College football Week 9 is here, and I couldn’t be more pumped.
This means the next few days will be exciting for fans who love football and for bettors looking for fun ways to wager a few bucks.
I’ve already given you my best bets for Week 9 games, but now it’s time to have a little fun with my “Bear Bytes.”
These little “bytes,” as I call them, are just nuggets that give you some entertaining talking points to pull from as you watch the football festivities with friends and family or banter with your coworkers at the water cooler. Here are the biggest nuggets that stuck out to me while doing my research.
(All times ET)
FRIDAY, OCT. 25
Rutgers @ USC (11 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports app)
Notable records since October 12, 2023 — SUNJ 7-7, Vanderbilt 5-7, Cal 6-8, UCLA 6-9, Colorado 5-8, Florida 5-8, USC 5-9 and Kentucky 5-9.
SATURDAY, OCT. 26
Nebraska @ No. 4 Ohio State (noon, FOX and FOX Sports app)
Matt Rhule’s teams have been underdogs against ranked opponents 21 times. They have won twice outright, both instances coming at Temple. Since, his teams are 0-14 as underdogs taking on ranked opponents. Even worse, the Huskers have lost 26 straight games to ranked opponents. That’s the second-longest streak among Power Four teams (Rutgers 40). Nebraska hasn’t beaten a ranked team since 2015 (Michigan State).
No. 12 Notre Dame @ No. 24 Navy (noon, ABC)
Since 1978, there have been 17 teams 6-0 or better that were a1t least 13.5-point underdogs in a regular season game. Three won outright — Liberty +17 at Virginia Tech in 2020, Auburn +17 at Florida in 1994 and Georgia Tech +13.5 at Virginia in 1990. Eleven of the 14 losses came by at least 14 points and seven were by at least 24 points.
Ohio State vs. Nebraska: CFB Week 9 Super Six
Oklahoma @ No. 18 Ole Miss (noon, ESPN)
Oklahoma hasn’t been this big an underdog since the final game of the 1997 season when the Sooners were a 24-point ‘dog at Texas Tech and pulled the outright 32-31 upset.
No. 11 BYU @ UCF (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Since 1978, there have been 336 games where a team 7-0 or better faced a team with a losing record. Only one has seen that team enter as an underdog. That came in 1993 when 9-0 Auburn went to 4-5 Georgia and beat the Bulldogs. Will BYU continue to defy expectations and keep the perfect record going?
Alabama Crimson Tide: Will the Tide make the 12-team playoff?
No. 21 Missouri @ No. 15 Alabama (3:30 p.m., ABC)
This is the first time since the season opener in 2008 that Alabama will play a regular season game ranked 15th or lower. That was 198 games ago.
No. 20 Illinois @ No. 1 Oregon (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Since 1990, there have been 27 different top-20 matchups with a spread of at least 21 points. Favorites have covered 20 of the 27, including nine of the last 11. Two underdogs have won outright — BYU over Oklahoma in 2009 and Arizona State over Nebraska in 1996.
No. 5 Texas @ No. 25 Vanderbilt (4:15 p.m., SEC/ESPN Network)
Vanderbilt has covered each of its last five games (three this year, two last year) as a double-digit underdog, winning three times outright. This is the first time since 2008 Vanderbilt will play a game as a ranked opponent.
Florida State @ No. 6 Miami (7 p.m., ESPN)
There have been three instances in the Florida-Miami rivalry in which the home team was favored by at least 20 points. The home team won all three by a combined margin of 129-31, with none being fewer than 24 points.
Michigan State @ Michigan (7:30 p.m., BTN)
This is the first time since 2008 — and just the second time in the last 25 years — that neither Michigan nor Michigan State are ranked when the teams face each other.
CFB Week 9 Best Bets: Ohio State vs. Nebraska, Akron vs. Eastern Michigan
Penn State @ Wisconsin (7:30 p.m., NBC)
Trips to Madison have rarely been easy for Penn State: 2021, the Nittany Lions won 16-10; 2013, won 31-24; 2011, lost 45-7; 2008, won 48-7; 2006, lost 13-3; 2004, lost 16-3; 2002, won 34-31; 1998, lost 24-3; 1996, won 23-20. Since joining the Big Ten in nine meetings at Camp Randall, there have been four losses, five wins and four one-score games. The Nittany Lions have won 23 straight games as a ranked team against an unranked opponent dating back to their 2021 loss to Illinois. In addition, they have also won 26 straight regular season games when favored, dating back to a 2021 loss at Michigan State.
Auburn @ Kentucky (7:45 p.m., SEC Network)
Auburn last started 0-5 in SEC play in 2012. The following season, Gus Malzahn was brought in as head coach and the Tigers won the SEC and reached the national championship game.
Louisiana
College football fans in Louisiana have had a lot to cheer about this season. Since its Week 1 loss to USC, LSU has won six straight and is back in the top 10 for the game at Texas A&M. Tulane is 5-2 and undefeated in the American, while Louisiana and UL Monroe each have only one loss, with both being undefeated in Sun Belt play. For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll just pretend 3-4 Louisiana Tech doesn’t exist.
Chris “The Bear” Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an “occasional” wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He’s a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, “The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!” Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica.
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