3 College Football Teams On Upset Alert In Week One

Houston proved it was the real deal when the team finished the 2015 regular season with a 13-1 record and topped that off with a 38-24 win over Florida State in the Peach Bowl.

The Cougars return a few key pieces from last season including quarterback Greg Ward Jr. who led the team in both rushing and passing. What is more important, however, is the fact that Houston returns its superstar coaching staff.

When looking at the Cougars' resume, one may question if a victory over Oklahoma would even be considered an upset. Anytime a top five team favored by double digits loses in week one, you can consider it an upset.

But Oklahoma being ranked in the top three is no mistake. The Sooners return both Baker Mayfield and Samaje Perine who played a major role in last year's semifinal run. The only question for Oklahoma is whether or not they can stop Ward and company. If not, Houston may be in the playoff conversation right away.

Boise State is once again favored to win the Mountain West. The Broncos return 13 starters, including eight on offense, from a team that went 9-4 last season. Quarterback Brett Rypien should be even better this season, and he has an excellent target in Thomas Sperbeck to throw to.

On paper it may seem like that the Broncos have an easy win in week one against Louisiana-Lafayette. After all, ULL went 4-8 last season. However, this is still a team that went 9-4 every season from 2011-2014. Head coach Mark Hudspeth has every intention of sky rocketing back to the top of the Sun Belt with his 14 returning starters.

Still, it will not be easy for ULL to pull off the upset. There are plenty of question marks regarding depth at the quarterback position. Defense will be the biggest focus for Hudspeth as he looks to figure out a way to slow down the potent Bronco offense.

Road games are always tricky no matter what. It is especially tricky when a team like Boise State is heavily favored so heavily against a team that has consistently dominated the Sun Belt. It is very possible that the original BCS busters get their season busted by a quality ULL team.

LSU returns an incredible 17 players this season including Heisman contender Leonard Fournette. To put it into perspective, the Tigers return their top rusher, passer, and receiver. The team also returns 10 of its top 11 tacklers. In other words, LSU has a very high ceiling despite last year's drama with head coach Les Miles.

So why would this team ever be on upset alert? First and foremost, there is still not a lot of confidence in quarterback Brandon Harris. LSU can only go so far riding the success of Fournette, so Harris will have to step up to the plate.

Wisconsin will have to replace its top passer and receiver, but the Badgers bring back some key players from a defense that was one of the best in the country. If they manage to slow down Fournette then they have the potential to jump ahead early. Another fact to consider is that the game is being played in Green Bay, which might as well be considered a home game for Wisconsin.

Fans of old-fashioned, run between the tackle football will love this game. It is going to be a fight from start to finish and one mistake could be the deciding factor.