Week 9 College Football Preview: Georgia and Florida, Ohio State at USC Lead a Chaotic Slate

College football heads into a Halloween Saturday on October 31 after two straight weeks of upheaval in the top 25, a stretch CBS Sports analysts say feels like 2007. Only two games feature a pair of ranked teams: Georgia against Florida in Atlanta, and Arizona at Texas Tech in the Big 12. Just three unbeaten teams remain in the Power Four, and the first College Football Playoff rankings are due in less than a week.

CBS Sports writers Brad Crawford and Chris Hummer have made picks all season. Crawford stands at 47-24 straight up and 35-35-1 against the spread, while Hummer is 51-20 straight up and 38-32-1 against the spread. Hummer's strong Week 8 moved them ahead against the spread, putting Crawford's multi-year lead in the picks race in doubt.

The headline game is No. 3 Georgia, a 10.5-point favorite, against No. 17 Florida. Hummer likes Georgia to win 34-27 but expects Florida to cover, wondering whether the Gators' defensive showing against Texas was a fluke. Crawford takes Georgia to cover and wins 30-14, noting that Florida had not named a starting quarterback as of Tuesday. Crawford thinks Tramell Jones gives offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner's group the better chance.

In Los Angeles, No. 2 Ohio State is a 6.5-point favorite at USC, and the Buckeyes will be without their starting quarterback. Both writers still pick Ohio State, Hummer by 31-20 and Crawford by 28-20. Crawford called it the favorite play of the week, pointing out that USC coach Lincoln Riley is 5-15 against ranked opponents at the school. Freshman Luke Fahey is expected to take the snaps for the Buckeyes.

In the Big 12, both analysts favor No. 13 Texas Tech by 5.5 points over No. 22 Arizona, with Hummer predicting 27-20 and Crawford 31-24. Elsewhere, top-ranked Miami is a 15.5-point favorite at North Carolina. Hummer sees a 38-20 Hurricanes win, noting that Miami has scored at least 33 points in every game this season. Crawford projects 41-17 and wonders whether Miami's starters will still be playing in the fourth quarter.

Both writers expect underdogs to cover in several games. They take Minnesota with 20.5 points against No. 4 Indiana, though each has Indiana winning, and they like Auburn with 12.5 points at No. 12 Ole Miss, where each picks the Rebels to win. Both also back Utah to cover against Cincinnati in a game where the No. 6 Utes are favored by 6.5.

The analysts see outright upsets in two spots. Both pick No. 20 Northwestern to win at Oregon, with Hummer at 21-20 and Crawford at 24-20, and Crawford argues the wrong team is favored. Crawford also takes No. 25 Wisconsin to win 23-20 at Iowa, while Hummer has Iowa winning 20-17 with the Badgers covering the 3.5-point spread.

In the ACC, both writers pick Florida State to beat Clemson, though they split on the spread. Hummer likes Clemson to cover in a 27-21 game, while Crawford predicts 24-17 and backs the 6.5-point favorite Seminoles.