Week 9 could turn into a defining Saturday for a few big-name teams, and the matchups in Los Angeles, Chapel Hill and Lubbock all come with their own little warning signs. One backup quarterback battle could get messy fast.
One top-ranked team might have to grind through a tricky road trip. And in the Big 12, a ranked showdown has the feel of a game where the quarterback who handles pressure best probably decides everything.
Ohio State is built to handle the spotlight even without its starting quarterback, and that’s why the Buckeyes should still walk out of the Coliseum with a comfortable win. No.
2 Ohio State, now 6-1, is visiting USC at 6-2 without Julian Sayin, and Ryan Day still hasn’t picked a true starter between Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair.
He said it’s definitely possible both freshmen get a shot.
That matters, but it may not matter enough. Jeremiah Smith is still the headliner here, and Ohio State has the kind of defense that can cover a lot of rough edges on offense.
The Buckeyes are allowing 13.4 points per game, just 92.9 rushing yards, and opponents are converting only 38.4% of their third downs. Deep shots have been scarce against them too, with just three touchdowns allowed on those throws all year, which lines up poorly for USC quarterback Jayden Maiava.
Over his last four starts, he’s only 6-of-24 on deep throws and has thrown three interceptions on those attempts.
USC’s offensive line also comes into this game carrying real issues after getting buried in a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin. The Trojans finished that one with negative 17 rushing yards and gave up five sacks. Ohio State has its own challenge in figuring out a run game that can steady things if the passing plan gets narrowed down by the quarterback situation, but the Buckeyes still look like the stronger team across the board.
Prediction: Ohio State 31, USC 14
North Carolina is the kind of underdog that can make No. 1 Miami sweat a little.
The Hurricanes are 7-0 and favored by 14.5 points, but Bill Belichick’s defense gives the Tar Heels a path to keep this game inside the number. UNC has allowed 20 points or fewer in all four of its wins, and it already showed it can handle a quality opponent by beating former No.
25 Pitt 21-17 on Oct. 10.
The big challenge for North Carolina will be slowing Malachi Toney, who has been Miami’s most reliable playmaker. He’s got 66 catches for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he has been targeted on 74 of Darian Mensah’s 204 attempts, which is 36.3%.
Still, Miami isn’t a team that usually bludgeons opponents with deep shots. The Hurricanes rank in the 39th percentile in explosive plays on offense, while North Carolina’s defense is in the 85th percentile in explosive plays allowed.
There’s also the larger picture around Miami’s road to this point. The Hurricanes are 14-22-1 against the spread in ACC games since 2022, and with Notre Dame coming up, this has the feel of a dangerous spot. Miami’s talent should still be enough, but it doesn’t look like the sort of game they’ll coast through.
Prediction: Miami 27, North Carolina 17
The best quarterback matchup of the weekend may be in Lubbock, where Arizona can leave with a second loss for Texas Tech. No.
22 Arizona is 6-1, Texas Tech is 6-1, and the Red Raiders are a 3.5-point favorite. But the edge here belongs to Noah Fifita, who has been far cleaner and more efficient than Will Hammond.
Fifita has thrown for 2,064 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions, and his 74.2% completion rate is the third-best in the Power Four. Hammond has six touchdowns and six interceptions, and his 63.4 passer rating against man coverage ranks 136th nationally. That’s a problem against an Arizona defense that plays man on 62% of snaps, the highest rate in the country.
Arizona’s defense has been strong overall, too, allowing 16.7 points per game and piling up 24 sacks, which ranks second in the Big 12. Texas Tech does have a real weapon on the other side of the ball: its defense leads the country with five pick-sixes.
And the Red Raiders have been nearly unbeatable at home, winning 12 straight there. But after last week’s 37-24 loss at Cincinnati as 10.5-point favorites, Arizona looks like the steadier team, and turnovers could end up swinging the game either way.
Prediction: Arizona 27, Texas Tech 24
In Other News...
Jeff Traylor Still Looms Over Texas Techs Coaching Future
Jeff Traylor keeps coming up whenever the conversation turns to Texas Techs long-term coaching future, and it is easy to see why. He has built a strong profile at UTSA and has already passed on previous opportunities, including Texas Tech, which only adds to the sense that his next move would have to be the right one. For Red Raiders fans, his name stays in the mix because he represents the kind of proven Texas coach who can fit into bigger-picture conversations around the state.
The broader question is whether Traylor ever decides to leave the Group of Six grind for a higher-profile job in Texas, or even a landing spot such as Baylor if the timing lines up. UTSA has given him a platform, but it also comes with the realities that come with coaching at that level, where sustaining success can be a different challenge than chasing it at a Power Four school. Until he makes a move, though, his future remains one of the more intriguing threads in the states coaching market. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Faces One Big 12 Pressure Point Against Arizona
Arizona and Texas Tech meet with both teams sitting in the AP top 25 and tied for second in the Big 12, which gives this one a little more weight than a typical late-season conference game. The matchup also carries a stylistic edge: Arizona arrives with one of the leagues more dangerous passing attacks behind Noah Fifita, while Texas Tech has leaned on its ground game and must find a way to dictate the pace if it wants to keep the Wildcats from turning this into a quick-strike contest.
For the Red Raiders, the pressure point is obvious even before kickoff. Arizona has shown some vulnerability to interior pass pressure, and Texas Techs defense will need to hold up in the middle while the offense stays balanced enough to avoid letting the game speed up. If the Red Raiders can control tempo and force Arizona out of rhythm, they can make this a much more manageable night, but the margin for error is thin in a Big 12 race this tight. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Exit Puts Utahs Next Chapter In New Hands
Brett Yormarks impending departure leaves the Big 12 facing a familiar kind of offseason uncertainty, only this time from the top of the league office. Since taking over in June 2022, Yormark helped steady the conference after a wave of membership changes and was central to the media rights deals that gave the Big 12 a clearer financial footing and a more stable future.
For Texas Tech and the rest of the league, the timing matters because Yormark is still expected to stay on through at least January 2027, giving the Big 12 a runway before its next era begins. Even so, his decision to move on to a role outside college sports puts the conferences next chapter in someone elses hands, and the search for what comes next will shape the league well beyond one more season. [Read more 🡒]