The 2026-27 college football season rolls on with a loaded Saturday slate of games on tap! It’s time to lock in our CFB best bets today before the action gets underway. Check out these CFB picks for Saturday’s college football Week 9 slate on October 31st. Without further ado, let’s jump into this week’s top CFB predictions.

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: Saturday, 10/31

Our CFB best bets today start with USC hosting Ohio State in a marquee Big Ten matchup. Plus, Florida takes on Georgia in a Top 25 SEC showdown. Check out more CFB picks below for the rest of this Saturday’s action. Good luck!  

 

 

 

Ohio State vs. USC Prediction: Saturday, October 31st

Ohio State returns from its bye week ranked 2nd in the latest AP poll ahead of this matchup. The Buckeyes are 6-1 and fresh off their road win at Indiana two weeks ago. Meanwhile, USC is 6-2 after a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin last week. Let’s back OSU as the road favorite to cover the spread for our CFB best bets today. 

The big storyline for Ohio State is its quarterback situation. Julian Sayin is out after getting hurt against Indiana. Head coach Ryan Day hasn’t named a starter but said that both freshman Luke Fahey and redshirt freshman Tavien St. Clair will be ready to play. Losing Sayin isn’t ideal, but it might not matter much in this matchup. 

USC brings in a subpar defense this season. The Trojans rank 117th nationally in defensive EPA/Play and 96th in defensive success rate. They’ve struggled to stop both the run and pass, but the issues vs. the rush matter more this week. The Buckeyes will likely lean heavily on the run to avoid mistakes from either Fahey or St. Clair. 

Ohio State can get by without Sayin this weekend. The offensive line and run game are good enough to exploit USC’s defensive problems. The Buckeyes have a strong 1-2 punch in the backfield with Bo Jackson (4.8 yards per carry) and Isaiah West (4.5). Plus, the Trojans’ secondary still has to deal with Jeremiah Smith. He should be enough of a factor even with a backup quarterback. 

On the other side, Ohio State can ride its elite defense. The Buckeyes rank 9th in the country in defensive EPA/Play and 5th in defensive success rate. USC’s offense has been potent at times this year, but it’s also struggled in some tougher matchups. The Trojans were held to just 7 points and 239 total yards against Wisconsin last week. OSU can easily replicate that. 

Furthermore, USC’s recent track record against top-tier opponents is hard to ignore. The Trojans are just 5-14 against ranked teams under Lincoln Riley, including 1-7 in the past 8 games. They continually struggle to show up in these spots against the best competition. Ohio State, conversely, is a proven commodity – as evidenced by that last road win at Indiana. The Buckeyes are also 6-2 ATS in their last 8 regular-season games as a single-digit favorite. 

Florida vs. Georgia Prediction: Saturday, October 31st

Let’s turn our attention to an SEC showdown between #17 Florida and #3 Georgia. The Bulldogs are double-digit home favorites, but focus on the game total for our CFB best bets today. Grab the over and bank on a high-scoring shootout between these ranked foes. 

Georgia returns from its bye after losing to Auburn at home two weeks ago. The Bulldogs will be motivated to bounce back, especially on offense. They were held to 20 and 24 points in the past two games. However, UGA put up 38, 41, and 45 points in its three previous conference matchups.  

In the Auburn loss, Georgia gained 440 total yards but turned it over 3 times. The Bulldogs still rank 15th nationally in offensive success rate and 18th in offensive EPA/Play. They now face a struggling Florida defense that’s allowing 32.5 points per game against FBS competition this year, ranking 110th in the country. 

Georgia could easily score 35-40 points in this matchup. The Gators’ defense has had issues throughout conference play. They rank 125th nationally in defensive success rate and 118th in defensive EPA/Play. That’s worrisome against an UGA team eager to right the ship. 

Meanwhile, Florida also brings in a potent offense. The Gators rank 17th in the country in offensive EPA/Play and 30th in offensive success rate. It remains to be seen who starts at quarterback between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. The latter mostly played well in Florida’s win over Texas two weeks ago. Either way, the offense features plenty of playmakers and stud running back Jadan Baugh. 

That brings us to Georgia’s defense. The unit isn’t as dominant as it’s been in years past. The Bulldogs rank 54th in defensive EPA/Play, which is below their usual standards. The defense struggled to stop Auburn in the last game, as the Tigers ran for 192 yards on 4.2 yards per carry. 

All in all, expect both offenses to set the tone and keep this one higher-scoring. Plus, with both teams coming off their bye weeks, fresh legs and plenty of speed can turn this into a shootout on the turf field in Atlanta. Furthermore, the over is 4-2 in the last 6 meetings between these schools.  

 

 

 

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