Week 9 of the college football season is upon us. That means it's time to find some value on a couple of underdogs for Saturday's slate.
For the eighth straight season on our college football betting podcast, Big Bets on Campus, Collin Wilson and Stuckey pick their two favorite moneyline underdogs for each week's slate.
For Week 9 of the season, they're rolling with two underdogs — one Power 4 'dog in the ACC and one Group of 5 'dog in the American Conference.
If you're feeling lucky, a parlay of both pups pays out north of 5-1 at the time of writing.
Let's dive into our college football moneyline underdogs for Week 9.
- 2018-24: 85-129, +15.91 Units
- 2025: 5-11, -4.0 Units
- Overall: 90-140, +11.91 Units
College Football Moneyline Underdogs
Stuckey: Wake Forest +130 vs. SMU
| SMU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | -155 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | +130 |
SMU hasn’t really shown much this year outside of last week’s win against a Clemson team that was pretty broken and beaten up.
Now, it's heading into its second straight road game on the East Coast, facing a Wake Forest squad that’s coming off a bye week and should be healthier for it.
I also value bye weeks more highly for teams such as Wake that experienced mass roster and staff turnover in the offseason.
Keep in mind that after its first bye week earlier in the season, Wake Forest lost in overtime on a failed two-point attempt against undefeated Georgia Tech. Tech, meanwhile, needed a last-second field goal to force overtime.
I’ve dug into the Wake Forest defense quite a bit, and I think this is one of the most underrated units in the country. Defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton has those guys playing at an elite level.
The defense ranks in the top 20 nationally in yards per play and Pass Success Rate allowed, which are key against SMU's pass-heavy offense.
The Wake defense also ranks in the top 10 in pressure rate, which could spell trouble for SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who has seen his turnover-worthy play rate spike immensely when under pressure over the past two seasons.
Additionally, the SMU offense is built on getting chunk yards after the catch (top-15 in the country in YAC average), but that might prove more difficult against a Wake Forest defense that ranks sixth in that department.
Give me the Deacs here.
Collin Wilson: Tulsa ML +175 vs. Temple
| Temple Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 54.5 -110o / -110u | -210 |
| Tulsa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 54.5 -110o / -110u | +175 |
I have a lot of respect for Tulsa head coach Tre Lamb.
Right now, Tulsa's defense is legit. It ranks inside the top 30 nationally in tackling, and its pass rush is in the top 20.
Temple, meanwhile, has been awful when it comes to running the ball on offense. The Owls rank outside the top 100 in both Line Yards and Stuff Rate, so I don't see them getting much going against the Golden Hurricane defense.
Offensively, Tulsa isn’t exactly rolling out sustained, methodical drives, but it makes up for it with explosive runs. And since Temple’s run defense is one of the worst in the country, sitting 134th in Defensive Line Yards, the Golden Hurricane should have opportunities to put points on the board with the ground game.
Keep an eye on props for Tulsa running back Dominic Richardson if you can find them. He should put together a solid day against the Owls' dreadful run defense.
I just hope Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes can hold onto the ball and keep it off the carpet after the fumble problems he has experienced this season.
Despite that, I’m all in on Tulsa.
