Week 9 of the 2025 college football season brings another big slate for the SEC. That conference is home to all three ranked matchups on Saturday, each with their own implications on the league and the nation as a whole.
Perhaps the most important — and certainly the most intriguing — is No. 15 Missouri’s road trip to No. 10 Vanderbilt. Though the Commodores have not won against the Tigers since 2019, Clark Lea’s squad is legit this year. They’ve already proved themselves, but it never hurts to continue stacking impressive wins.
No. 13 Oklahoma gets a tough month underway Saturday as it hosts No. 8 Ole Miss. This marks the first of five games against ranked opponents for the Sooners, who are trying to keep up in the College Football Playoff race. Elsewhere, No. 3 Texas A&M looks to remain undefeated as it heads to Baton Rouge to play No. 20 LSU.
While the Big Ten’s Week 9 games may not be as impactful on a large scale, there are a couple intriguing rivalries to keep an eye on. Iowa and Minnesota are set to meet for the 119th time, while Michigan State hosts in-state foe No. 25 Michigan.
Here are our CBS Sports expert predictions for those games as the Week 9 action takes center stage.
Noon on ABC, fubo (try for free): With quarterback John Mateer closer to 100% healthy now than he was for a loss to Texas two weeks ago, Oklahoma is becoming a complete team again. The Sooners have the best defense Ole Miss has faced this season, and a healthy Mateer makes them a well-rounded group. The Washington State transfer has enough playmaking ability and the weapons around him to expose the weaknesses in the Rebels’ defense after Georgia found plenty of them last week. Defensively, the Sooners are elite and the rare unit capable of slowing Ole Miss down. Look for Oklahoma to pull away for a big win in front of its home crowd. Pick: Oklahoma -5.5 — David Cobb
3:30 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (try for free): This will be a very tightly contested game. Missouri and Vanderbilt are fairly even in most metrics. Both have play-making quarterbacks that can cause nightmares for a defense. Both have defenses that rank in the upper half of a tough SEC. That’s especially impressive for a Vanderbilt team that has played three top-15 teams thus far. The Commodores get homefield advantage in an improved FirstBank Stadium and they’ll pull out a thrilling win to continue on their march toward the College Football Playoff. Pick: Vanderbilt -2.5 (-118) — Will Backus
7:30 p.m. on ABC, fuboTV (try for free): The Aggies face their toughest defense of the season as Mario Craver and KC Concepcion match up with future NFLers led by Mansoor Delane. It will be an ugly, low-scoring game, but Texas A&M will shut down LSU’s running game and force mistakes with their aggressive defense. The Aggies survive Tiger Stadium and move one step closer to clinching a spot in the SEC title game. Pick: Texas A&M -2.5 — Shehan Jeyarajah
Minnesota at Iowa — 3:30 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: It might seem risky to rely on Iowa’s offense to put up enough points, but these rivals have opposite trends ATS this season, with Iowa at 4-1-1 and Minnesota at 1-4-1. The Hawkeyes giving up more than a touchdown is a bit rare, with seven of the last 10 meetings decided by seven points or fewer. While Minnesota found its rushing attack against Nebraska with 186 yards — up from a combined 133 in the previous three Big Ten games — Iowa’s stout run defense, allowing just 2.8 yards per carry and roughly 92 yards per game, should keep the Golden Gophers in check. That defensive advantage, combined with Iowa’s consistency ATS in the series (7-2-1 since 2015), makes the Hawkeyes a comfortable pick. Pick: Iowa -8.5 — Cody Negal
7:30 p.m. on NBC, fuboTV (try for free): I like Michigan to win the game, but given its struggles on the road the last few years, I don’t want to lay 14.5 points with it. Instead I’ll take the under. Once the Wolverines get control of the game it wouldn’t be a shock to see them slow things down considerably. Pick: Under 48.5
SportsLine’s proven computer model has simulated every Week 9 college football game 10,000 times. Visit SportsLine now to see all the picks, all from the model that is 42-30 since the beginning of last season on top-rated money-line and over/under picks.
