Kennesaw State, the College Football Playoff hope crusher, plus Week 9 viewer guide - The Athletic

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Before we get into this weekend’s schedule, we have to talk about a big win in the Group of 5.

Team No. 133 out of 134, per Chris Vannini’s rankings, might finally be able to make a climb this week. The previously winless Kennesaw State Owls recorded their first win last night against the PREVIOUSLY UNDEFEATED Liberty Flames and 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year Kaidon Salter. A few stats to know:

For reaction, I tapped in The Athletic’s Jason Kirk, a KSU alum:

In the past few months, my alma mater became an EA Sports team for the first time, gained a Homefield Apparel line and was just America’s most beloved team for a night, thanks to the biggest win in school history and possibly the biggest upset of the season. OK, I’m on board with the FBS move.

The first ranked team plays tonight (and might have some upset potential) when Syracuse (5-1) travels to No. 19 Pitt (6-0) at 7:30 p.m., on ESPN. Here are the three games to watch on Friday (all times ET):

Here’s the schedule of every ranked matchup on Saturday. As always the darker the highlight = the higher the intrigue.

Early

Afternoon

Night

Check out the complete Week 9 schedule.

Need tickets? Go here. Stream the games on Fubo for free.

Have thoughts on your favorite (and least favorite) college football broadcasts? Take The Athletic’s CFB on TV survey here.

Ole Miss spent $10 million on a roster it thought would contend in the first 12-team Playoff. But with two losses already, where do the Rebels go from here?

How much is the Big Ten’s coast-to-coast travel impacting game results? Scott Dochterman wrote today about how the league is evaluating its first year as a mega-conference.

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(Photo: Helen Comer / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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Jayna Bardahl is a college football staff editor for The Athletic. She has worked as an editor and reporter covering Big Ten football and men's basketball, and was an intern at The Boston Globe, where she covered the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. Follow Jayna on Twitter @Jaynabardahl