catching Texas at a very bad time. The Longhorns are coming off a 30-15 loss to Georgia that was more dominant than the score suggests. Texas wants to take out their frustration on the Commodores, and I believe they will. Pick: Texas -18.5

Surprise of the week

No. 3 Penn State at Wisconsin (-6.5): Wisconsin has won its last three games by at least 20 points. In other words, the Badgers are playing more like we imagined before the season started. The Nittany Lions are having a great season, as their rankings show. This is a difficult road environment and Penn State will have to be careful not to get caught looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Ohio State. I like the betting underdog Badgers to make it difficult for Penn State and eliminate them in the end. Pick: Wisconsin +6.5

Other CFP candidates

SportsLine’s proven computer model calls for five upsets in Week 9 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates every game 10,000 times.