As we get ready for Week 9 in the college football season, we have a ton of great matchups to look at. This week, we see some rivalry games taking place along with other important contests that will define the season.
But which games are the best of the best for the schedule? Luckily for you, Newsweek Sports is here to let you know.
Here are the top five must-watch games for this week in college football.
5. No. 11 BYU @ UCF
BYU has been one of the bigger surprises this season and they remain undefeated on the season. They will have to go on the road against an unranked UCF team that is going to be waiting to knock them off.
The Knights have an explosive running game that could give BYU some fits in this matchup. If they can’t slow down the offense of UCF, it could spell upset city for the Cougars.
4. No. 20 Illinois @ No. 1 Oregon
Oregon has been arguably the best team all season and they will be trying to defend home field against a tough Big Ten challenger. The Fighting Illini won’t go down in this game without a fight and would love nothing more than to knock off the No. 1 team in the country on the road.
It won’t be easy, especially with Autzen Stadium being one of the hardest environments to play in within college football. But this game could give us a glimpse into how good Oregon really is. They did take down Ohio State but games like this really tell what a team is made of.
3. No. 12 Notre Dame vs No. 24 Navy
Most people wouldn’t have guessed that this game would be here when the season started weeks ago. But Navy has put together an incredible start to the season, sitting with a record of 6-0.
They will give the Fighting Irish some fits and in a rivalry game, anything can happen. The Midshipmen will give it their all and it could be enough to take down Notre Dame to continue their impressive winning streak.
2. No. 8 LSU @ No. 14 Texas A&M
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Both sides will be looking to firmly take control of their place in the SEC Conference for the year. The Tigers come in after trouncing Arkansas last week on the road and get another tough contest against the Aggies.
Texas A&M will be trying to solidify their place with a statement win but LSU’s defense has been playing much better of late. This could be a back-and-forth type of matchup and whoever comes out on top will have earned a hell of a win in this game.
1. No. 21 Missouri @ No. 15 Alabama
Both of these teams enter this game after having high expectations early in the season. They have both lost games that they likely shouldn’t have but they remain some of the more fun teams in college football.
The Crimson Tide are 5-2 while the Tigers are 6-1 on the season. Each side will be looking to take control in the SEC, giving us potentially the best game of the week.
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