The Top 10 Scariest College Football Games to Watch on Halloween Weekend

Spooky season has arrived for more than one program and a few folks in particular should be on their guard for ghosts and ghouls in Week 9.

Lincoln Riley’s back is against the wall as USC prepares to face Ohio State, which will break in a backup quarterback on Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Given the amount of tricks and treats that the 2026 college football season has already brought us, it seems only fitting that Halloween would fall on a Saturday. And this year’s Week 9 slate looks particularly scary for some of the biggest names in the sport. 

So rather than give you the best games to watch this weekend, Sports Illustrated is focusing on the 10 spookiest games on Saturday’s schedule. We’ll emphasize who associated with each matchup should be the most afraid, whether it’s a certain coach, a unit, a team or the college football world as a whole. 

Let’s get into it:

10. Oregon State at Fresno State

Saturday, 11 p.m. ET, USA Network

Who should be afraid: Fresno State’s pass defense

The Beavers have methodically carved up opposing secondaries with a patience that Michael Myers would be proud of en route to a 5–2 start. Quarterback Braden Atkinson averages 372 yards per game and has 24 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions, forming a devastating duo with freshman breakout receiver Jesse Legree—the FBS leader in receiving yards (1,040) and receiving touchdowns (14). Fresno State’s passing defense last season was second in the country, but this year ranks 73rd in passing yards allowed per game. The Bulldogs can run for their lives all they want and still, Atkinson and Legree should patiently walk them down on Halloween night.

More: Group of 6 Power Rankings After Week 8

9. No. 6 Utah at Cincinnati

Saturday, 3:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

Who should be afraid: The Utes

Utah has done an excellent job at outrunning (quite literally) the Ghostfaces and Jason Voorhees’s of the world, but has looked vulnerable in its past two games, which often sets the stage for finally getting caught. Cincinnati’s ceiling is high, as evidenced by how it dominated Texas Tech in all facets last weekend. The Bearcats can run the ball with the best teams in the country (eighth in FBS in rushing yards per game) and seemed to baffle Red Raiders quarterback Will Hammond throughout. So is this where the Utes finally slip up? A loss would be pretty harmful considering Utah still has BYU and a trip to Arizona on the schedule, but Morgan Scalley has shown he’s more than capable of surviving pitfalls again and again in his first season on the job.

8. Kansas State at Colorado

Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, TNT

Who should be afraid: Deion Sanders

The Coach Prime era in Boulder is approaching scary hours. The Buffs have lost five straight and have gone 6–16 dating back to the tail end of the 2024 season. The defense, by far the better unit this year, finally collapsed in the second half at Oklahoma State, ultimately relinquishing a season-worst 57 points to the Cowboys. And to top it all off, Deion Sanders had to explain away comments from a content creator close to him that suggested the Colorado coach would be willing to pay $50,000 to media members to tone down their criticism of the program. That sounds like an increasingly frightening horror show and if the Buffs don’t beat an equally floundering Kansas State squad without starting quarterback Avery Johnson, some difficult conversations may need to be had. 

Deion Sanders’s fourth year with Colorado is off to another rough start. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

7. No. 1 Miami at North Carolina

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Who should be afraid: Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels defense

The Belichick that orchestrated the Patriots’ dynasty of the 2000s and 2010s by operating his defense with a number of traps and level of creativity that Jigsaw would be proud of sure seems like a distant memory. North Carolina coughed up a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter at home against Syracuse last Saturday, stifling the momentum building after two road wins over Pitt and Duke. And now the Hurricanes and their top-ranked offense are coming to Chapel Hill, looking to continue their dominance this season. Miami has scored less than 41 points just one this season (at Wake Forest) still leads the nation in points per game (49) and yards per play (7.9). The only Halloween surprise we should really expect from anything associated with Belichick this weekend is what couple’s costume he gets pulled into wearing by girlfriend Jordon Hudson. 

6. No. 2 Ohio State at USC

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Who should be afraid: Playoff hopes

Really everyone involved should be scared of losing this game, because of the impact that it might have on the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff dreams. USC’s head-scratching loss at Wisconsin last week spelled serious trouble for Lincoln Riley’s future in Los Angeles, but the Trojans aren’t officially dead in the water just yet. Ohio State is theoretically a long way from getting eliminated, having just the early-season loss to Texas on its résumé, and yet will have to trot out a backup quarterback for at least the next few weeks after Julian Sayin’s injury. Should the Buckeyes drop this game on the road, we might be having a different conversation about their chances of even getting into the 12-team field.  Both teams may be playing tense come Saturday evening, with the loser potentially screaming in horror after the final whistle.

5. No. 20 Northwestern at Oregon

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, Peacock/NBC Sports Network

Who should be afraid: Oregon, of Chip Kelly’s revenge

Chip Kelly is something of college football’s Freddy Krueger—living on forever in the dreams of fans everywhere as the architect of Oregon’s spread offense when the school became one of the most fearsome programs in the country. But on Saturday, he now has the chance to terrorize the very school where he became a star, returning to Eugene, Ore. at a time when the Ducks are reeling. Offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer is out after just seven games, quarterback Dante Moore is out for the rest of the season and Oregon is one loss away from the worst season of Dan Lanning’s tenure. In fact, a loss on Saturday would result in the worst regular-season stretch the Ducks have had since 2018, Mario Cristobal’s first year as head coach. Though any lingering bad blood between Kelly and the Oregon administration is likely in the past, there’s no doubt that Northwestern’s offensive coordinator will be eager to stick it to his old program and have the wing T live on in the nightmares of Ducks fans for eternity. 

4. No. 22 Arizona at No. 13 Texas Tech

Saturday, noon ET, ESPN

Who should be afraid: Cody Campbell and Texas Tech donors

Billionaire donor Cody Campbell exhibited the sort of misguided confidence that a horror movie character displays right before getting killed when he suggested the Red Raiders would beat Cincinnati by more than 40 points last Saturday. Instead, Texas Tech crumbled and lost by two scores, making its path forward that much more tense. The Red Raiders may not be able to afford another loss and yet could have the final nail driven into their coffin back at home on Halloween with Arizona coming to town. Led by experienced quarterback Noah Fifita and riding a five-game winning streak, the Wildcats could be the next motivated Big 12 program to down Texas Tech and contribute to the expensive nightmare unfolding in Lubbock.

3. No. 25 Wisconsin at Iowa

Saturday, noon ET, Fox

Who should be afraid: Lovers of offense 

We need something of an exorcism to extract the Big Ten West demons of the past from both of these programs in 2026. Yes, the defenses are very good, especially with Iowa ranking eighth in the nation in points allowed per game. It’s just that the offenses are also rather dreadful, with the over/under already dropping down to 36.5, according to FanDuel. The Hawkeyes have scored more than 21 points just once against Power 4 opponents. The Badgers have averaged just 19.6 points per game in their five matchups against power-conference competition. To make matters worse, perhaps the most exciting offensive player on either roster, Iowa running back Kamari Moulton, was ruled out for the season. Expect a slog, with the loser of this game officially bowing out of the Big Ten playoff race. 

2. Clemson at Florida State

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ACC Network

Who should be afraid: Fans of these programs in the mid-2010s 

Remember when these two ACC powerhouses accounted for three national championships and five title game appearances during a seven-year span that began a little over a decade ago? We hardly do either. Seven games into 2026 and the two programs are the embodiment of mediocrity at a combined 7–7. Clemson’s passing game is far worse than mediocre with still a total of two passing touchdowns in seven games, lower than every team in the country, including Army (which has 75 total attempts this season compared to Clemson’s 219). Florida State’s horror show is on the other side of the ball, where the defense ranks outside the top 100 in points allowed per game and is tied for 119th in yards allowed per play (6.3). This game may mean a lot to the players who will take the field on Saturday, and Dabo Swinney and Mike Norvell who would probably like to turn down the temperature on their increasingly warm seats. But for fans of each side who wish to relive their glory days, will be filled with jump scares.

Florida State’s Mike Norvell continues to coach for his job, and Saturday’s game against Clemson is no different. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

1. Northwestern State at Incarnate Word

Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Who should be afraid: the world 

A school whose nickname is the Demons is riding the longest losing streak at the Division I level into a road game against a Catholic institution on Halloween evening. That’s a horror movie plot if I’ve ever heard of one. Northwestern State has lost 18 straight and did so painfully by one score in each of its last two outings against Nicholls State and McNeese State. The Demons also lost to NAIA program Louisiana Christian in the season opener before going on the road and falling 80–6 to Louisiana Tech. Incarnate Word on the other hand has turned around a slow start to the season with back-to-back home wins going into Saturday. That spells trouble for the Demons, who seemed destined for another defeat at the hands of a Catholic organization, just like they have in various Exorcist movies over the years.

---

PODCAST: Listen to Sports Illustrated’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s college YouTube channel or on SI TV.