Week 9 Preview: This Is Where the Fun Begins

Welcome back, everyone, to the College Football Preview! Let me ask you all a question: Have you ever cooked up what seemed to be an absolute masterpiece, only to have it stab you in the rear later? Well, if you have, you can join James Franklin and I as we bask in our own self-inflicted defeat. For me, it was boneless pork ribs I stove-grilled an hour ago that were absolute fire until the last five minutes, when I started feeling them knocking on the door at the other end of my digestive tract. For Mr. Franklin, it was the Penn State football team he was hoping would carry him to a B1G Championship and a New Year's Six bowl (at the very least), as well as bigger and "better" things in store out west. Don't worry, Jim, the latter could still happen; thanks to the now 3-5 Illini, however, you'll have to wait until then for the other two.

Speaking of dumpster fires, let's get in to our short recap of week 8: #3 Oklahoma squeaked out the comeback upset over favored Kansas*, #8 Oklahoma State took a loss to help unranked Iowa State avoid an actual upset (somehow) and climb back into the Top 25, and then-#4 Georgia held an explosive Iowa offense to 2 field goals in a tight battle to keep their undefeated season alive (in spite of poor offensive performance all-around). Nothing else really happened this week as far as I'm concerned**, so let's get into the good part, shall we?

Smallest Upset of the Week: #4 Oklahoma over Texas Tech

Oklahoma has an opportunity here, and I mean it. Having squeaked out win after close win every week of the season so far, the Sooners quietly have one of the most impressive resumés in college football. If they can pull off an upset against a Texas Tech team that posted 35 points on a Longhorns defense boasting one of the most electrifying armband-wearers in the history of football—Demarvion Overshown—they might finally be respected enough by the media to be ranked as highly as they deserve. Oklahoma 35, Texas Tech 34

Biggest Chaos Moment of the Week: Five Ranked Teams Lose Before Oklahoma Even Has A Chance To

This would be the absolute best-case scenario for the weekend, and it's actually not too unbelievable. To prove my point, here are the 11:00 matchups for this week's Top 25 teams: #2 Cincinnati at Tulane, Miami at #17 Pittsburgh, #9 Iowa at Wisconsin, #6 Michigan at #8 Michigan State, and Texas at #16 Baylor. Add a Thursday night showdown between Troy and #24 Coastal Carolina, and we have ourselves some real interesting matchups.

Troy at #24 Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina is coming off of a close loss to Appalachian State, so we know they are beatable. Troy, on the other hand, only lost by nine to a South Carolina team that put up a whopping 13 points in a loss against the historic Georgia Bulldogs earlier this season, so they're no stranger to challenging good teams. I expect the Chanticleers to be shocked once again by an inferior foe, much like Penn State was in Week 8. Troy 23, Coastal Carolina 19

#2 Cincinnati at Tulane

This one is, in my opinion, the least likely to happen. However, it's still very possible. Cincinnati showed signs of vulnerability in their most telling game of the season thus far against Navy last week, and Tulane did keep it uncomfortably close against Oklahoma earlier this year. I think this game will be a lot closer than many expect, and even if the Green Wave can't pull of the upset, there's still plenty of opportunity for the fall of five ranked. Cincinnati 38, Tulane 35 (Final/OT)

Miami at #17 Pitt

This one would also be big surprise, but I think there's a very real opportunity here. Pitt's coming off of a signature victory over former powerhouse Clemson with high hopes and an ACC title that's there's for the taking. Miami has been completely ignored by the majority of college football conversation since getting blasted by Alabama and Michigan State at the beginning of the season. In the time since, however, the Hurricanes have secretly been reestablishing themselves as a team to be taken seriously. Last week, they upset the 18th-ranked NC State Wolfpack (knocking them out of the Top 25), and gave fellow ACC opponents North Carolina and Virginia very tough games in back-to-back matchups beforehand. Pitt may be on fire right now, but their sole loss at home against Western Michigan is proof that they aren't invulnerable. Miami 28, Pitt 17

#9 Iowa at Wisconsin

Honestly, as much as I hate saying this, I am not confident in Iowa's odds on Saturday. Riley Moss may be returning from injury this week, but I don't really see his return having even a minor effect on the Hawks' chances of winning. Iowa still has one of the best defenses in the country, but they also have one of the worst offenses in the country. If Jim Leonhard is even an average defensive coordinator, he should have no trouble holding Iowa's offense to 25 total yards, and the lack of next-level talent across Iowa's defensive line should allow Wisconsin to win the trench battle and give them enough yardage to put points on the board (or at least pin the Hawkeyes back deep enough to prevent Caleb Shudak or Tory Taylor from taking advantage of Graham Mertz's many unavoidable turnovers). Wisconsin 10, Iowa 9

#6 Michigan at #8 Michigan State

This game will automatically result in a Top 25 loss, and I'll break it down later, so we can just skip this one.

Texas at #16 Baylor

Baylor has been a big surprise so far this season, but I think the Longhorns will take this one and run away with it. Or have you all forgotten about Texas being home to both Demarvion Overshown and Bijan Robinson, respectively the most and second-most electric players in the sport right now? Texas 42, Baylor 21

Sluggiest Slugfest of the Afternoon: #6 Michigan vs. #8 Michigan State

This game is the college football equivalent of Paul Blart: Mall Cop vs. Nacho Libre. No one really thinks of either as "actually that good," but they're fun to watch, and to this point they haven't disappointed their fans. They do what they do, and they do it well. Because of this, the vast majority of people would (and absolutely should) put at least one of them in their top 10 rankings. I don't actually think either of these teams can hang with Ohio State, Alabama, or Georgia, much like I don't think Blart or Nacho could really hold a light to movies like The Dark Knight, No Country For Old Men, or Avengers: Infinity War. That doesn't mean I don't like them, and that absolutely doesn't mean I wouldn't love to watch a showdown between the two in either situation, regardless of who wins. Michigan State 31, Michigan 29 (Final/2OT)

Biggest Stat Line of the Week: Iowa LB/S Dane Belton

Once again, there are a ton of players I feel are destined for greatness this weekend, but none sticks out to me more than under-the-radar next-level talent Dane Belton, who plays the Cash position for the Hawkeyes. Despite the poor showing in Week 7 against Purdue, as well as the low expectations I have for Iowa this week, I feel the Hawks defense will re-cement themselves as the second-best unit in the nation this week by holding the Badgers to 3 offensive points (10 total) and being responsible for all 9 of Iowa's. I think this upcoming defensive struggle will also launch Belton into the top two rounds of the draft, and here's why:

• The Hawks will hold Wisconsin's offense to -3 net passing yards. This would be a huge booster for any pass-defender on any defense regardless of how run-heavy the opposing offense is, but the key play to put the Badgers under will be a sack by Belton himself.

• Belton will personally score 8 of Iowa's 9 points. Many Hawkeye fans might recall another recent loss to Wisconsin in which a sole defender—current NFL defensive back Josh Jackson—was responsible for all of Iowa's points. The aforementioned sack will happen in the Badgers' own end zone (resulting in a safety) following a gorgeous boot from legendary punter Tory Taylor, which pins Wisconsin back at their own 4. The other six will be the result of a first-drive pick-six on one of Belton's numerous tipped passes of the day.

• Speaking of tipped passes, Belton's impact on the stat sheet won't end with the points he scores. He'll also record another tackle for loss, 8 total tackles, and a whopping 6 pass deflections to add to his already impressive stat line (1 sack, 1 interception and 2 scoring plays). The Hawks may lose the game, but it certainly won't be #4's fault.

Feel free to respond to the opening question or ask me pretty much anything in the comments, I'll make sure to respond to as many people as I can. Thanks for the support!

*Kansas is a 1-6 team. Oklahoma "upset" everyone by coming back from being down big and winning against the team that everyone "favored" deep down inside.

**There were other relevant games this last week, but honestly, who really wants to hear about those?