College Football Teams on Upset Alert in Week 6
This may be the best week of college football we have seen all season in terms of top 25 match ups. That's not to say that we didn't see our fair share close calls in week 5. If you missed anything that went on, we will bring you up to speed:
- #1 Florida State overcame an early 17 point deficit to defeat North Carolina State 56-41.
- #6 Texas A&M avoided a loss from Arkansas with a 35-28 win in overtime.
- Missouri's late touchdown sealed a 21-20 upset win over South Carolina.
- #16 Stanford got its first PAC 12 win with a 20-13 win on the road against Washington.
It was a great week of college football, but it should pale in comparison to this weekend's slate of games. It's almost a guarantee that there will be a surprise in the top 25. We've already seen #2 Oregon go down on Thursday night. Where could these surprises happen on Saturday?
#3 Alabama at #11 Ole Miss
Line: Alabama -7The few questions that were left regarding Blake Sims' ability to be a starting quarterback have faded away. However, there is concern about his health heading into this week's game. This offense has the capability of hurting you through the air and on the ground, and they need both of those things against this tough Ole Miss defense. If Sims is not 100 percent, it could spell trouble for the Crimson Tide.
Ole Miss is in a great position to pull a huge upset and beat Alabama for the first time since 2003. There are a couple of things they must do in order to win. First, taking Amari Cooper out of the equation is critical. The Rebels' defense has nine interceptions on the year, more than any other SEC team. The most important key to victory will be scoring on Alabama's defense. Bo Wallace needs to have a huge game on Saturday.
There is a lot of excitement and hype for what might be the biggest game Ole Miss has ever played. College Gameday will be making its first appearance in Oxford, and many believe a big upset can happen. Can the Rebels stop a surging offense and score on a solid defense?
#4 Oklahoma at #25 TCU
Line: Oklahoma -6Oklahoma has made the 'Upset Alert' list a few times this season but still remain undefeated. The Sooners' depth and talent is always too much for their opponents to handle by the second half. So what's different about this weekend? Their offense is facing the best defense in the BIG 12 on the road. RB Keith Ford will be out again this week with an injury, which puts the pressure on Trevor Knight. Points will not come easy against this TCU defense.
The Horned Frogs are in a great position to bolt up the rankings with a win on Saturday. We know they have the defense, but so does Oklahoma. Trevone Boykin is a phenomenal dual-threat quarterback who also leads his team in rushing. He will need to lead a two dimensional attack in order to keep Oklahoma's defense honest. The Horned Frogs cannot run out of steam if they jump out early or else the Sooners will jump ahead with a second half surge.
Any highly-ranked team playing on the road should beware of getting upset, but this becomes even more true when that team faces one unlike any other they have seen all season.
Utah at #8 UCLA
Line: UCLA -14UCLA hasn't looked as sharp as many people expected, but they record is still perfect. A big win over Arizona last week showed that there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Bruins. That is, of course, if they do not overlook teams like Utah. UCLA has the ability to score behind Brett Hundley, but with one of the worst defenses in the PAC 12, it's hard to definitively say that Bruins will not get outscored. The pressure be on Hundley's shoulders to lead this team to victory.
Utah has had its moments but hasn't quite found the success it was looking for when it joined the PAC 12. This may not be the year it wins a championship, but the Utes can compete with any team in the conference. The offense continues to improve under new offensive coordinator Dave Christensen. They should be able to score, but slowing down the Bruins on offense is the key to the potential monumental upset.
The Utes have a history of pulling off some pretty big upsets including win over #5 Stanford last season. The Bruins have had close calls with Virginia and Memphis and narrowly escaped an upset. If they are not careful, they may not be as fortunate this weekend.
#19 Nebraska at #10 Michigan State
Line: Michigan State -8Michigan State may be one of the best teams in the country even with the early season loss to Oregon. The Spartans have racked up 129 points in their last two games alone. Those big numbers will not be as easy to come by this Saturday. Even with a stout defense, State will have a hard time stopping Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah who is averaging over 166 rushing yards per game. They haven't faced an offense this good since Oregon.
Abdullah is the first guy you will hear mentioned when discussing Nebraska's offense, but do not forget about dual-threat quarterback Tommy Armstrong who can hurt you through the air and on the ground. The Cornhuskers' success in this game will be based on how they stop Jeremy Langford and Connor Cook. Head coach Bo Pelini will have to come up with a solid game plan in order to pull off this upset.
There is no question that this game is important in terms of Big Ten standings, but this might not be the only time we see these two play this season if they meet in the conference championship game. The loser of this game may get a shot at redemption.