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College football schedule Week 9: Straight-up picks for every Top 25 game

ByDominic Gugliotta|
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 19: Wisconsin (RB) Jonathan Taylor (23) warming up prior to a college football game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Illinois Fighting Illini on October 19, 2019 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 19: Wisconsin (RB) Jonathan Taylor (23) warming up prior to a college football game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Illinois Fighting Illini on October 19, 2019 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Making predictions for who will win every Top 25 game in college football this week.

Top teams within the college football rankings continue to fall as Wisconsin, Missouri and Boise State all fell to unranked opponents one week ago. The most shocking was Lovie Smith‘s Fighting Illini who entered the game against the Wisconsin Badgers as 31-point underdogs. After a game-winning field goal loss, Wisconsin now travels to Columbus, Ohio to face the best in the Big Ten.

Jim Harbaugh‘s disastrous season continues as the head coach continues to fall short against ranked opponents. In a 28-21 loss to Penn State, Harbaugh’s team never led and was no match for Sean Clifford. Desperate to beat a ranked team, Michigan welcomes Notre Dame in what should be a fantastic late-night rivalry game.

One of the calling cards of this series has been a lack of predicting one of the main dominos to fall on a weekly basis. This week, Clemson should be ready to dominate a Boston College Golden Eagles team as 34-point favorites, but for some reason, I have a feeling there could be an upset in the ACC this weekend.

Joe Burrow is emerging as a potential first-round selection in the next NFL Draft with a potential Heisman campaign with LSU this season. If he can add another ranked win to his resume against Auburn, Burrow may be embarking on the best season by an LSU quarterback since Matt Flynn during the team’s last national championship in 2007.

One of the under the radar storylines this season has been the emergence of Appalachian State in the Sun Belt. A program that was boosted into the Division 1 in 2014, the Mountaineers have quickly entered the Top 25 and are proving they belong. With what should be a cakewalk in a horrid South Alabama team, App State could enter the Top 15 for the first time in school history after this weekend.

Week 8 schedule and predictions (winner in bold)

Thursday, Oct. 24

  • No. 16 SMU at Houston 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Oct. 26

  • No. 13 Wisconsin at No. 3 Ohio State 12 p.m., FOX
  • No. 5 Oklahoma at Kansas State 12 p.m., ABC
  • No. 20 Iowa at Northwestern 12 p.m., ESPN2
  • No. 21 Appalachian State at South Alabama 12 p.m., ESPNU
  • No. 9 Auburn at No. 2 LSU 3:30 p.m., CBS
  • No. 6 Penn State at Michigan State 3:30 p.m., ABC
  • No. 15 Texas at TCU 3:30 p.m., FOX
  • Maryland at No. 17 Minnesota 3:30 p.m., ESPN
  • Oklahoma State at No. 23 Iowa State 3:30 p.m., FS1
  • Arkansas at No. 1 Alabama 7 p.m., ESPN
  • Boston College at No. 4 Clemson 7:30 p.m., ACCN
  • No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 19 Michigan 7:30 p.m., ABC
  • No. 24 Arizona State at UCLA 7:30 p.m., PAC12
  • California at No. 12 Utah 10 p.m., FS1
  • Washington State at No. 11 Oregon 10:30 p.m., ESPN

Overall record: 128-29

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