10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 1

Virginia Tech at South Carolina (-7.5) - Sunday at 3:00

A rare Sunday afternoon contest between the ACC and the SEC happens in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. LaNorris Sellers is the headline attraction as the South Carolina Gamecocks take on Kyron Drones and the Virginia Tech Hokies, with Shane Beamer’s team the favorite. This line has been trending towards Virginia Tech, though, and South Carolina has a ton of questions, Sellers excluded. Do they have a good enough receiver corps? Who steps up after so many good players on defense were drafted? If South Carolina starts slow, like they did last season in a narrow win over Old Dominion, can the ground attack of Virginia Tech make them pay?

Syracuse at Tennessee (-13.5) - Saturday at Noon

The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Syracuse Orange at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to open the post-Nico Iamaleava era for Josh Heupel’s squad. Tennessee’s athletic advantage will likely wear down the Orange and eventually overwhelm Fran Brown’s team in a win, but what happens if Steve Angeli is slinging the ball around just like Kyle McCord last season? What happens if Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar is struggling and turns the ball over a couple of times? This one could get interesting.

Mississippi State (-12) at Southern Miss - Saturday at Noon

I love the potential of the running attack for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but this is a dangerous game for Jeff Lebby’s squad. The Bulldogs travel to in-state foe Southern Miss, and they’ll take on new head coach Charles Huff and a nearly entirely new roster, at least somewhat comprised of last season’s Sun Belt-winning squad from Marshall. Mississippi State lost in blowout fashion at home to Toledo, so losing to a Group of Five opponent would not be unheard of for "Clanga Clanga."

Florida Atlantic at Maryland (-14.5) - Saturday at Noon

The Florida Atlantic Owls travel to College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins, with the Terrapins two-touchdown favorites. Maryland is likely to try to run the ball frequently, with running back Nolan Ray to take pressure off their freshman quarterback. However, a young quarterback with no experience could get sloppy and give the ball away a couple of times, giving FAU a chance.

Ball State at Purdue (-17.5) - Saturday at Noon

The Ball State Cardinals do not project to be very good, but Purdue was the worst power conference team in the country last season, and their roster is nearly completely rebuilt with new head coach Barry Odom. Purdue is going to struggle to score against teams with a pulse, which will bring an upset into the realm of possibility.

Toledo at Kentucky (-7.5) - Saturday at 12:45

This list mentioned Toledo earlier as the Rockets went to Starkville last season and hammered the Mississippi State Bulldogs in an early-season matchup. This season, Jason Candle’s crew makes a short trip to Lexington to open the season against the Kentucky Wildcats. UK is projected to be one of the weakest teams in the SEC, and Mark Stoops’s teams routinely struggle on offense and still don’t seem to have an answer at quarterback. Toledo is a live dog in this one.

Old Dominion at Indiana (-22.5) - Saturday at 2:30

The biggest underdog on this list is the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Sun Belt squad travels to Bloomington to play last season’s CFP darling, the Indiana Hoosiers. Old Dominion is no walkover, though, as the Monarchs have talented dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph, along with potentially the best linebacker corps in the Group of Five. Curt Cignetti is no stranger to Sun Belt teams, and he certainly won’t be taking the Monarchs lightly, but IU will need to be sharp, as Old Dominion should have beaten South Carolina on the road in Week 1 just last season.

Alabama (-13.5) at Florida State - Saturday at 3:30

The Alabama Crimson Tide are getting a lot of buzz as a national title contender, and they begin their quest with a trip to Tallahassee to play the Florida State Seminoles. Everything about this game screams for Alabama to pull away and win this contest with relative ease, but Florida State is a proud program, and Mike Norvell has proven he is capable of getting it right in the near past. FSU has Tommy Castellanos at quarterback, and he’s still healthy for now. If Alabama continues to struggle to run the ball, as they did last season, and Ty Simpson can’t get in rhythm, maybe Florida State can shock the Tide.

Holy Cross at Northern Illinois (-10.5) - Saturday at 3:30

The Northern Illinois Huskies open the 2025 season with a tricky contest against Holy Cross. The Huskies are an excellent program with a good track record of making bowl games, but Holy Cross is very capable of putting up points, and NIU is often weaker on the offensive side of the ball. Northern Illinois will probably overwhelm Holy Cross in the second half and wear them down, but they should proceed with caution.

Virginia Tech at South Carolina (-7.5) - Sunday at 3:00

A rare Sunday afternoon contest between the ACC and the SEC happens in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. LaNorris Sellers is the headline attraction as the South Carolina Gamecocks take on Kyron Drones and the Virginia Tech Hokies, with Shane Beamer’s team the favorite. This line has been trending towards Virginia Tech, though, and South Carolina has a ton of questions, Sellers excluded. Do they have a good enough receiver corps? Who steps up after so many good players on defense were drafted? If South Carolina starts slow, like they did last season in a narrow win over Old Dominion, can the ground attack of Virginia Tech make them pay?