Connelly's Week 9 preview: LSU-Texas A&M lists unexpected key clash

If you've read these Friday previews, you know my position by now: Weeks with marquee, eight-digit-viewership games — Bama-Georgia, Oregon-Ohio State, Georgia-Texas — are great. But grab-bag week, where you don't know ahead of time what the main story will be and there are countless games and storylines to track, is even better.

Welcome to one hell of a week 9 grab bag. To be sure, we have big games: LSU and Texas A&M, for example, will play for the label of surprise SEC co-favorites, and there are five ranked-versus-ranked games in all. But the subplots are legacies. No. 3 Penn State should look like perhaps the hottest team in the Big Ten. Two of this season's early favorites — Indiana and Navy — are stepping into the spotlight Boise State and UNLV meet in the biggest Group of 5 head-to-head game of the year. Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt welcome top five teams to Nashville; They can't do it again, can they?

Throw in another week of tight Big 12 matchups, lesser-but-saltier rivalry games like Miami-Florida State and Michigan-Michigan State, and the most small-school weekend ever, and you've got yourself one hell of a weekend. Here is everything you need to follow. (All times Eastern. Line from ESPN BET.)

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A trio of unexpectedly important SEC games

After starting 0-1, LSU and Texas A&M combined for a six-game winning streak. According to SP+ estimates they are no. 2 (LSU) and no. 4 (A&M) teams likely to win the SEC The Tigers travel to College Station for one of three games that seem a little more important than they were a few weeks ago.