College football Week 9 picks: Michigan set to upset Notre Dame

Week 9 of the college football season features plenty of compelling matchups, but which teams are poised for upsets? Here are this weekend’s picks and predictions:

USC at Colorado: USC 31-26

Trojans win and set up a massive opportunity against Oregon next weekend in prime time.

Virginia at Louisville: Virginia 35-28

The Cavaliers stomped Duke last week and stay atop the ACC Coastal with a road win.

No. 6 Penn State at Michigan State: Penn State 27-13

The Nittany Lions didn’t play their best but edged Michigan. They’ll firmly handle the Spartans.

No. 9 Auburn at No. 2 Louisiana State: LSU 34-21

LSU won’t be stopped from a No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash with Alabama, certainly not at Tiger Stadium.

Indiana at Nebraska: Indiana 23-20

Can the Cornhuskers lose at home to the Hoosiers? Yes, they can. Indiana is just better this year.

No. 15 Texas at Texas Christian: Texas 31-24

Longhorns haven’t shown that they’re “back,” but they’ll recover from a near-disaster against Kansas.

Arizona at Stanford: Stanford 20-17

The Cardinal beat Washington at home but lost to UCLA there too. No telling on this one.

South Carolina at Tennessee: South Carolina 21-14

Gamecocks have a defense that travels and will enjoy kicking the Volunteers while they’re down.

No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 19 Michigan: Michigan 20-17

A defensive struggle goes to the home team, and Notre Dame joins Michigan in the two-loss club.

No. 24 Arizona State at UCLA: Arizona State 28-23

This is a sneaky tough game for the Sun Devils coming off a loss at Utah. UCLA is capable.

Last week: 8-2; Season: 54-26