Model Projects Oregon Edge in Week 9 College Football
Computer simulations favor the Ducks over Northwestern despite a recent coaching shakeup, while the model maintains a 68-59 record on top-rated picks.
By Ahmed Peterson ·
A computer model used by SportsLine projects that Oregon will defeat Northwestern 30-22 in Week 9 of the 2026 college football season. The simulation lists the Ducks as a 3.5-point home favorite. This prediction comes as the Ducks face a challenging week after firing offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer following a 21-10 loss to Illinois last week.
The model has entered the current stretch of games with a 68-59 record on all top-rated college football picks. According to SportsLine, this performance has returned nearly $400 at betting sites for those who followed the advice. The system generates these projections by simulating every Football Bowl Subdivision game 10,000 times.
Northwestern enters the matchup with a four-game winning streak. However, the model notes that three of those victories came against teams with a combined one win in the Big Ten Conference. Those opponents were Ball State, Michigan State, and Rutgers. The Wildcats also defeated Penn State during this run. In their only other road game against quality competition this season, Northwestern lost to Indiana by a touchdown margin.
The model identifies Oregon as the value bet against the spread 61% of the time in this specific matchup. It also predicts that the total points line of 47.5 will go over in 60% of the simulations. The Ducks currently hold three losses on the season.
Other notable lines for Week 9 include No. 6 Utah, who are 6.5-point road favorites against Cincinnati. Cincinnati recently upset Texas Tech and is looking to continue its momentum. Other top-10 teams lost in the previous week, including BYU, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech. The model has locked in picks for every FBS matchup scheduled for the weekend.
Additional games on the schedule include No. 13 Texas Tech hosting No. 22 Arizona, where the Red Raiders are 3.5-point favorites. No. 3 Georgia hosts No. 17 Florida as an 11.5-point favorite. Ohio State is a 6.5-point favorite when it visits USC on Saturday.
Odds for the week are provided by FanDuel and are subject to change. The model's predictions cover all FBS games, including a 13.5-point spread for FAU at North Texas and a 21-point spread for Troy at James Madison. The full list of projected scores for the week is available through the SportsLine service.
Source: CBS Sports
