College football's best games on the Week 9 schedule you should watch today

Why watch? The unstoppable force and the immovable object. One of the country’s top offenses and one of its best defenses clash in a ranked SEC matchup that could directly shape the conference title race.

Ole Miss fell from the ranks of the undefeated last week on the road against an SEC opponent in Georgia, and now it gets tested in a second-straight road trip against an Oklahoma defense that is tops nationally in production and second in scoring.

The Rebels have lost nine-straight road games against AP ranked Power Four teams, but are also 5-0 after a loss in the last three years, during which time they’ve never lost consecutive games.

OU is 9-1 in its last 10 home meetings against AP ranked teams, and it needs all the help it can get looking ahead at the rest of a brutal schedule. Counting this game, the Sooners play five-straight against ranked teams in a stretch that could torpedo an otherwise-successful season.

When to watch: 12 p.m. on ABC

USF at Memphis

Why watch? Because what happens in this game could go a long way in determining who takes the Group of Five place in the College Football Playoff.

What we suspect, if we don’t strictly know, is that the champion of the American Conference will likely be the favorite to land the G5 bid in this season’s playoff. What we don’t know is who will take that spot, although what happens in this game could help figure that out.

Admittedly, the game lost some of its clout after Memphis blew its undefeated record in an inexplicable loss against a hapless UAB team in the midst of a coaching change, one of the most curious losses in college football this season.

Memphis is strong at home, winning 10 straight there and 64 games total in the last decade, ranking fourth among FBS teams. Not that USF will be put off by that, after winning on the road this year at Florida, helping worsen that program’s ongoing spiral.

The Bulls also won on the road by hanging 63 points on a previously-undefeated North Texas team, emerging with arguably the best profile among Group of Five teams.

Tulane is also in the mix for the Group of Five bid, but it doesn’t play against USF, which also has to go through currently-undefeated Navy, another hopeful. Right now, much of the American title race, and thus in the College Football Playoff picture, depends on what happens in Memphis.

When to watch: 12 p.m. on ESPN2

Missouri at Vanderbilt

Why watch? Two ranked insurgent SEC contenders look to take one giant leap towards Atlanta, and one of college football’s bottom-feeders wants to further prove that it belongs in the conversation.

Just its second road game of the season, Missouri takes on a Vanderbilt team playing some of the best football it ever has, coming off that win against LSU and in the AP top 10 for the first time since the 1940s.

Mizzou hasn’t looked quite its dominant self from the beginning of the season, with the loss to Alabama, its run game curtailed somewhat, and then struggled on the road against a dismal Auburn squad. This feels like a must-win for their playoff chances.

Vandy has multiple wins against top-15 ranked teams for the first time ever, and would like to avoid a second loss -- they, too, lost to the Crimson Tide -- with games against ranked SEC foes like Texas and Tennessee to come.

When to watch: 3:30 p.m. on ESPN

Texas A&M at LSU

Why watch? Is this the moment the bottom finally falls through for Brian Kelly? And could this be the game where Texas A&M propels itself definitively into SEC title contention?

You still get the feeling that Texas A&M is flying somewhat under the radar despite that No. 3 ranking in the AP poll, its best in a generation, and its 7-0 record, its first since 1994. More cynical observers might argue that’s because this team hasn’t really been tested yet. They just might be now.

A&M’s four wins against SEC competition came against teams with a combined 2-12 record in conference play and two of those schools have fired their head coach. Is this a paper tiger? A loss here won’t end their playoff hopes by a long shot, but it will raise questions in the committee room around whether they benefited from a light schedule.

Conversely, any misstep by LSU here spells trouble for Brian Kelly, who could very suddenly outstay his welcome with what would be a third loss. The offense, branded early on as one of the best in college football, just hasn’t been there, not scoring more than 24 points in SEC play this season.

On the other hand, the selection committee will be very pleased with a win against a top-three ranked, undefeated opponent.

When to watch: 7:30 p.m. on ABC