College football picks, schedule: Predictions against the spread, odds for top 25 games in Week 9

With the first edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings set to be released Tuesday, for teams battling for the national championship crunch time has arrived. Though there are three major rivalry showdowns involving top-five teams on the schedule Saturday, none feature spreads at less than two touchdowns. As such, if upsets occur, they will be significant ones.

Bookending the day are a couple significant Big Ten rivalries. No. 2 Ohio State opens at No. 13 Penn State in the Buckeyes’ first legitimate test of the season, one in which they are nevertheless 15.5-point favorites, according to Caesars Sportsbook. While the Nittany Lions have already suffered a loss on the campaign, they do have homefield advantage against a rivalry they have struggled to take down over the last decade. In the night cap, No. 4 Michigan hosts Michigan State as a 22.5-point favorite. The Spartans are simply hoping to keep their season from totally collapsing, while the Wolverines are focused on remaining undefeated ahead of their showdown with the Buckeyes in the regular-season finale.

Sandwiched between is the SEC on CBS Game of the Week with No. 1 Georgia and Florida meeting in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The 22.5-point spread in favor of the Bulldogs is the largest in rivalry history, and they enter coming off a bye week the Dawgs got to enjoy after outscoring Auburn and Vanderbilt by a combined 97-10 the last two weeks. The Gators’ only losses this season are to currently ranked teams — all of which they played tough — but they have yet to rekindle past glory under new coach Billy Napier.

By the time Saturday’s action concludes, we will have a much more clear picture as to what the initial CFP Rankings will look like once Tuesday rolls around. Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the day for college football coverage from the opening kickoff onward. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the best games in Week 9.

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern

No. 19 Kentucky at No. 3 Tennessee

7 p.m. | ESPN,