A week after one of the craziest upset weeks we've seen in years, with five of the top seven teams losing, we had another upset last week as #2 BYU went down. So who will be the next team to fall? Saturday brings us 47 college football games to end a week that started with games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Last week, we got both Friday upsets correct with Duke over Virginia and Wyoming besting Air Force. We had Tennessee in this column on Saturday, and they blew a late lead, while Ole Miss got too far behind vs. Texas. We’ve called at least one upset in seven straight weeks and 12 upsets total in this column.
Saturday’s slate is the warm-up for next week’s ranked vs. ranked games and features numerous spots of teams that might be thinking ahead to November 7. We are interested in a Big 12 spot and a Big Ten game out west.
Below, we’ll break down our upset picks for Saturday’s CFB games, including #6 Utah vs. Cincinnati and #20 Northwestern vs. Oregon, with spreads and payouts on PrizePicks.
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College Football Predictions, Upset Picks for Week 9 – Saturday, October 31
This Saturday's college football slate has plenty of underdogs, but two games stand out as potential college football upset spots on Saturday, October 31.
Cincinnati, fresh off an upset of Texas Tech last week, looks for another when hosting #6 Utah at 3:45 p.m. on ESPN, and #20 Northwestern looks to continue climbing up the Big Ten standings with a win at Oregon at 3:30 p.m. on Peacock.
The payouts listed below indicate real-money earnings if a prediction is correct; for example, a 2x on a $100 entry pays out $200. The lower the payout multiplier, the higher the chance of the outcome occurring, according to user picks.
#6 Utah vs. Cincinnati: CFB Upset Watch Today
Start Time: 3:45 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN
There are multiple ways to look at this Big 12 game. On one hand, it's a typical letdown spot for Cincinnati coming off a huge upset of #8 Texas Tech last week.
But on the other hand, Utah is coming off a big win of its own, surviving #14 Houston last week, and now hits the road vs. a very good Bearcats team. Plus, rival #8 BYU and the Holy War matchup await next weekend.
So, which spot do you weigh more? For starters, Cincinnati stays home for back-to-back games, playing Utah in the same Nippert Stadium where it just beat Texas Tech and is undefeated this season.
Secondly, Cincinnati wasn’t just a team playing for the upset as the highlight of the season. This is an excellent Bearcats team that piled up more than 250 rushing yards, including 173 from RB Cole Tabb, against a Red Raiders team that entered with the fifth-best rush defense in the nation.
Utah enters with the eighth-best run defense, allowing just 88.3 yards per game, but that didn’t seem to matter for Cincinnati against Texas Tech. The Utes just played a physical 21-13 win over Houston, in which the Utes needed two fourth-quarter TDs to win.
They now travel east to take on a Bearcats team that is 5-2 and has a shot at the Big 12 Championship Game after the win over Texas Tech. This is a classic sandwich spot with a ranked win behind them and a huge rivalry game vs. a ranked team next week.
The biggest weakness for Cincinnati is pass defense, which ranks 135th, but Utah is a running team that averages 221.0 yards per game on the ground with a 55.9% rush play rate.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati ranks 12th nationally in turnover differential (+6). The Bearcats' defense came up huge vs. Texas Tech, creating 3 takeaways, racking up 4 sacks, and suffocating the Red Raiders to a dismal 3-for-15 performance on third down.
Even without the sandwich spot for Utah, this Cincinnati team has the tools to keep this close and pull off the outright upset and knock off the lone remaining undefeated Big 12 team.
Make your Utah vs. Cincinnati picks on PrizePicks now.
#20 Northwestern vs. Oregon: Upset Watch Today
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET | TV: Peacock
Things have not gone as expected for the Oregon Ducks, who were among the top national title contenders when the season started and are now unranked after dropping three of their first seven games for the first time since 2017.
Meanwhile, not many saw Northwestern starting 6-1 and positioned to contend for a Big Ten Championship Game berth in five weeks. Case in point — the lookahead spread for this game was 28.5 back in August, and now it’s only 3.5.
The Oregon QB situation has been a mess since starter and preseason Heisman candidate Dante Moore was injured in the USC win. Both Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas have alternated starts, but neither has been consistent, resulting in losses to UCLA and Illinois while sneaking by Nebraska.
Offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer has been fired after the Ducks failed to break 20 points in the three games since Moore was injured.
The Wildcats have won four straight since their close loss as 20-point underdogs to Indiana and are averaging 34.7 points and 435.6 yards per game on the season.
Northwestern is rushing for 204.6 yards per game (23rd), and now faces an Oregon defense that is allowing 127.9 yards per game, 10th in the Big Ten. Illinois ran for 225 yards last week vs. the Ducks.
QB Aidan Chiles has accounted for 21 touchdowns this season, including 9 rushing scores under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who is the former Oregon head coach. Chiles is backed by a defense that is allowing just 16.6 points per game (22nd).
It's a cross-country road trip to one of college football's toughest venues, Autzen Stadium, but this is not the Oregon Ducks team everyone expected to see this season.
Make your Northwestern vs. Oregon picks on PrizePicks now.
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After a midweek filled with college football, we end it with 47 games on Saturday, featuring plenty on the line and chances for upsets.
Can Cincinnati pull off two Big 12 upsets in a row over ranked teams? Is Northwestern primed to add to Oregon’s miserable season?
You can make your college football predictions every week of the 2026 season on PrizePicks — including teams to pull off upsets.
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