College Football Predictions for Week 9

College football is starting to kick it into high gear now that most teams are in the meaty portion of their conference play. With a Top-10 matchup, a clash of two Big Ten titans, and a renewal of one of the best rivalries in college football, Week 9 isn't going to be short on drama.

UCF vs Temple

The Knights look much more grounded with Dillon Gabriel as their quarterback as opposed to Mckenzie Milton or Darriel Mack, and Temple has made a habit out of taking down quality competition this year. But in a matchup of contrasting styles, expect Adrian Killins and the speed of UCF to prevail against the power of the Owls. Temple's secondary is not what it was after the NFL snagged a couple key contributors, and Josh Heupel's offense will have minimal difficulty getting behind their DBs.

UCF 42, Temple 27

South Carolina vs Tennessee

Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks are much better than their record says they are, as they had to play three Top-10 teams in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, winning their game on the road against the latter. While Tennessee managed to not get blown out against an Alabama team that lost Tua Tagovailoa in the middle of the matchup, uncertainty at quarterback will once again doom this team. Expect an easy day for Hilinski against this defense as the Gamecocks pick up a win on the road in Knoxville.

South Carolina 35, Tennessee 20

Duke vs UNC

The storied basketball rivalry will be just as competitive on the gridiron this year, as Quentin Harris and Duke showed just how deadly the can be when they stomped Virginia Tech 45-10 on the road. North Carolina's 3-4 record is a bit misleading, as Mack Brown's Tar Heels were erroneously denied a last-second chance against Wake Forest, had a game-tying field goal blocked by Appalachian State, and lost by one to Clemson. Freshman quarterback Sam Howell has lived up to the hype, throwing 20 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Expect a couple more TDs as the Tar Heels win their biggest game of the year against the Blue Devils.

UNC 38, Duke 31

Oklahoma State vs No. 23 Iowa State

Ames is where the best teams in the country often go to die, but Mike Gundy's Cowboys will be ready for the challenge of taking down Matt Campbell, Brock Purdy, and the Cyclones. Freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders remains inconsistent, but wildly talented, while Oklahoma State can lean on the series of a Top-5 receiver in the country in Tylan Wallace, in addition to the nation's leading rusher in Chuba Hubbard. Iowa State's defense is much improved, but this could be too much to handle.

Oklahoma State 48, Iowa State 42

No. 15 Texas vs TCU

Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorns face an uphill battle to get back to the Big 12 Championship, as they will need to basically win out and pray that one of Oklahoma or Baylor slips up. They start their journey toward the championship with a winnable TCU game. They still have a tough defense, and Max Duggan has proven himself to be much better than Alex Delton, but this offense is still putrid, and Todd Orlando should have no trouble dispatching of this unit. Expect a dominant Longhorn win to get back on track after the Kansas nightmare.

Texas 35, TCU 17

Washington State vs No. 11 Oregon

Anthony Gordon might be the nation's leading passer by virtue of spearheading Mike Leach's still deadly Air Raid, but Justin Herbert and Oregon are right to be heavily favored in this one. Coming off a signature win on the road against Jacob Eason and Washington, Herbert has kept the Ducks on track after losing to Auburn in Week 1, and has them firmly in pole position in the Pac-12. If the conference is getting a playoff team, Oregon is the best they've got, and they should take down the Cougars in an old-fashioned Pac-12 shootout.

Oregon 45, Washington State 35

No. 6 Penn State vs Michigan State

Sean Clifford and Penn State announced that they're true playoff contenders with a last-gasp win over Jim Harbaugh and Michigan. A road game against Kenny Willekes and Michigan State in East Lansing could be extremely problematic given how tough a nut that defense can be to crack. This should be a low-scoring game, but Yetur Gross-Matos and the defensive line will likely get to Brian Lewerke and force at least one critical mistake. That mistake could be enough to give Penn State the win in a close game.

Penn State 24, Michigan State 14

No. 8 Notre Dame vs No. 19 Michigan

Brian Kelly once again has the Irish within striking distance of a playoff spot, as Ian Book and the offense are getting by through what has been a pretty decent schedule to this point. Michigan has 4- and 5-star players all over the roster, but the offense under Josh Gattis still looks out of sync and Shea Patterson remains extremely inconsistent. Notre Dame's defense is by no means a world-beater, but the unit has improved ever since the loss against Georgia, and that gives them the upper hand on the road against the Wolverines. If Jim Harbaugh loses this one at home, the calls for his head are only going to get louder.

Notre Dame 31, Michigan 24

No. 13 Wisconsin vs No. 3 Ohio State

FOX was probably screaming every expletive in the book when Illinois pulled off an insane upset of a Wisconsin team that was previously ranked No. 6 overall. Still, this dynamite matchup from Columbus will feature the best back in the country in Jonathan Taylor squaring off against Chase Young and Ohio State's freakish defensive line. As it so often does, this game could come down to whichever quarterback plays mistake-free football. Justin Fields is a Heisman contender, while Jack Coan is as average as they come, giving the Buckeyes a massive advantage. Ohio State should win this game and move up even further in the polls.

Ohio State 28, Wisconsin 14

No. 9 Auburn vs No. 2 LSU

LSU and their suddenly unstoppable offense will face off against Derrick Brown and an Auburn defense that's just as nasty as they said they would be on paper. The success of Kyle Trask on the road might give Bo Nix some hope that Auburn can move the ball against Grant Delpit and this defense, but it's hard to believe Dave Aranda's guys will struggle twice in a row. If Joe Burrow stays at his Heisman-winning clip that he has been at the last few years, LSU should win its third game of the year against a Top-10 team and take over the No. 1 spot in the country.

LSU 31, Auburn 20