FBS Week 9 Preview - Oregon at Utah Highlights a 54-Game Slate

October 24, 2023 by CollegeFootballPoll.com Staff

There are only two Top 25 matchups this week which leaves us wondering how many upsets might take place. The week is a safe zone for 25 schools that have the week off to recuperate and prepare for the November home stretch.

The Week Ahead

Top 25 Matchups (2)

(9) Oregon at (13) Utah - Utah was a 6-point computer pick in the preseason. The trend line now supports the favored Ducks, but it still comes in under the spread at 4.22 points. These teams have split 2 of the last 4 PAC-12 championship games, and the regular season host team has won the last 4. These are 2 of the top 3 teams in the PAC-12 on defense, but Utah ranks 11th out of 12 PAC-12 teams on offense. We now know that Utah QB Cameron Rising (torn ligaments, Rose Bowl) will not play at all this season so Bryson Barnes is likely to continue in that role. Oregon QB Bo Nix is 3rd nationally in passer rating and is among the Heisman favorites.

(18) Louisville vs. (21) Duke - The computer trend line lowers the number to 3.74 in Duke's favor after it had Duke as a 6.34-point preseason favorite in this contest. QB Riley Leonard is a difference-maker for the Blue Devils, but he exited the FSU game with an ankle injury and his availability is unknown for this game. There was only a "good chance" he would play this past weekend after he originally injured the ankle at the end of the Notre Dame game.

Idle This Week (4)

(2) Michigan, (8) Alabama, (15) LSU, (16) Missouri.

(SEE: Weekly Picks/Scores)

Undefeated Teams (9)

Penn State and North Carolina fell from the list last week. Of the remaining 9 unbeaten teams, Michigan is idle, James Madison is at home, and the other 7 are all on the road. Liberty is the only projected loser by the computer.

Here is a look at who each is playing, with sportsbook odds in parenthesis, followed by the computer's projected margin.

ACC
Florida State, 7-0 (-20) by 23.01 at Wake Forest

B1G
Michigan, 8-0, idle
Ohio State, 7-0 (-14.5) by 13.04 at Wisconsin

Big 12
Oklahoma, 7-0 (-10) by 1.28 at Kansas

CUSA
Liberty, 7-0 (-4) is a 4.38-point underdog at Western Kentucky

MWC
Air Force, 7-0 (-12.5) by 17.56 at Colorado State

PAC-12
Washington, 7-0 (-26.5) by 38.19 at Stanford

SEC
Georgia 7-0 (-15.5) by 16.92 over Florida at Jacksonville

SUN BELT
James Madison 7-0 (-17.5) by 24.98 at home over Old Dominion

Winless Teams (1)

Nevada was a winner last week to remove itself from this list. The last team standing is Sam Houston which is favored to win its Wednesday night home game over UTEP.

CUSA
Sam Houston 0-7 (-3) by 4.43 at home over UTEP

FBS vs. FCS

This season has 117 of the 133 FBS schools facing one FCS opponent, and Army playing two such games for a total of 118 FBS-FCS matchups.

Of the 16 FBS schools that do NOT play a FCS program, 7 are in the B1G (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin). 6 more are evenly split between the Big 12 (Houston, Oklahoma, Texas) and Pac-12 (Colorado, USC, Washington). The other three are Liberty (CUSA) , UTSA (American), and Virginia Tech (ACC).

No FBS-FCS games were scheduled this past weekend. There will be 3 such games on November 4, followed by 1 on November 11, and the remaining 4 on November 18.

The FBS programs are 106-4 this year against the FCS schools. Over-all, the FBS is a collective 1,792-152 (.922) since we began tracking this in 2003.

Here are the FCS wins in 2023, so far:
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 12
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23

Streaks - Current FBS Longest

GEORGIA - Won 23 straight home games, 24 straight over-all, and 13 straight true road games.
Last: 37-20 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday, October 14.
Next: After a bye week, plays Florida in Jacksonville on Saturday, October 28.

MICHIGAN - Won 20 straight conference games.
Last: 49-0 win at Michigan State on Saturday, October 21.
Next: After a bye week, hosts Purdue on Saturday, November 4.

NEVADA - Had lost 16 straight over-all, and 16 straight to FBS teams. Those streaks ended with a 6-0 win at San Diego State.
The school still owns an 8-game home losing streak, which is tied with UMass.
Last: 6-0 win at San Diego State on Saturday, October 21.
Next: Hosts New Mexico on Saturday, October 28.

SAM HOUSTON - Lost 9 straight over-all (7 since entering FBS).
Last: 33-27 home loss to FIU in 2-OT on Wednesday, October 18.
Next: Hosts UTEP on Wednesday, October 25.

UMASS - Lost 8 straight home games, 7 straight over-all.
Last: 63-0 loss at Penn State on Saturday, October 14.
Next: After bye week, visits Army on Saturday, October 28.

NORTHWESTERN - Lost 14 straight road games.
Last: 17-9 loss at Nebraska on Saturday, October 21.
Next: Hosts Maryland on Saturday, October 28.

NEW MEXICO - Had lost 14 straight conference games, but defeated Hawaii 42-21.
Last: 42-21 win home win over Hawaii on Saturday, October 21.
Next: Visits Nevada on Saturday, October 28.

ARIZONA STATE - Lost 8 straight conference games.
Last: Lost 15-7 at Washington on Saturday, October 21.
Next: Hosts Washington State on Saturday, October 28.