College Football ATS Picks for Top-25 Week 9 Games

Games start to take on a little more meaning at this point in the season. With November a little more than a week away, it's just about crunch time in college football for conference races and playoff positioning.

The SEC takes center stage this Saturday with a triple-header of top-25 games. No. 8 Ole Miss takes on No. 13 Oklahoma after he Rebels and Sooners both lost for the first time last week. A win would help solidify a potential CFP spot while a loss clouds that path. No. 15 Missouri also heads down to Nashville to take on No. 10 Vanderbilt. The Tigers and Commodores are in a similar position with one loss each. And No. 3 Texas A&M can knock No. 20 LSU out of the playoff picture entirely with a win. But the Aggies will have their work cut out for them in a night game at Death Valley against a desperate Tigers team.

Also of interest elsewhere around the country, No. 11 BYU is an underdog at Iowa State in a game that matters a good deal for Big 12 positioning. Houston also travels to No. 24 Arizona State, which is bank in the Top 25 after handing Texas Tech its first loss last week.

In Big Ten country, No. 25 Michigan is going for its fourth straight win against rival Michigan State. And No. 23 Illinois heads out west to play Washington. The Group of 5 game to watch this week is No. 18 South Florida at Memphis. The Bulls and Tigers might be the two best teams in the American, though Memphis just lost to UAB.

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Athlon Sports' writers made their against-the-spread picks for every game involving a top-25 team. Also, they each landed on a best bet and shared their reasoning below.