It’s hard to believe we are already in Week 9 of the college football season. As the old saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” The Week 9 board is filled with plenty of Top 25 matchups to keep an eye on this Saturday. Here are three huge games for Week 9 (ESPN).
Michigan at Michigan State: Noon EST on FOX
WOW, what a treat this game will be to watch. Both teams are a perfect 7-0 and have aspirations of making the Big 10 Title game. Michigan took care of Northwestern last week in blowout fashion while Michigan State was enjoying a bye week.
What makes this game so interesting, other than it being a bitter rivalry is that both teams have similar strengths. Both teams are fantastic at running the ball and both defenses do an excellent job of stopping the run. Michigan has a slightly better statistical profile while Michigan State has the better QB. This could be a low-scoring game, as both teams rank inside the Top 25 in points allowed per game.
Ole Miss at Auburn: 7:00 EST on ESPN
Here’s an SEC West rivalry game that brings plenty of sizzle. Both teams are still very much alive in the race for the SEC West division crown, especially since Alabama lost to Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago. Ole Miss comes into this game at 6-1 while Auburn is 5-2.
Heisman candidate Matt Corral just keeps on putting up impressive numbers week after week. The 6-foot junior showed a lot of heart and guts by playing well against LSU last week, even though he was banged up. Corral has 15 passing touchdowns and 9 rushing touchdowns so the Auburn defense may have a tough time slowing him down.
Auburn QB Bo Nix has been playing much better since getting benched against Georgia State a few weeks ago. The 6-3 junior has thrown 8 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions this season. Running back Tank Bigsby is one of the best in the conference and has run for 526 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Penn State at Ohio State: 7:30 EST on ABC
This game lost a bit of its luster when Penn State lost in nine overtimes to Illinois last weekend. Nevertheless, this should be a great football game. Ohio State is 6-1 while Penn State is 5-2 on the season.
Penn State has a stout defense, as they are only allowing 14.7 points per game. Ohio State has one of the best offenses in the country, as they average 49.3 points per game. This game is strength vs. strength so it could turn out to be the best game of the week.
Penn State QB Sean Clifford has thrown for 1,647 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Nittany Lions will need Clifford to make several big plays to keep pace with the Buckeyes high powered offense. Ohio State QB CJ Stroud is still in the running for the Heisman, as he’s thrown for 1,965 yards and 22 touchdowns so far this year.