NCAAF · 9 minutes ago

10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 14

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

10. Northwestern at Illinois (-6.5) - 7:30
The battle between Illinois and Northwestern got a lot more interesting this past week as the Fighting Illini got trounced by Wisconsin 27-10 and Northwestern reached bowl eligibility with another surprising win. The Illini had previously only lost to Washington, and the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country (OSU and IU), but the Wisconsin loss was another animal, as they were gashed on the ground and failed to generate anything on offense. Northwestern is adept at controlling time of possession (13th nationally) and is 5-0 when rushing for 200 yards or more. If Illinois' newfound susceptibility against the run is on display again in Champaign, the Illini will be in trouble.

Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
1. Navy at Memphis (-6.5) - Thursday at 7:30
The Memphis Tigers host the Navy Midshipmen on Thanksgiving. Navy is 8-2 and 6-1 in the American Athletic Conference, while Memphis has tripped up three times in the league and now sits at 8-3. Of course, this is not the regular-season finale for the Midshipmen, as they play Army on December 13, but that will be a non-conference game, so this weekend will determine who makes the AAC Championship Game. Memphis has surrendered 3.9 yards per rush, and Navy is very adept at taking a crowd out of a game with its possession-based offense, which aims for drives that chew up eight or nine minutes off the clock. Memphis is favored, but the Tigers will fall to Navy as the Midshipmen run for 250 yards.

Have all the intel you need? Free, actionable information is just one click away! Sign up for our daily newsletter, SportsGrid Daily.
2. Mississippi (-7.5) at Mississippi State - Friday at Noon
The Ole Miss players and coaching staff have to be as distracted as any team in the country right now. Despite a 10-1 record and being in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history ahead of a matchup with rival Mississippi State, everyone is much more focused on what head coach Lane Kiffin will say after the game and where he’ll be coaching in 2026 than on what will happen in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss has had close calls against Kentucky, Arkansas, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Florida, so they are not an invincible machine that can easily overcome an off day, and Mississippi State is a few plays away from being near .500 in the SEC. If the Bulldogs can get off to a good start and those cowbells start clanging away on Black Friday, Ole Miss would be primed for an upset that puts their College Football Playoff hopes in a bit of turmoil.
3. Iowa (-6.5) at Nebraska - Friday at Noon
The Iowa Hawkeyes are 5-3 in the Big Ten, but the offense that so many of their fans were excited about earlier in the season has looked mainly like “same ol’ Iowa” for the past month. They scored only 16 points against Oregon and had only 239 yards, followed by only 21 points and 320 yards against USC, and they survived against last-place Michigan State with 20 points and just 301 yards. Nebraska has not been playing well lately, but it gets to host the Hawkeyes, and the Huskers will be desperate to finish the regular season with a win. Nebraska gets some big runs from Emmett Johnson, limits Iowa to less than 300 yards of offense, and wins a slugfest on Black Friday to finish 8-4.
4. Ohio State (-9.5) at Michigan - Saturday at Noon
The Ohio State Buckeyes won the national title last season, and head coach Ryan Day has them consistently competing for and winning Big Ten titles. The only real complaint any OSU fan can have is that they have suffered four straight defeats at the hands of archrival Michigan. The Wolverines have been underdogs in these matchups. Still, it has not made a difference as they find a way to drag Ohio State into the style of play the Maize and Blue prefer and limit the impact Ohio State’s excellent wide receivers have on the outcome. The Buckeyes head into this game in Ann Arbor largely untested, having steamrolled every Big Ten team and a defense that surrenders just 8.4 points per game (4.4 points better than San Diego State, IU, and Texas Tech). Michigan has an offense that could cause some problems. Bryce Underwood looked good against Maryland last week, and he clearly has a lot of talent. Freshman receiver Andrew Marsh has been outstanding in the past two weeks. Can Ohio State overcome the mental block it has against Michigan?
5. Miami (-7) at Pittsburgh - Noon
The Pittsburgh Panthers need quite a bit of help elsewhere to make the ACC Championship Game, but none of that will matter if they do not upset the Miami Hurricanes. Mario Cristobal’s team got their first win outside of the state of Florida last weekend with a victory at Virginia Tech, but the weather cooperated, and it was not chilly. That won’t be the case this weekend as game-time temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s. Traditionally, that has been a significant issue for the Miami Hurricanes late in the season. They will be going against a red-hot freshman quarterback and a head coach who has been laser-focused on closing the ACC season strong. Pittsburgh plays a very aggressive defensive style, and they'll look to create a couple of takeaways against Carson Beck. If the Panthers can get an early lead, Miami could panic and get in trouble in the cold.
6. Oregon (-6.5) at Washington - 3:30
The Oregon Ducks beat the USC Trojans last weekend in a much-hyped showdown at Autzen Stadium. That was not the final test for the Ducks. They have to travel to Seattle and play rival Washington, and the Huskies are 8-3 and due for a signature win. Quarterback Demond Williams is capable of testing Oregon’s pass defense, a unit that gave up some yards but got a couple of interceptions against USC. If Williams can get hot and Washington can mix in some of the running game, the Huskies can pull off the upset against an Oregon team due for a letdown.
7. Oregon State at Washington State (-13.5) - 6:30
The Washington State Cougars are 5-6 and coming off another close loss. This time, it was 24-20 in favor of James Madison. That joins close defeats to Ole Miss, Virginia, and an earlier three-point defeat to Oregon State. The Cougars face the Beavers again this Saturday evening in Pullman. You did not misread that. Oregon State and Washington State already played, and they will meet again on Saturday as the second half of a "home and home" series. Oregon State is dreadful, but the Beavers already have one victory over the Cougars, and they are now nearly two touchdowns underdogs? Curious and Washington State should be wary if they want to reach bowl eligibility.
8. Virginia Tech at Virginia (-11.5) - 7:00
The Virginia Cavaliers are, shockingly, 9-2 and 6-1 in the ACC. Tony Elliott's squad is just one win away from earning a trip to the ACC Championship Game and having a shot to reach the College Football Playoff. It has been a stunning turnaround, and their final hurdle is a home game against rival Virginia Tech. The Hokies know that James Franklin will be coaching them after this game, but for now, they are still led by an interim coach and sit at just 3-8 (2-5 in the ACC). The Hokies prefer to lean on the ground game with physical backs Marcellous Hawkins and Terion Stewart, plus the running of the quarterback (Kyron Drones or Pop Watson). UVA has been susceptible to strong rushing attacks this season, and if the Hokies can flip the turnover battle (VT is -7 in turnover margin), they'll have a real shot to play spoiler.
9. Alabama (-5.5) at Auburn - 7:30
Alabama needs to beat rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday night to make the SEC Championship Game. A loss would send the Georgia Bulldogs into that game, and it would almost certainly eliminate the Crimson Tide from the College Football Playoff. In addition, the noise surrounding the future of head coach Kalen DeBoer would get dialed up to 11. Auburn is only 1-6 in the SEC and playing under an interim coach, but just two weeks ago, they challenged Vanderbilt in Nashville and nearly pulled off that upset. Everything about this game favors the Crimson Tide, but strange things can happen in this rivalry, and the Tigers have played better since the change at quarterback and head coach. All of the pressure is on Alabama, and a fast start for Auburn would ratchet up the intensity.
10. Northwestern at Illinois (-6.5) - 7:30
The battle between Illinois and Northwestern got a lot more interesting this past week as the Fighting Illini got trounced by Wisconsin 27-10 and Northwestern reached bowl eligibility with another surprising win. The Illini had previously only lost to Washington, and the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country (OSU and IU), but the Wisconsin loss was another animal, as they were gashed on the ground and failed to generate anything on offense. Northwestern is adept at controlling time of possession (13th nationally) and is 5-0 when rushing for 200 yards or more. If Illinois' newfound susceptibility against the run is on display again in Champaign, the Illini will be in trouble.

Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
1. Navy at Memphis (-6.5) - Thursday at 7:30
The Memphis Tigers host the Navy Midshipmen on Thanksgiving. Navy is 8-2 and 6-1 in the American Athletic Conference, while Memphis has tripped up three times in the league and now sits at 8-3. Of course, this is not the regular-season finale for the Midshipmen, as they play Army on December 13, but that will be a non-conference game, so this weekend will determine who makes the AAC Championship Game. Memphis has surrendered 3.9 yards per rush, and Navy is very adept at taking a crowd out of a game with its possession-based offense, which aims for drives that chew up eight or nine minutes off the clock. Memphis is favored, but the Tigers will fall to Navy as the Midshipmen run for 250 yards.

Have all the intel you need? Free, actionable information is just one click away! Sign up for our daily newsletter, SportsGrid Daily.

10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 14

Sports Betting

Sportsbook Promos

Social Casinos