We are now just a week away from the first College Football Playoff rankings coming out which means chaos is about to ensue. There are a lot of good teams around the country, but at the same time it seems like parity is at an all-time high. Outside of Georgia and Michigan, it’s hard to tell, who the top four teams are. This week should help us figure that out. Here are our Top 3 2023 College Football Games Week 9.
No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners vs Kansas Jayhawks
Listen, Oklahoma was nearly put on upset alert last week and I’m not saying they will lose to Kansas, but I do think a very good game is in store for us next week in Lawrence where there is sure to be a sellout crowd. This is probably the most anticipated game in the Lance Leipold era and for all the right reasons. Not only is the sixth-ranked team in town, but the Jayhawks are off to a 5-2 start. They’ve beat down UCF and BYU this season, but they struggled against Texas. An Oklahoma upset is exactly the win this program needs to truly catapult them into a new realm. We saw Dillon Gabriel struggle last week against UCF, but Kansas is a weaker defense. I realistically expect points to flow from OU while their defense limits the Jayhawks. Prediction: Oklahoma 32 Kansas 20
No. 8 Oregon vs No. 13 Utah
Both Oregon and Utah still have CFP hopes but we do know that the team that loses in this game will be eliminated from a final four showing at the end of the season. While we expected USC to be the cream of the crop in the Pac 12 this year, it’s been these two, Oregon State and Washington that have really wowed us. Oregon is just a field goal away from being perfect and the Utes are coming off an impressive win where they forced Caleb Williams into one of his worst performances in college to date. Kyle Whittingham is a genius as a head coach and will have his team ready for this game in a brutal atmosphere for the Ducks. Prediction: Oregon 24 Utah 28
No. 1 Georgia vs Florida
I don’t quite know what to make of the Gators after upsetting Tennessee but losing to Kentucky two weeks later. What I do know is that this Georgia team isn’t nearly as good as the last two years, and I can see a stumble coming from them sooner rather than later and this is a rivalry game that can get the most out of an underdog. The Dawgs played horribly against Vanderbilt last week where they allowed 20 points. They played close games against South Carolina and Auburn. It sure does feel like there is a crack in the foundation and running water is heading for it. I expect Georgia to leave week 9 with a win, but I think we have a close game brewing. Prediction: Georgia 31 Florida 24