Fantasy Football Devy Spotlight & College Football Picks (2025)

In the most intriguing matchups of Week 9, No. 9 Vanderbilt heads to Austin to face No. 20 Texas in a clash that could reshape both teams’ postseason outlooks. The Commodores are navigating a brutal four-game stretch against ranked opponents and enter on a two-game win streak, while Texas looks to rebound behind one of the nation’s stingiest defenses.

With Arch Manning‘s status still uncertain, all eyes will be on whether Vanderbilt’s explosive offense, led by Diego Pavia, can find answers against a Longhorn defense ranked in the top 25 in most categories.

Devy Fantasy Football Primer

Game of the Week

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

#9 Vanderbilt @ #20 Texas (-2.5) | 45.5 | Saturday at Noon EST on ABC

Vanderbilt is taking on its fourth straight ranked opponent, winning the last two at home. This week, they hit the road to Austin to take on the Longhorns. The Longhorns have the 10th-ranked scoring defense and the third-ranked rushing defense. Vandy has the 12th-ranked scoring offense, averaging 38.4 points per game, and the 24th-ranked rushing offense.

Texas has had its offensive struggles and only ranks inside the top 60 in one category: Turnovers. As of this writing, Arch Manning‘s status remains up in the air as he is still in concussion protocol. If Manning is unable to go, fifth-year journeyman Matthew Caldwell would get the start. Caldwell saw playing time the past two seasons at Gardner-Webb and Troy. Manning did play his best game of the season last week, but he has not met the high preseason expectations.

We all know the player Diego Pavia is by now, but this may be his toughest matchup to date. If Texas can shut down Vandy’s run game, it will be a long afternoon for Pavia against this stout defense. Regardless of whether Manning plays, Texas’ defense will be too much for Pavia and the Vandy offense to overcome. This will likely be a low-scoring, back-and-forth, grind-it-out game with Texas coming out on top and stopping the Commodores’ Cinderella run over the last couple of weeks.

My Picks:

Moneyline: Texas (-134)
Spread: Texas -2.5 (-115)
Total: Under 45.5 (-115)

Devy Spotlight

Makai Lemon (WR – USC) | 2026

Makai Lemon didn’t come into this season very high on many draft boards, but has made a case to be the No. 1 WR in the draft class. He has already surpassed his yards and touchdown totals from last season.

Lemon has three 100-yard games and three multi-touchdown games. He was added to the Maxwell Award watchlist last week. USC travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on the Cornhuskers and the second-ranked passing defense in the country.

Heisman Trophy Race

The top five Heisman Trophy favorites after Week 9:

Fernando Mendoza (QB – Indiana) | +260
Ty Simpson (QB – Alabama) | +350
Julian Sayin (QB – Ohio State) | +400
Marcel Reed (QB – Texas A&M) | +500
Diego Pavia (QB – Vanderbilt) | +850

The Indiana and Fernando Mendoza train stays on track after a 50-point win over the UCLA Bruins, where Mendoza accounted for four touchdowns. Ty Simpson and the Crimson Tide needed a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat South Carolina. Simpson threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns.

Julian Sayin enjoyed a bye week while retaining the third-highest odds. Marcel Reed and the Aggies were down at halftime in Death Valley to LSU, but scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to secure a huge road win. Reed threw for 202 yards and added another 108 rushing with four total touchdowns.

Diego Pavia didn’t have a stellar game, but did enough to lead Vandy to a 17-10 win over No.15-ranked Missouri. Pavia scored one of three touchdowns in the game. Trinidad Chambliss currently sits at +3000 and makes an interesting case moving forward. He didn’t begin the season as Ole Miss’ starting quarterback, but since taking over, he has averaged 360 yards and two touchdowns per game with wins over LSU, Georgia and Oklahoma.