College football picks for Week 9 SEC and top 25 games by Caleb Calhoun

Here are Caleb Calhoun’s college football Week 9 picks for the SEC and Top 25.

As Tennesse football goes on a much-needed bye week, college football continues on with four of the Power Five conferences playing now. Before looking ahead to the games we’ll call, let’s look back on a brutal weekend I just came off of with my picks.

Week 8 performance

Straight up: 6-2

Gambling picks: 6-10

• 1-7 against the spread
• 5-3 over/under

Overall performance for 2020

Straight up: 33-13

Gambling picks: 41-51

• 17-29 against the spread
• 24-22 over/under

Obviously, my picks against the spread were disastrous, and with college football now a bit more nationalized thanks to the addition of the Big Ten, I’ve got to get a better read on teams. Well, let’s see what happens this week without the Vols playing. Here are my straight-up and gambling picks for Week 9 of this odd season.

Georgia -17.5; Under 42.5

Provided Stetson Bennett doesn’t have any turnovers, the Georgia Bulldogs should dominate the Kentucky Wildcats in this game. They’ll win easily and cover, but they’ll cover because UK won’t score, which is why this game will hit the under. After two weeks off, this is exactly what the Dawgs need to get back in rhythm.

LSU -2.5; Under 63.5

Whether or not Myles Brennan plays quarterback for the LSU Tigers is irrelevant. The defense will do enough to stop a mediocre Auburn Tigers offense, and they will score enough to win and cover while the game hits the under. Ed Orgeron has regrouped this team after two weeks off, and after proving that last week, he’ll prove it again here.

Ole Miss -16.5; Over 63.5

Coming off two bye weeks and facing a bad Ole Miss Rebels defense will allow the Vanderbilt Commodores to score more points than they usually have. However, that will force Lane Kiffin’s offense to take off and dominate, and that’s exactly what it will do, meaning Ole Miss wins and covers while this game hits the over.

Mississippi State +31.5; Over 63.5

Clearly the Alabama Crimson Tide are on a mission to prove they are the best team in college football. No air raid offense with a 1-3 team is going to stop that…will it? Well, coming off a bye, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will finally regroup offensively and make this a shootout against an overrated Alabama secondary. As a result, Bama wins, but they don’t cover, and this hits the over.

Penn State +11.5; Under 64.5

It doesn’t matter that the Penn State Nittany Lions lost last week to the Indiana Hoosiers or that the Ohio State Buckeyes are a dominant team. This game is always close. James Franklin has only lost to OSU by more than 11 once. He’ll keep it close here and control the clock, allowing the score to hit the under while he covers. However, he won’t win.

Arkansas +13.5; Over 53.5

While the Texas A&M Aggies have dominated this series since joining the SEC, it’s always been close. There’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case this year. Coming off a bye, Kendal Briles’ offense will make this a bit of a shootout, with Jimbo Fisher needing a big day from Kellen Mond. The Arkansas Razorbacks cover, this hits the over, but A&M wins late.

Florida -12.5; Over 61.5

This resurgent Missouri Tigers team is one to take seriously. Eliah Drinkwitz’s offense has taken off, and the Florida Gators do have a concerning defense. As a result, this game hits the over. However, when Mizzou begins to threaten late, Florida’s elite offense will come together and pull away, allowing them to cover.