Week 9 college football best bets and predictions
We're more than halfway through the college football season and VSiN has been pumping out more content for it than ever. All of our college football stories and resources are available at our Week 9 CFB Bet Hub, where you'll also get best bets from all of my incredibly talented colleagues. But you'll have to keep reading this one to get my college football best bets every week. I'm coming off a tough week with my picks, but I'm looking to bounce back with some winners here. I only have three plays on my card at the moment, but I might add some more picks later on. If I do, they'll be thrown in at the bottom of this story, so definitely make sure to come back and look for more Week 9 college football best bets throughout the day on Saturday, October 28.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for college football best bets from all of our analysts
Oregon Ducks at Utah Utes
Part of the reason Bo Nix has been so good this season is that the Ducks have one of the best offensive lines in the nation. Oregon is first in the country in Havoc allowed, meaning the Ducks rarely make mistakes. And that's because they rarely have defenders in their backfield. But Utah is sixth in the nation in Havoc rating this season, so this is a team that has proven it can cause some problems. And considering this is a home game for the Utes, I think they’ll be fired up and find a way to make Nix uncomfortable. There’s a reason Utah has won 18 home games in a row and 29 of its last 30. The crowd noise in Rice-Eccles Stadium should make it hard for Nix to communicate with his offense. And this is already one of the best defensive lines in college football. That'll be impossible to block when you consider all the factors at play.
The only thing I’m really concerned about with this game is the Utah offense. If Cameron Rising were playing for the Utes, I’d have zero doubts about them winning this game. But the star quarterback is out for the season, so it’ll be Bryson Barnes’ show the rest of the year. Barnes isn’t nearly the player that Rising is under center, but the junior has made some significant strides in recent weeks. He was especially impressive in last week’s win over the USC Trojans, throwing for 235 yards with three touchdowns and adding another 57 yards and a score on the ground. Barnes has now rushed for at least 50 yards in back-to-back games, and he is just looking very confident now. Between that and the emergence of two-way star Sione Vaki, this Utes offense suddenly looks formidable. And with a defense like Utah’s, that’s more than enough.