Week 9 Saturday picks: USC at Cal, Notre Dame at Temple, more
We entered last week expecting a weak slate of games to produce predictable results. Instead, we watched Georgia Tech shock Florida State on a blocked field goal return and Alabama nearly lose at home to an unranked opponent. What’s in store for this week? Five of the teams ranked in the top seven of the AP Poll are off, but look no further than last week as evidence that a lack of marquee matchups doesn’t mean there won’t be drama.
Can Ole Miss survive a trip to Auburn? Who will win the key SEC East tilt between Florida and Georgia? Could Stanford stumble at Washington State? A group of SI.com college football writers—Andy Staples, Pete Thamel, Thayer Evans, Zac Ellis, Colin Becht, Lindsay Schnell, Brian Hamilton and Ben Glicksman—offers its predictions for those games and more.
• HAMILTON: The challenge of preparing for special teams disasters
• CHEN: Temple hopes to continue dream season against Notre Dame
• ESTES: What to watch for in Week 9's most intriguing matchups
| Staples | Thamel | Evans | Ellis | Becht | Schnell | Hamilton | Glicksman |
Illinois at Penn St. | ||||||||
Ole Miss at Auburn | ||||||||
USC at Cal | ||||||||
Clemson at NC State | ||||||||
Florida vs. Georgia | ||||||||
Okla. St. at Tex. Tech | ||||||||
Vanderbilt at Houston | ||||||||
Miami at Duke | ||||||||
Michigan at Minnesota | ||||||||
Texas at Iowa St. | ||||||||
Tennessee at Kentucky | ||||||||
UND at Temple | ||||||||
Stanford at Wash. St. | ||||||||
LAST WEEK | 10-6 | 11-5 | 9-7 | 11-5 | 12-4 | 10-6 | 9-7 | 11-5 |
SEASON | 86-46 | 83-49 | 87-45 | 87-45 | 87-45 | 85-47 | 77-55 | 89-43 |
