College football Week 9 streaming guide: Missouri-Vanderbilt, BYU-ISU, more incoming chaos

What a weird two months of college football. Granted, the sport is always rooted in thin margins and Jenga block wobbles, but 2025 has been uniquely off the hook so far. The AP Top 25 poll reflects it, too: Every spot changed hands, except for the undefeated and reigning national champion Ohio State at No. 1.

It isn’t just the week-to-week turnover. Some of these programs vying for top rankings are unaccustomed to the heights. Indiana is No. 2, the highest spot in school history. Georgia Tech is No. 7 — it went unranked for eight consecutive seasons from 2016 through ’23. And Vanderbilt is No. 10, something the Commodores haven’t been since 1947.

Here’s what we’re looking forward to in this latest slate, headlined by an unlikely Mizzou-Vandy jam. There are two other SEC heavyweight fights (Ole Miss at Oklahoma, Texas A&M at LSU), plus pivotal games in the Big 12, Mountain West, Mid-American and American conferences. The schedule is full; the screens are split; our fear of being thwacked by a flying tortilla is no longer.

All times ET, and all odds via BetMGM.

Week 9 viewing guide

Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.

ABC, NBC and Fox are free over the air. NBC also streams on Peacock, and Fox streams on Fox One. All ESPN network content, including ABC and SECN telecasts, are available on ESPN Unlimited.

Wednesday

The light stretching: Missouri State at New Mexico State, 9 p.m. on CBSSN

There are eight FBS games between Tuesday and Friday. Most of them are imbalanced by spread, stakes or both. Wednesday’s Conference USA nightcap should be close, at least. Each team comes in at 3-3, and the point spread is narrow. The Bears have consecutive close calls (a five-point loss to Western Kentucky, then a two-point win at Middle Tennessee). And the Aggies return home after a wild 30-27 loss to Liberty on a last-minute touchdown. Las Cruces is the landing spot for those in need of a late-night football fix. They’re called “sickos,” clinically speaking.

Friday

The warmup: Boise State at Nevada, 10 p.m. on CBSSN

These current Broncos are a bit off the radar compared to last year’s College Football Playoff team, but their two losses are at least to respectable opponents (USF and Notre Dame). They’ll need to win out in the Mountain West to keep their faint Playoff hope kindled this season. The Athletic’s latest projections have Boise State with a 6 percent chance to crash the CFP bracket. While Ashton Jeanty was never going to be properly “replaced” in the blue-turf backfield, Dylan Riley is holding it down in his own right. The sophomore slasher starts this week with 695 rushing yards; his average of 8.1 yards per attempt ranks No. 8 in FBS. Boise State will take the field with heavy hearts following the death of program legend Doug Martin.

Saturday, early window

Best on paper: No. 8 Ole Miss at No. 13 Oklahoma, noon on ABC

Norman will be noisy on Saturday. It’s hard to believe that this grooving Brent Venables team spawned from last year’s six-win disappointment. John Mateer hasn’t quite been the Heisman-level quarterback he was before his Sept. 20 thumb injury. But the Sooners don’t need a whole lot with this defense in place. Oklahoma hits the week at No. 2 in points allowed per game (9.4) and No. 1 in yards allowed per play (3.7). Off the edge, R Mason Thomas toggles between nuisance and nightmare: two sacks versus Auburn, one on Texas and 1 1/2 on South Carolina.

If not for last weekend’s 17-0 fourth-quarter collapse in Georgia, Lane Kiffin’s crew would be undefeated. Ole Miss still has a good chance at making the Playoff … with a QB who was in Division II last year. Trinidad Chambliss can air it out in the pocket and scoot far beyond it. He had three total touchdowns against the Dawgs in Athens, and he’s thrown just a singular interception across his five starts. Chambliss has been testament to college football’s redemptive and romantic qualities. His Rebels are must-watch TV for fans of all persuasions.

Best potential chaos agent: No. 18 South Florida at Memphis, noon on ESPN2

There is a trio of potential trap games that could bring chaos to the forefront. “Could” is doing an awful lot in that sentence, though. Indiana hosts UCLA, and oddsmakers have opened the spread at a whopping 24.5 points. Georgia Tech is a three-score home favorite over Syracuse, which has lost its last three ACC matchups by multiple scores. And Virginia visits UNC, where the Bill Belichick-Chapel Hill experience can be reduced to a soggy Carolina blue hoodie with molding cutoffs.

Instead, let’s roll with South Florida and Memphis for some thick smoke. The 6-1 Tigers were ranked last week, then squandered that ranking via goal-line stuff at UAB. The 6-1 Bulls are still ranked, and they’ve scored 48 or more points in their four consecutive wins. Dynamic quarterback Byrum Brown leads his team in passing and rushing. The Athletic model gives Brown’s USF a 24 percent chance at making the CFP; Bill Connelly’s SP+ model has Memphis as the narrow winner of Saturday’s action. Let’s see what shakes out in Bluff City. For what it’s worth, we got a 59-50 mega-marathon when these two last met in Memphis during the 2023 season, with Brown throwing five touchdowns in a loss.

Sleeper pick: Auburn at Arkansas, 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network

Bobby Petrino (yes, him) has Arkansas playing competitively, with consecutive three-point losses to ranked opponents. Hugh Freeze (yes, him) could be coaching for his job on Saturday. If nothing else, it’s a stage for schadenfreude.

Saturday, afternoon window

Best on paper: No. 15 Missouri at No. 10 Vanderbilt, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN

The Tigers were three points short of upending Alabama two weekends ago. They’re otherwise unbeaten off the strength of Ahmad Hardy, the country’s third-leading rusher through eight weeks, and their gnarly pass rush with 21 sacks. The SEC may be as crowded as ever (10 of its 16 members are ranked right now, which is hilarious), but a road upset on “College GameDay” would propel Mizzou near the front of the line.

Same goes for Vandy, which brings college football’s traveling circus to Nashville. Rece Davis and friends are here to see Diego Pavia, who is carving up quality opponents and channeling the spirits of Johnny Manziel’s Heisman season:

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia hit the Heisman and paid homage to Johnny Manziel 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ukQZ67VIDs

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 18, 2025

Pavia has 13 wins in 20 starts for the Commodores. Vanderbilt had 12 combined wins in the five seasons before his arrival. Missouri’s defensive line has its proving ground.

Best potential chaos agent: No. 11 BYU at Iowa State, 3:30 p.m. on Fox

Like the early window, there are a few chaos candidates that could fit in here. Baylor at Cincinnati looks like a good time. So does Illinois at Washington. The ever-volatile Texas Longhorns are no lock against anyone, even struggling Mississippi State.

No shame in opting for those games, but we’re giving this spot to BYU-ISU. The Cougars are undefeated, atop their conference and just outside of the top 10. They are also underdogs visiting the 5-2 Cyclones. Talented passer Bear Bachmeier and sack artist Jack Kelly are rising stars for the Big 12 table-setters. But three of their last four finishes were heart-racers (three-point Ws over Colorado and Utah, double-overtime madness at Arizona). Another could be queued up with Iowa State feeling the urgency. Cyclones slinger Rocco Becht has significantly better home splits than road ones, and his completion percentage improves by almost 20 points in Ames.

Sleeper pick: Western Michigan at Miami (OH), 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+

Both teams are 3-0 in the MAC, good for a three-way tie with Buffalo to lead the conference. These two have each won four straight, and Miami hasn’t lost a regular-season conference matchup in more than a year. Tired: MACtion is for Tuesdays in November. Wired: MACtion is forever.

Saturday, evening window

Best on paper: No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 20 LSU, 7:30 p.m. on ABC

There’s no denying the pull of 7-0 A&M descending into Death Valley under the lights. LSU’s defense has a few pro prospects, like fiery cornerback Mansoor Delane and stabilizing linebacker Whit Weeks. The Aggies counter with a daunting Marcel Reed-Mario Craver QB-WR connection.

Though Mike Elko has his program in the national title conversation, Texas A&M hasn’t played a ranked opponent since its mid-September classic with Notre Dame. Baton Rouge is a big test with rangy implications for the conference.

Best potential chaos agent: Houston at No. 24 Arizona State, 8 p.m. on ESPN2

Houston arrives after a walk-off field goal lifted it past Arizona. ASU stays home after dealing Texas Tech its first loss of 2025. The Sun Devils’ last three wins are all by four or fewer points, and Sam Leavitt’s offense still has a lot of last year’s juice.

Upset potential starts with Conner Weigman, incumbent Big 12 offensive player of the week because of gems like this:

OUTRAGEOUS TD PASS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AzKzrpfydj

— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 18, 2025

Though perhaps not as glamorous as the SEC or Big Ten, the Big 12 has been a reliable chaos machine through September and October. Last Saturday alone gave us the Texas Tech upset, the Houston buzzer-beater and the BYU-Utah rally. We’ll gladly stay awake for another round of this good stuff.

Sleeper pick: No. 25 Michigan at Michigan State, 7:30 on NBC

Calling this a sleeper feels wrong. The Big Ten’s late centerpiece has history and the Paul Bunyan Trophy, but it lacks its usual hype this season. Michigan is favored by more than two touchdowns, while MSU is 0-4 in Big Ten play and has lost each one by double digits. Even so, we never know with in-state rivalries … especially one that had “trouble with the snap” a decade ago.

Updated Week 9 college football odds

Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.