October 30, 2026Updated October 31, 2026, 8:10 a.m. ET
- Week 9 of college football, which coincides with Halloween weekend, could produce some surprising results.
- Previously undefeated Big 12 teams were upset last week, suggesting the favorites aren’t guaranteed to win.
- Key matchups include Georgia vs. Florida and No. 2 Ohio State visiting Southern California without its starting quarterback.
You may or may not believe in the spookiness of Halloween. But when you add a Saturday of college football to the mix, there are bound to be some strange results at stadiums across the country.
The Week 9 schedule doesn’t include a ton of high-profile games that would appear to impact the College Football Playoff race. It often doesn’t matter. Just go back to Week 8, where upsets of undefeated Big 12 Brigham Young and Texas Tech in games were each significantly favored.
Possible surprises include No. 3 Georgia’s annual showdown with Florida, Utah traveling to Cincinnati a week after the Bearcats dominated that Texas Tech team and No. 2 Ohio State visiting Southern California in its first game since an injury to starting quarterback Julian Sayin.
Are these the places where the shocks will occur? That’s where USA TODAY Sports’ college football team comes in. Our experts weigh in with their bold predictions.
Bold college football predictions for Week 9
Notre-Dame becomes a CFP candidate again
Having two weeks to simmer and improve after a maddening loss at BYU, Notre Dame torches Navy. What is the wait. But the Irish get five touchdowns from quarterback CJ Carr. They get a long score from underused freshman sensation Jonaz Walton. And, most importantly, they are once again focused on Nov. 7, when Miami’s best players will travel to Miami for what amounts to a one-game chance to control their own destiny. –Jean Brice
Ohio State finds a way against USC
No, I don’t believe in Lincoln Riley. No, Southern California is no better than what we saw after a lifeless performance against Wisconsin last week. It’s a long journey for an Ohio State team without its starting quarterback. The Buckeyes aren’t done without Julian Sayin yet due to a serious shoulder injury, they’ll just need a few weeks to figure it out. -Matt Hayes
Texas Tech continues to slump with another loss
It was only a matter of time before Texas Tech was exposed, and it went pretty poorly against Cincinnati. The Red Raiders return home, where a tempting Arizona team arrives. The Wildcats are hot with Noah Fifita starting them, and he has enough firepower to stun Texas Tech’s defense, while the offensive inconsistency continues. Texas Tech has won 12 straight home games, but that streak ends thanks to the Wildcats, giving the home team a devastating loss that truly puts them on the outside of the playoff hunt. One can only wonder what Cody Campbell will say this time around. –Jordan Mendoza
SEC seesaw after Florida stuns Georgia
Things get even stranger in the SEC, as Florida pulled off a major upset of Georgia to hand the Bulldogs a second loss. The Gators haven’t won this rivalry since 2020 and have only done so twice since hiring Kirby Smart in 2016. That would leave at most one one-loss SEC team in Kentucky and create a logjam of two-loss teams before October even ends. –Paul Myerberg
Ohio State stumbles against USC
It would seem counterintuitive to expect Southern California to bounce back from a listless performance against Wisconsin and then beat the No. 2 team in the country. However, there is nothing more dangerous than a team backed against a wall. And that’s what Trojans are. Add in the fact that Ohio State has a freshman starter at quarterback and losing USC could take a bit of edge off their game, and you have a situation where the Buckeyes are ripe for an upset. –Erick Smith
Michigan and Rutgers live up to spooky Halloween expectations
Count Floyd, here. Welcome, kids, to Monster Chiller Horror Theater. Ah-woooo! Very scary! Want to see something really scary, something really horrifying? Tune into BTN around 12:30 p.m. ET on Halloween to see the scariest thing imaginable: a Michigan vs. Rutgers football game. Hey, come on! Of course it’s scary! What happens when a resistible force meets a moving object? And all these big booms! Oh wait, those are just punts. Oh, is this supposed to be a prediction? Well, Michigan will probably win and the Wolverines might even break the 20-point mark. But really, children, don’t make any noise. It will give you nightmares. -Eddie Timanus
Wisconsin stays alive, Iowa says goodbye
Luke Fickell will trade his preseason hot spot for a midseason bull — yes, that’s a real trophy — when his Wisconsin Badgers beat Iowa. Better yet, the road upset will keep Wisconsin on the playoff contender’s list after a game that amounts to a playoff battle of two-loss Big Ten teams. Although the sportsbooks favor the Hawkeyes and I generally shy away from facing home teams in conference games, these teams seem to be trending in opposite directions. Wisconsin is coming off a dominant win over Southern California, while Iowa is coming off a loss to Minnesota. Both teams have defenses that rank in the top four in the Big Ten. First team to 17 wins? –Blake Toppmeyer
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