College football odds, lines, Week 9 schedule: Oregon, Texas A&M head into key conference games as favorites

After one more Move to No. 1 in the college football rankingsWeek 9 will offer more potential for an upset as the schedule features five games between ranked teams and some interesting tests for the top teams in the country. Sports betting providers have already identified the favorites and underdogs for the coming week and have set the betting odds for week 9.

One of the biggest games of the week will be Oregon’s first game as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll since 2012 when the Ducks host No. 20 Illinois on Saturday afternoon in Eugene. And while No. 2 Georgia is out this week and No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State face unranked conference competition, the test for top teams also includes No. 8 LSU as an underdog at No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 5 Texas, which looks to get back on the road at No. 25 Vanderbilt, which flexed its upset muscles earlier this season when it beat No. 15 Alabama.

Speaking of the Crimson Tide, Kalen DeBoer will have his team back at home after falling to 5-2 on the year, and Caesars Sportsbook has them as double-digit favorites against No. 21 Missouri.

Let’s look at some of the first betting lines for Week 9:

All sports betting odds via Caesars Sportsbook. Check out the latest Caesars promo code to get in on the game.

Big games

No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon (-21.5): The Fighting Illini have exceeded oddsmakers’ expectations almost every week, but this will be a tough test, ranging from an emotional home win against Michigan to a visit to the Pacific Northwest to face the new No. 1 team in the world to compete country. The Ducks were impressive after a quick turnaround after their win at Ohio State, defeating Purdue 35-0, and now they have the advantage of getting some extra rest for this big Big Ten showdown.

No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M (-3): The SEC Championship implications are huge for this head-to-head battle between former SEC West rivals. LSU and Texas A&M are both 6-1 overall and 7-0 combined in conference play, giving the winner a big advantage in potential tiebreaker scenarios when it comes to securing one of Atlanta’s two spots in the conference title game .

No. 5 Texas (-18.5) at No. 25 Vanderbilt: Unfortunately, the Longhorns’ path to another win takes them to the same stadium where both Alabama and Virginia Tech completely lost as double-digit favorites. The Commodores continued their winning streak in Week 8, improving to 5-2, but it didn’t go smoothly as the 24-14 lead against Ball State was far smaller than expected.

No. 12 Notre Dame (-13.5) vs. No. 24 Navy in East Rutherford, New Jersey: Undefeated Navy enters one of the most anticipated games against Notre Dame in decades with a national ranking and rapid momentum after another blowout win over the weekend. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will be the site of this year’s clash, which will have implications for the College Football Playoff in 2024.

No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama (-14): The Crimson Tide are reeling after losing a fourth-quarter lead for the second time this season, but their Week 9 opponent has plenty of problems of their own. Missouri quarterback Brady Cook had to overcome an ankle injury to lead the team to a fourth-quarter comeback against Auburn, and he is just one of many Tigers battling injury issues this midseason.

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