WEEK 9

Reese’s is the best Halloween candy and Miami (FL) will be #1 in the first CFP rankings on Tuesday night. That’s all we know to be true in this world.

That, and #2 is cursed. Call it a death certificate.

On Halloween night, the bedeviled ranking claimed yet another victim, making it FOUR consecutive weeks.

This time, it was #2 Ohio State, falling at the hands of the unranked USC Trojans, 30-18 in a rainy, spooky LA. Yes, the same Trojans who managed a measly seven points in a loss to Wisconsin (and wait until you hear what they were up to this weekend).

And then there’s our defending champs (who just lost to the aforementioned defeated Buckeyes two weeks ago). For the second consecutive week, the Hoosiers, squarely in the GameDay spotlight, eeked out an OT survival. This time against Minnesota. 

It must have been a jump scare for IU fans following the game on Twitter (I will never call it X). My feed was littered with premature, “GOPHERS WIN” tweets, and honestly, I don’t even blame the perpetrating posters. Minnesota drilled a 60-yard FG with 19 seconds left to take the lead. But, the resilient Cignetti army answered with a 60-yarder of their own to force OT. Brutal beat for blood-caked PJ Fleck.

Meanwhile, #1 Miami nearly joined the Halloween body count, escaping North Carolina 38-35. Despite the loss, I have to wonder if Bill Belichick is starting to find his groove…

Then there's that Wisconsin tease. Last week, the Badgers beat USC 24-7. Wisconsin's response? 

And remember last week when we asked whether Northwestern was actually good? Well, the #20 Wildcats lost to Oregon 34-26. Not exactly a humiliation. But the first leg of their Oregon-Iowa-Ohio State gauntlet is officially in the loss column. Northwestern might be the candy corn of college football. Some people swear by it. The rest of us remain deeply suspicious.

Meanwhile, down south, #3 Georgia finally looked like the Bulldogs we've come to expect, dispatching #17 Florida 27-8. A convincing win. A return to form. And… a likely promotion to… #2. (Insert eyes emoji).

Around the rest of the OTC slate, #13 Texas Tech beat #22 Arizona 34-26, while South Carolina hammered Oklahoma 42-25. The Gamecocks have now beaten Tennessee and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks. Naturally, they'll probably lose to a community college next Saturday.

Clemson beat Florida State 36-24. Cockroach Dabo lives to scuttle another day. Memphis demolished Army 49-22, while Georgia Southern held Appalachian State to THREE points in a 19-3 victory. And #6 Utah dismantled Cincinnati 49-25. That marks 8 wins and 0 losses for the Utes. We’ll be watching.

In OTC, Juan's 1st Entry absolutely dominated Week Nine, posting a monstrous 48 points, a full 7 points better than the next-best entry. Number Juan on the week. And it wasn't particularly close.

Atop the overall standings, WahooWa continues to lead the pack with 328 points. But 404NoPointsFound has surged into second at 322, followed by Back 2 Back and nononsense tied for third at 321.

And get this: TWENTY-ONE competitors have now eclipsed 300 points. Nine weeks down, and this thing is WIDE open.

And then there's Diamond Dave's 1st Entry. Last week, we celebrated Dave's triumphant return to participation after a zero-point performance. Twenty-four points! Progress! Redemption! A second chance!

This week? ZERO. AGAIN.

Dave has officially relapsed.

We tried rehabilitation. We tried positive reinforcement. We even suspended our petition to have him removed from the league. Enough. TO THE GUILLOTINE.

And now, November awaits. The Halloween decorations are coming down. The candy bowls are empty. But the question looms: will the curse of #2 relinquish its stranglehold on college football? We’ll likely find out in Oxford, Mississippi where UGA will take on an Ole Miss team that pulled away from Auburn late before dismantling entirely 45-15.

Week Ten also boasts a massive showdown between Utah and BYU. Texas travels to sneaky Missouri to keep its playoff hopes alive. Ohio State looks to bounce back at home against a roller coaster Oregon squad. Bama visits Death Valley. Kentucky squares off against Rocky Top in TN. And hurricane sweeps through South Bend. Reserve a spot on your couch.

And don’t forget: Think you're slick? Make that pick!

     
 

 

           VEGAS

#22 Arizona @ #13 Texas Tech (-3.5)

#25 Wisconsin @ Iowa (-2.5)

Minnesota @ #4 Indiana (-20.5)

#20 Northwestern @ Oregon (-3.5)

#6 Utah (-7) @ Cincinnati

South Carolina @ Oklahoma (-3.5)

App State @ Georgia Southern (-5.5)

Clemson @ Florida State (-6)

#2 Ohio State (-6.5) @ USC

Army @ Memphis (-6.5)