Week 9 of the college football season kicked off Thursday night with a pair of conference showdowns featuring high-powered offenses and teams seeking to maintain their postseason positions, according to a report by Sports Illustrated.
The Thursday slate provides an appetizer for a loaded weekend schedule, featuring two televised matchups in the American Athletic Conference and the Sun Belt before Saturday’s heavy slate of ranked matchups.
Midweek matchups under the lights
In Denton, Texas, the North Texas Mean Green hosted the Florida Atlantic Owls in an American Athletic Conference contest broadcast on ESPN. Both programs entered the night at 5-2 on the season, boasting explosive offensive numbers alongside struggling defensive units. DraftKings listed North Texas as a 13.5-point favorite with an over/under total of 77.5 points, Sports Illustrated reported.
North Texas arrived riding a four-game winning streak led by quarterback Tayven Jackson. The Mean Green offense entered the week averaging more than 43 points per game, ranking among the top five nationally. Florida Atlantic countered with quarterback Caden Veltkamp following a 51-49 shootout victory over Rice. With both defenses ranking near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense, the matchup carried the highest projected point total of the week.
Simultaneously on ESPN2, James Madison hosted Troy in Sun Belt action. The Dukes entered the contest at 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, looking to rebound after their first defeat of the year, a 34-31 overtime road loss against Appalachian State. Troy came in at 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the league, having dropped two consecutive games amid injuries at quarterback. Troy entered the week with a passing attack generating just 176 yards per game, ranking 124th nationally. James Madison entered as a 21-point favorite, according to lines published by Sports Illustrated.
Pivotal Saturday slate awaits
Thursday’s action serves as a prelude to a weekend loaded with conference matchups that will test contenders across the country. On Saturday night, No. 2 Ohio State travels to Los Angeles to face USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in their first meeting as Big Ten Conference rivals, The Big Lead reported.
The Buckeyes enter looking to preserve their College Football Playoff positioning despite losing starting quarterback Julian Sayin to an indefinite shoulder injury during a previous victory at Indiana. Ohio State must turn to either Tavien St. Clair or true freshman Luke Fahey to guide the offense, according to The Big Lead. Meanwhile, USC enters at 6-2 following earlier losses to Oregon and Wisconsin, placing increased scrutiny on head coach Lincoln Riley as the Trojans seek a marquee win.
Elsewhere on Saturday’s slate, top-ranked Miami visits North Carolina, No. 3 Georgia faces No. 17 Florida in Atlanta, and No. 5 Notre Dame meets Navy in Foxborough, Massachusetts, according to Bleacher Report. In other action, Oregon State takes a five-game winning streak on the road against Fresno State, with rainy conditions forecast for the late-night kickoff, Yahoo Sports reported.
As November nears, outcomes across the Thursday and Saturday games will begin clarifying conference championship matchups and separating true contenders in the race for the expanded 12-team playoff field.
