College football Week 9: The 10 best games this week

It’s week 9 of the college football season, and there are big games everywhere, especially in the Big Ten.

There also are important matchups in the Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, AAC and Mountain West. It’s also the last weekend before the first set of College Football Playoff rankings come out; the first one will be released Tuesday, November 2, at 7 p.m. ET.

So, trust us: This is a huge week.

Here are the 10 best games of Week 9. All games are Saturday, and all times are Eastern.

10. Iowa State (5-2) at West Virginia (3-4)

Time/TV: 2 p.m., ESPN+
The buzz: WVU is coming off a win over TCU and will try to make it two in a row with an upset of Iowa State. The Cyclones handed Oklahoma State its first loss last week and got back in the Big 12 title hunt. They can’t afford to follow up a big win with a loss to the inconsistent Mountaineers. WVU has been good against the run, shaky against the pass. Iowa State’s Brock Purdy is coming off a season-high 307-yard passing performance against Oklahoma State. Iowa State is tied with Baylor and Oklahoma State for second in the league behind Oklahoma. (A get-off-my-lawn aside: That this is not on over-the-air TV is weak.)

9. UCLA (5-3) at Utah (4-3)

Time/TV: 10 p.m., ESPN
The buzz: Utah’s loss at Oregon State this past Saturday makes the Pac-12 South race more interesting. Arizona State and Utah both have one league loss, but ASU’s is to Utah. UCLA has two league losses, including to Arizona State, but the Bruins certainly can shake things up even more in the division if they can beat the Utes. They have a legit shot because of their rushing attack. Utah has struggled to stop the run, and Oregon State ran all over the Utes. The Bruins have rushed for at least 200 yards in each of their five wins; they have been held under 200 in each of their three losses. Defensively, UCLA is good against the run, horrendous against the pass. Utah prefers to run, but has thrown it well at times.

8. Texas (4-3) at Baylor (6-1)

Time/TV: Noon, ABC
The buzz: Raise your hand if, before the season, you thought this game would be more important to Baylor’s Big 12 title hopes than Texas’. The Bears are one of three teams (joining Iowa State and Oklahoma State) that is one game behind league leader Oklahoma. Texas has two league losses and is just trying to play spoiler. Baylor’s offense is predicated on the run, and that should worry the Longhorns and their fans. RB Abram Smith is third in the Big 12 at 112.1 yards per game and has 10 rushing TDs. QB Gerry Bohanon is an effective dual-threat guy, and he has 12 TDs and just one pick as a passer. Texas’ offensive focal point is stud RB Bijan Robinson, who leads the league and is third nationally at 132.0 yards per game. But Baylor is much better against the run than Texas. This will be the 111^th meeting in the series, which is owned by Texas (79-27-4). But five of those Baylor wins have come since 2010.

7. Fresno State (6-2) at San Diego State (7-0)

Time/TV: 10:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
The buzz: If not for Cincinnati being ranked in the top four in both polls, this would be an even bigger Group of 5 game. As it is, it matches the two best teams in the Mountain West — and both are in the West Division. San Diego State is all about defense; Fresno State is all about offense. The Aztecs are especially stingy against the run, having allowed just two rushing touchdowns. Fresno State prefers to move by air, though, behind QB Jake Haener (322.8 yards per game, 22 TDs). Haener has thrown six picks, with four coming in a road loss to Hawaii. SDSU has nine interceptions, which is 14^th nationally. Fresno State has one of the most productive receivers in the nation in Jalen Cropper (55 receptions, a nation’s-leading 10 TDs). Both teams have stud edge rushers: San Diego State’s Cameron Thomas has 4.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, and Fresno State has Kevin Atkins (six sacks, 10.5 TFL), Arron Mosby (four sacks, 10 TFL) and David Perales (four sacks, 8.5 TFL).

6. Penn State (5-2) at Ohio State (6-1)

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ABC
The buzz: Man, this game lost a ton of luster when Penn State fell to Illinois. You have to score a lot to beat Ohio State, and if you can muster only 18 points in nine overtimes against the Illini … well, let’s just say that Penn State’s defense better play its best game of the season. The Nittany Lions do have a stout defense, though their work against the run has been spotty, but the Buckeyes have the most explosive offense in the nation. Penn State needs WR Jahan Dotson to have a big game against an Ohio State secondary that still is at least a small question mark. A win in this one and it’s hard not to think Ohio State will be 9-1 heading into its final two regular-season games, against Michigan State and Michigan. Three weeks ago, Penn State was seen as a legit contender for the College Football Playoff. Now, the Nittany Lions merely hope to play a spoiler role.

5. SMU (7-0) at Houston (6-1)

Time/TV: 7 p.m., ESPN2
The buzz: Cincinnati is the best team in the AAC; the winner of this can claim it’s the second-best. Houston doesn’t play Cincinnati in the regular season, while SMU is at Cincinnati on November 20. As with the week’s big game in the Mountain West, one team in this one is about defense (Houston) and the other about offense (SMU). Mustangs QB Tanner Mordecai, an Oklahoma transfer, leads the nation with 29 TD passes and is averaging 331.4 passing yards per game. There are four dangerous receivers: WRs Reggie Roberson Jr., Rashee Rice and Danny Gray and TE Grant Calcaterra, another OU transfer. There’s a solid complementary rushing attack, as well. Houston has allowed just seven TD passes, but the Cougars haven’t played a passing attack as prolific as SMU’s. The Cougars’ offense has been inconsistent, but it very likely could get well against a porous Mustangs defense. True freshman RB Alton McCaskill is a guy to watch.

4. Ole Miss (6-1) at Auburn (5-2)

Time/TV: 7 p.m., ESPN
The buzz: An important game in the SEC West race; these are two of the three teams tied with one league loss (Alabama is the other). Ole Miss leads the league in rushing at 263.3 yards per game; QB Matt Corral is a dangerous dual threat, and the Rebels go a legit three-deep at running back with Snoop Conner, Henry Parrish Jr. and Jerrion Ealy. Dontario Drummond is the key receiver. The defense? Well, it’s not that good and Auburn figures to make it a priority to get its rushing attack cranked up. Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter are a nice duo, and Bo Nix has had his moments as a passer this season (“moments” is the key word there). Auburn’s run defense has struggled in the past two games (a loss to Georgia, a win over Arkansas), and a bad day against the run can’t happen against Ole Miss. Though both are longtime members of the SEC, this is just the 45^th meeting between the teams. Auburn has won five in a row in the series and leads overall 34-10.

3. Iowa (6-1) at Wisconsin (4-3)

Time/TV: Noon, ESPN
The buzz: You like defense? Make sure to tune in to this one. Neither is that good offensively, but both play high-level defense. Both prefer to run, and if either must throw to win? Yikes. In that scenario, Iowa is better—but that’s like saying liver and onions are better than lima beans. Those aren’t good choices. Wisconsin has been much more productive on the ground than Iowa, and that should worry the Hawkeyes. Two weeks ago, Iowa was unbeaten and there was talk of the College Football Playoff. Then came a loss to Purdue. And if the Hawkeyes lose this one, the Big Ten West title might be out of reach. As it is, it looks to be a three-team race between Iowa, Minnesota and the Badgers, who already have two league losses and cannot afford another.

2. Florida (4-3) vs. Georgia (7-0)

Site: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m., CBS
The buzz: One of just three annual neutral-site games left in FBS (Army-Navy and Oklahoma-Texas are the others); hopefully, the powers-that-be disregard Kirby Smart’s complaints and keep the game in Jacksonville. Georgia looks to have smooth sailing to a 12-0 regular season. The offense certainly isn’t overpowering, but it is efficient behind QB Stetson Bennett. The defense? It is overpowering — and soul-crushing, really, to opposing offenses. The Bulldogs are allowing 203.1 yards per game, and have surrendered just four offensive touchdowns and 46 total points. The front seven has been lights-out good. Florida figures to start Anthony Richardson at quarterback; his playmaking ability can put stress on an opposing defense. Florida has a nice group of running backs, but it’s hard to see the Gators having much success on the ground. Florida did hammer Georgia 44-28 last season, using the wheel route to great success. But that was last year.

1. Michigan (7-0) at Michigan State (7-0)

Time/TV: Noon, Fox
The buzz: A huge game in the Big Ten East, with the loser facing an extremely difficult road in its quest for the title. This will be the 114^th meeting, but the first time they meet when both are 7-0. In addition, this is the first time since 1964 that both will be in the top 10 and the first time since 2010 that both are unbeaten when they play. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh rebuilt his offensive staff in the offseason, and the result has been a rushing attack that leads the Big Ten (253.3 yards per game) and is miles better than last season’s (131.5 ypg). RBs Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins have combined for 1,331 yards and 20 touchdowns. The passing attack is nothing special, but because so much attention has to be paid to the run, there have been some big plays in the air. Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III, a transfer from Wake Forest, leads the nation at 142.4 yards per game. Payton Thorne has thrown for 15 TDs, and WRs Jalen Nailor and Jayden Reed are big-play threats. Both defenses are solid against the run, and Michigan also has been good against the pass. Michigan State statistically has the worst pass defense in the league, but that is skewed a bit by the 488 yards from pass-happy Western Kentucky in a 17-point loss to the Spartans. Both teams have positive turnover margins.