NCAAF · 1 month ago

10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 6

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

10. Texas Tech (-11.5) at Houston - 7:00 on ESPN
Willie Fritz is an outstanding coach, and the Houston Cougars have shown significant improvement from his first season to his second in charge of the program. The Cougars have wins over Rice, Colorado, Oregon State, and Stephen F. Austin, and they return home to take on the red-hot Red Raiders of Texas Tech. Houston is only giving up 13.3 points per game, and Conner Weigman has looked excellent as a dual-threat quarterback, raising the ceiling on offense for the Cougars. Texas Tech is the better team, but it's dangerous to take on a Fritz squad that has confidence.

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1. Illinois (-9.5) at Purdue - Noon on BTN
The Illinois Fighting Illini have been on an emotional roller coaster the past two weeks. Bret Bielema’s squad rolled into Bloomington as a top ten team and was embarrassed on NBC by IU in a 63-10 defeat that was somehow worse than the score suggests. They plummeted in the rankings and then beat USC on a last-second field goal for a huge victory to begin setting the season back on track. Now, they have to play on the road against a much-improved Purdue team that has had two weeks to prepare for this game. The Boilermakers took Illinois to the brink last season in Champaign, so they will not be at all intimidated by the Illini.

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Boston College at Pitt (-6.5) - Noon on ACCNetwork
After beating the Fordham Rams 66-10 in the season opener, the Boston College Eagles have lost three straight games and are now just 1-3. They head back on the road to play the Pitt Panthers as underdogs, but Pittsburgh needs to be wary of the Eagles in this contest. Boston College is averaging 37.5 points per game, and quarterback Dylan Lonergan will give them a chance, particularly with Pittsburgh struggling in the past two weeks and on a two-game losing streak that includes a terrible loss to rival West Virginia.
3. Clemson (-13.5) at North Carolina - Noon on ESPN
There is absolutely nothing to suggest that the North Carolina Tar Heels are a dangerous opponent this season. The Tar Heels lost to UCF 34-9 before getting a bye week, and Bill Belichick is searching for answers in his first season as a collegiate head coach. That said, do you feel comfortable betting on Clemson as two-touchdown favorites? The Tigers are 1-3 and have looked generally disinterested in losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, the latter coming at home. If Clemson doesn't come back from their bye week with more fire and effort, it could be upset by literally anyone in the ACC.
4. Kansas State at Baylor (-6.5) - Noon on ESPN+
Did the Kansas State Wildcats use the bye week to figure out what was ailing their squad? The Wildcats were 1-3 after a Friday night loss to Arizona, but they managed to reset themselves and come back last weekend with an impressive 34-20 win over the UCF Knights. Kansas State has lost three games by a total of 12 points, and they now hit the road to take on a Baylor team that is really struggling on defense. Sawyer Robertson and the prowess of the passing game are probably enough to propel the Bears to a win, but Baylor is giving up 28.8 points per game, and that always makes them susceptible to an upset.
5. Air Force at Navy (-11.5) - Noon on CBS
The Navy Midshipmen are 4-0 with fairly comfortable wins over VMI, UAB, Tulsa, and Rice. The Midshipmen now play the first leg of the Commander in Chief Trophy series as they host the Air Force Falcons as more than 11-point favorites. Navy is averaging 38.3 points per game and 6.46 yards per rush, but things are never that easy and effective when they take on another service academy. Air Force knows what to expect and how to attack the Navy offense to slow it down, and anything can happen in these incredible rivalry games.
6. Army (-6.5) at UAB - Noon on ESPNU
Sticking with the service academies, the Army Black Knights are a curious favorite on the road against the UAB Blazers. Army is 1-3, with the lone win coming against Kansas State, and they were most recently handled by the East Carolina Pirates 28-6. The biggest problem for Army has been defense, as the Black Knights are allowing 31 points per game and 5.66 yards per play. UAB is not a good team, but they are averaging 32.8 points per game and were at least competitive against Navy during their Week 2 meeting. I think the Blazers are a live home dog in this contest.
7. Wake Forest at Virginia Tech (-6.5) - 1:00 on The CW Network
The Virginia Tech Hokies got a big ACC win for their interim coach with a 23-21 victory in Raleigh over North Carolina State. They have responded well to the firing of Brent Pry and now return to Lane Stadium to play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Let me remind you, Virginia Tech being at home is not necessarily a great thing for the Hokies. They are 1-2 at home this season, with the lone win coming against Wofford. Last season, they were 4-2 at home, with losses to Clemson and Rutgers. Wake Forest was robbed of a home upset of Georgia Tech, and they are playing pretty well in Jake Dickert's first season in charge.
8. Vanderbilt at Alabama (-10.5) - 3:30 on ABC
The Vanderbilt Commodores are not only going to cover on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, they are going to win the game outright. Kalen DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack have struggled against physical rushing attacks and teams with mobile quarterbacks. It happened last season when Nico Iamaleava ran for 44 yards and Tennessee dominated on the ground, or when Jackson Arnold ran for 131 yards as Oklahoma dominated the Crimson Tide in Norman. Alabama fans surely don't forget what Diego Pavia did to the defense last season in Nashville. The trend continued into this season as Tommy Castellanos ran for 78 yards and a touchdown as the Florida State Seminoles trampled all over Alabama in the season-opener. The Commodores are averaging 49 points per game and gaining 6.49 yards per rush. Pavia is a warrior, and he's going to lead his team to a massive win on Saturday.
9. Washington (-6.5) at Maryland - 3:30 on BTN
The Maryland Terrapins are 4-0, but it's fair to say they have yet to be seriously tested, with wins over Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, Towson, and Wisconsin. The Terps do know a few things: they have only surrendered 10.8 points per game, and freshman quarterback Malik Washington has injected a significant dose of hope into the fanbase. College Park should be rocking as they host the Washington Huskies as 6.5-point underdogs. Washington has the better roster, but they are coming off a very physical loss to Ohio State, and they were already beaten up heading into that game. If Maryland is "for real", this is a game they really should win.
10. Texas Tech (-11.5) at Houston - 7:00 on ESPN
Willie Fritz is an outstanding coach, and the Houston Cougars have shown significant improvement from his first season to his second in charge of the program. The Cougars have wins over Rice, Colorado, Oregon State, and Stephen F. Austin, and they return home to take on the red-hot Red Raiders of Texas Tech. Houston is only giving up 13.3 points per game, and Conner Weigman has looked excellent as a dual-threat quarterback, raising the ceiling on offense for the Cougars. Texas Tech is the better team, but it's dangerous to take on a Fritz squad that has confidence.

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1. Illinois (-9.5) at Purdue - Noon on BTN
The Illinois Fighting Illini have been on an emotional roller coaster the past two weeks. Bret Bielema’s squad rolled into Bloomington as a top ten team and was embarrassed on NBC by IU in a 63-10 defeat that was somehow worse than the score suggests. They plummeted in the rankings and then beat USC on a last-second field goal for a huge victory to begin setting the season back on track. Now, they have to play on the road against a much-improved Purdue team that has had two weeks to prepare for this game. The Boilermakers took Illinois to the brink last season in Champaign, so they will not be at all intimidated by the Illini.

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10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 6

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