3 CFB on Upset Alert in Week 11
Week 10 was not filled with many upsets, but the magnitude of the upsets that did occur made the week very exciting.
In case you were unfortunate enough to miss any of these large upsets (or close calls), here is a quick recap:
- Mississippi State, who had long been considered a lost cause, pulled a monster upset over #4 Texas A&M by a final score of 35-28.
- #9 Auburn had to fight tooth and nail to avoid being on the wrong end of a monster upset to Vanderbilt.
- #11 Florida could not survive a road game against an Arkansas team that many had lost faith in. The Razorbacks beat the Gators by a final of 31-10.
- TCU lit up the scoreboard against #17 Baylor as the Bears fell, 62-22.
- #22 Florida State narrowly survived their game against North Carolina State as the Seminoles pulled out a 24-20 win.
Week 11 may not feature many upsets, however, there is great potential for there to big monster upsets like we witnessed in week 10:
**All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com**
#16 West Virginia at Texas
Line: EvenCharlie Strong's seat is not quite as warm as it was a few weeks ago, but he still has to fight for his job. A win over West Virginia would be ideal in that pursuit. It all comes down to how bad the players want this win for Strong.
The Longhorns have a secret weapon that should not be a secret at this point and that's running back D'Onta Foreman who leads the BIG 12 in yards (1,446), rushing touchdowns (13), and average yards per carry (7.02). To put that in perspective, Foreman has 633 more rushing yards than the next closest player in the conference.
If West Virginia wants to avoid the upset then they must become even more effective through the air. Skyler Howard has been one of the conference's most accurate quarterback, and he must utilize that against the Longhorns. Texas has given up over 300 yards passing in four games this season, and they lost three of those.
Pittsburgh at #2 Clemson
Line: Clemson -20.5Clemson has been put on the chopping block because of the uncertainty surrounding how healthy they will be entering this matchup. That uncertainty gives hope to a Pittsburgh team that ranks 12th in total defense in the ACC.
The Panthers' morale may be low due to their most recent loss to Miami (FL). Still, Pittsburgh is one of many teams around the country that plays completely different from week to week. They have played four teams this season that are currently ranked and lost by seven points or less in every single one of them.
Clemson, meanwhile, has also signs of inconsistency. Five of the Tigers' nine victories were decided by seven points or less. Dabo Swinney obviously has more weapons on his team, but if he didn't then his team would not be on upset alert. This game could get very interesting especially with Watson's health in question.
#3 Michigan at Iowa
Line: Michigan -22As of right now, it appears that Michigan has a clear path until they face Ohio State at the end of the season. Iowa, on the outside looking in, does not look like it can pull such an upset, but maybe, just maybe, the Hawkeyes are tired of being disrespected.
The "disrespect" factor is one of the few things that Iowa fans can lean on when evaluating this matchup. The Hawkeyes do not have any eye opening statistics that would make one feel confident in their chances. Home field advantage and the confidence that comes from being an underdog are the two biggest factors to consider in this matchup.
Michigan, on the other hand, does not many statistics that would not make one believe that they will take care of business. One thing to point out is that this will be the Wolverines' first road game against a team that has won a conference matchup. Call it a hunch, but this one may be closer than people expect.