Week 9 of the 2026 college football season is here and our VSiN team is attacking it relentlessly. If you haven’t already, make sure you check out the Week 9 CFB Betting Hub for write-ups and picks from all of our talented analysts. However, I’d love for you to keep reading for my college football best bets and predictions for this exciting Week 9 slate. I’ll probably add some picks as lines move and more information comes out later in the week — and on game day. If I do, I’ll put them on the VSiN Pro Picks page. Don’t miss out on those.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for college football best bets from all of our analysts
Northwestern Wildcats at Oregon Ducks – 3:30 pm ET
If you haven’t been paying close attention to the college football season, it might surprise you that Northwestern has been a top-10 offense in the nation. The Wildcats are No. 8 in the country in Net Adjusted EPA/Play (0.18), with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly doing a brilliant job of pulling the strings, Aidan Chiles (1,617 yards, 12 TD, 1 INT) playing well at quarterback, and a deep stable of running backs all making plays when their numbers are called. Well, with this offense rolling the way it has been, I like the Wildcats to do their part in what could be a high-scoring game in Eugene.
Of course, Oregon’s offense has been highly disappointing this year. In fact, Dan Lanning dismissed offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer after last week’s lousy 10-point showing against Illinois. However, this Ducks team still has a ton of talent at the skill positions, and Dylan Raiola, who will start for an injured Dante Moore the rest of the year, is a capable of quarterback. A new play-caller could unlock everything, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if that happens this week. For as good as Northwestern is offensively, the team is a little closer to average when looking at Net Adjusted EPA/Play Allowed (No. 53 in NCAA, -0.04).
The Over is also 8-4 when Northwestern faces teams averaging at least 31.0 points per game under David Braun. It’s also 17-15 in Oregon home games under Lanning.
Bet: Over 47.5 (-110)
Boston College Eagles at Duke Blue Devils – 12:00 pm ET
Boston College has been flying a bit under the radar lately, as Bill O’Brien’s team has covered in four straight. The Eagles have also picked up back-to-back wins, with last week’s 49-27 dismantling of Georgia Tech being pretty impressive. So, while Duke is getting a ton of attention for a strong start to the year, people shouldn’t be sleeping on the possibility of this turning into a tight game. And according to our betting splits pages — especially when you click on the Circa Sports section — it sure looks like a majority of bettors like the Blue Devils. However, this spread has come down from Duke -7.5 to Duke -7, meaning the smartest bettors appear to like Boston College. I’ll side with them.
What I like about the Eagles in this game is that they have allowed 3.7 or fewer yards per carry in all but one game this season. That’ll be something to watch here, as slowing down Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard is an easy way to make the team stall out. Their passing game really isn’t reliable, so this game will be won or lost on the early downs. I think Boston College is up for the challenge defensively, and I also like dual-threat quarterback Mason McKenzie to give the Duke defense fits. He rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns last week.
I also should note that O’Brien’s teams get stronger the deeper it gets in the season. With BC, he’s 10-3 ATS in the second half of the season. The Eagles are also 9-2 ATS against teams averaging 425 or more yards per game with him on the sidelines.
Bet: Boston College +7.5 (-115)
Added Plays
PARLAY: Oklahoma State ML vs. Iowa State & Ohio State ML vs. USC (-122 – 1.5 units)
Check the Pro Picks page for any additional plays, or come back here right before kick-off to see if I added something on the game you’re interested in.
Week 8
Stanford +7.5 (-135 – 1.5 units) vs. NC State
Stanford ML (+210 – 0.5 units) vs. NC State
Kansas State-Arizona State Over 55.5 (-104)
PARLAY: UNC ML vs. Syracuse & Utah ML vs. Houston (-130 – 2 units)
PARLAY: LSU ML vs. Auburn & Kansas Alt +8.5 vs. Baylor (-119 – 1.5 units)
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2026 Record: 22-23 (-1.69 units)
