Saturday Predictions: Week 9

West Virginia will need a great team performance in order to
upset TCU tonight. The last three games in the series have
been decided by a total of five points. AP Photo/Rod Aydelotte

All teams have now completed at least half of their regular schedule as we now enter the meat of conference play. The fate of the contenders will be decided in the upcoming month. This week's action starts tonight when North Carolina takes on Pitt at Heinz Field. Both teams have identical 6-1 records and compete in the ACC's Coastal Division. Pitt has won all four of their conference games while UNC has won all three of theirs. Since losing their third game to unbeaten Iowa, Pitt has skated by with four wins, all by seven points or less. North Carolina has been somewhat more impressive since losing their opener to South Carolina (in a game they likely should have won). The winner will gain a major advantage in the ACC title race.

Later on, West Virginia will meet TCU again for a Big 12 battle. TCU's had several weaknesses exposed this year, although West Virginia might not be capable of exploiting them. Yet, the Mountaineers always seem to pull an upset at some point in the season, so keep an eye on this game. Around the time UNC and Pitt should be finishing, Oregon and Arizona State should get underway in Tempe. Both teams began the year ranked, with high hopes for a conference title or playoff berth. Alas, the season hasn't gone as planned, and both teams now sit at 4-3. Both teams will be desperate to avoid falling to .500 here.

We'll have four games between FBS teams on Friday, although the most interesting game will be found in the Ivy League. Undefeated Dartmouth plays undefeated Harvard under the lights in Cambridge. The Crimsons have won two consecutive Ivy League titles and have been the most consistently successful Ivy team for last 15 years. So far, this season hasn't been any different, with Harvard beating their opponents by an average score of 44-8. But Dartmouth seems to have improved upon last year's success. They've dominated their schedule before slipping by Columbia last Saturday. The Big Green will be looking to end an 11-game losing streak to the Crimsons this season. It's rare for two Ivy League teams to be ranked in the FCS Top 25, but Harvard is #15 and Dartmouth is #22. Either team will likely clinch at least a share of the conference title with a win here.

Saturday begins with the UCF Knights and the Cincinnati Bearcats kicking off at noon. The winless Knights should find it difficult to turn things around in Nippert Stadium. South Florida will also play Navy at midday. The Bulls will have their work cut out for them against the Midshipmen, who have only met their match this season against Notre Dame.

Ole Miss travels to Auburn to take on Auburn in an SEC West showdown. Auburn will look to rebound from last week's quadruple-overtime loss, while Ole Miss will seek to maintain a high level of defensive play. The Tigers could pull the upset if their defense exploits the weaknesses of Ole Miss's run game. Florida State will look to recover from last Saturday's heartbreak with a home outing versus Syracuse. The Orange have suffered from a string of injuries and inconsistent offensive output. The Seminole defense should be able frustrate the Orange offense and keep them to a low score.

Cal will have a hard time against USC if the Trojans play as
well as they did last Saturday. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Two Golden State schools face off when USC arrives in Berkeley. Cal's lost two consecutive games, the most recent in rather embarrassing fashion. The Trojans, meanwhile, are coming off their best showing of the year. Many expect a shootout, although the defenses might do better than the experts think. On the opposite side of the country, Clemson goes against NC State in Raleigh. The Tigers have won 10 of the last 11 in this rivalry, and will be favored heavily to win again this year. The Wolfpack need to pass the ball more efficiently if they hope to produce any miraculous upsets Saturday afternoon.

Once again, Jacksonville hosts the annual Florida-Georgia game. This year, Georgia enters the contest with two losses while Florida has just one. The Gators are favored by a very slight margin, although in recent history the underdog has often left this game victorious. Earlier this season, Georgia's defense has been exploited by the rushing attacks of Alabama and Tennessee; Florida lacks consistency in the ground attack, and may not be able to duplicate those teams' successes. The Florida defense, meanwhile, has been hard to move against for any team. The Bulldogs' best bet may be the power run game, despite losing workhorse running back Nick Chubb to injury earlier this season. Still, employing their second-string backs may be a better option than choosing to throw much against the vaunted Gator pass defense.

The Shula Bowl returns to Boca Raton this Saturday. So far, 2015 has been an almost complete disaster for Florida Atlantic, who have won just once this season. FIU has fared much better, winning four of their eight games. The Owls could salvage something from this season with an upset win over their rivals, while the Panthers need this victory to aid their chances at becoming bowl eligible. The mistake-prone Owls will need to sharpen their execution if they hope to win their 10th game in 15 contests against FIU. Also in the afternoon, Oklahoma State will meet Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Red Raiders had once dominated this series, but the Cowboys have won the last six and will be favored again this Saturday. You can expect a high scoring shootout between these two trigger-happy schools. 

Look for a few interesting games to begin after night falls on the East Coast. One of the SEC's least respected schools will face one of the American's best when Vanderbilt plays Houston. Houston should be the better team, although Vandy's defense may prove to be one of the best the Cougars have yet seen. Kentucky hosts Tennessee in Lexington, eager to improve on last week's poor outing. The Wildcats' air raid offense has been effectively defended by their last few opponents, and look for Tennessee's defense to frustrate the Cats yet again. The Volunteers face the prospects of an eight-win regular season if they find a win here.

Traditional wisdom would suggest that Washington State's air
raid offense is a bad matchup against Stanford's disciplined
defense and powerful ground attack. But one can never be too
sure of much in college football. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

At eight o'clock, Notre Dame will face Temple in front of a sold-out crowd in Philadelphia. The Owls are unbeaten while the Irish have just a single loss. Notre Dame is undoubtedly one of college football's most successful and privileged programs. Temple, meanwhile, is one of it's most downtrodden, having only produced five winning seasons since 1980. Last decade, the Owls were infamously ejected from the Big East Conference for failing to remain competitive. Thus the tremendous intrigue in this matchup, as Temple is 7-0 and ranked in the Top 25. However, it is almost certain that the Fighting Irish will be the most difficult opponent yet for the Owls. Temple's defense has been solid this season, and will need another good performance against Notre Dame. Additionally, they may need to force mistakes from the Irish offense in order to remain competitive.

Finally, the night will end with a few games out west. The most interesting of these games will be held in Pullman, Washington. There, Washington State will host Stanford in a battle for control of the Pac-12 North. The Cougars are 5-2 (3-1 in conference), but are the only team from the Pac-12 that has not been defeated by more than a touchdown this season (although they have lost to Portland State, an FCS team). Stanford now looks like the favorite to win the conference and will be a solid favorite to win against Wazzu, having won their last seven games against the Cougars. Yet, many are optimistic that WSU and their high-flying offense can spark an upset in the Palouse.

State of Florida:

• 17 Florida State (6-1) over Syracuse (3-4), 31-20
• Navy (5-1) over South Florida (4-3), 31-24
• Cincinnati (4-3) over UCF (0-8), 45-13
• FIU (4-4) over Florida Atlantic (1-6), 38-21
• 11 Florida (6-1) over Georgia (5-2), 24-13
• 22 Duke (6-1) over Miami (4-3), 31-17

Southeastern Conference:

• 19 Mississippi (6-2) over Auburn (4-3), 34-27
• Texas A&M (5-2) over South Carolina (3-4), 31-14
• Arkansas (3-4) over Tennessee-Martin (4-2), 59-10
• 18 Houston (7-0) over Vanderbilt (3-4), 24-14
• Tennessee (3-4) over Kentucky (4-3), 35-28
• 7 Alabama (7-1), BYE
• 4 LSU (7-0), BYE
• 25 Mississippi State (6-2), BYE
• Missouri (4-4), BYE

Top 25:

• 3 Clemson (7-0) over North Carolina State (5-2), 30-20
• 5 TCU (7-0) over West Virginia (3-3), 49-42
• 8 Stanford (6-1) over Washington State (5-2), 38-24
• 9 Notre Dame (6-1) over 21 Temple (7-0), 27-20
• 10 Iowa (7-0) over Maryland (2-5), 38-17
• 12 Oklahoma State (7-0) over Texas Tech (5-3), 45-42
• 13 Utah (6-1) over Oregon State (2-5), 35-17
• 14 Oklahoma (6-1) over Kansas (0-7), 62-7
• 15 Michigan (5-2) over Minnesota (4-3), 31-6
• 16 Memphis (7-0) over Tulane (2-5), 42-28
• North Carolina (6-1) over 23 Pittsburgh (6-1), 24-21
• 24 UCLA (5-2) over Colorado (4-4), 42-20
• 1 Ohio State (8-0), BYE
• 2 Baylor (7-0), BYE
• 6 Michigan State (8-0), BYE
• 20 Toledo (7-0), BYE