Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
The Big Ten and Mountain West had their 2020 college football debuts last week, but there is no league making the same in Week 9 – we have to wait until Week 10 for the Pac-12 to be the last to join the party.
Clearly the marquee matchup of Week 9 is from the Big Ten and specifically the East Division as No. 3 Ohio State visits No. 18 Penn State at 7:30 p.m. ET. This lost a little bit of luster when the Nittany Lions were upset last week by Indiana.
Penn State also got bad news last week when star running back Journey Brown was revealed to be suffering with an undisclosed medical condition that likely will keep him out the entire season. Ohio State, meanwhile, had little trouble smashing Nebraska.
Last year, Ohio State beat visiting Penn State 28-17 to clinch the East. JK Dobbins was a monster with 36 carries for 157 yards and two scores, but he’s now with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Penn State starting QB Sean Clifford left in the third quarter and didn’t return. The Buckeyes are -13 this time but 0-4 ATS in the past four in this series.
Also in the Big Ten, first-year Michigan State coach Mel Tucker gets his first taste of the rivalry with No. 13 Michigan as the Spartans visit Ann Arbor at noon ET. Former Sparty coach Mark Dantonio had plenty of success against Michigan, but the Spartans were blasted 44-10 last year, also in Ann Arbor. It was UM’s most lopsided win in the rivalry since a 49-3 victory in 2002. Coach Jim Harbaugh definitely rubbed it in. The Wolverines are -25 but 1-5 ATS in the past six at home in the series.
From the Big 12, Texas visits No. 6 Oklahoma State at 4 p.m. ET. The Pokes and K-State are the only teams in the Big 12 without a conference loss, while the Longhorns have two. Thus, another defeat here and Texas can all but forget about playing in the Big 12 title game – and the pressure will really be on coach Tom Herman. Oklahoma State lost at Texas last year 36-30 as Horns QB Sam Ehlinger had four TD passes. The Cowboys had won four straight in the series. OSU is -3 and 7-1 ATS in its past eight conference games.
From the ACC, top-ranked Clemson looks to continue rolling as the Tigers host Boston College at noon ET. The Eagles were no match last year in a 59-7 home loss. Clemson scored on every first-half possession. The Tigers are -31.5 for this one, while BC is 5-1 ATS in its past six ACC games.
