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Upset Watch: Possible Week 3 Mid-Major and FCS Upsets

By Zach Bigalke

Sep 3, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Chris Ash walks the sidelines against the Washington Huskies during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. Washington won 48-13. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Chris Ash walks the sidelines against the Washington Huskies during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. Washington won 48-13. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Six Group of Five squads and FCS Illinois State defeated Power Five teams in Week 2. Who might pull off an upset of a powerhouse in Week 3?

Last week was supposed to be a mellow weekend, with none of the AP Top 25 teams playing one another and a lot of what looked like paycheck games on the schedule. Then they kicked off on Saturday, and everything devolved into mayhem. After the dust settled, upset after upset had shaken up the college football landscape:

  • Boise State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Ohio, and San Diego State all knocked off Power Five opponents, as we saw more hopefuls emerge in the race for the Access Bowl bid.
  • Illinois State kicked a game-winning field goal to send Northwestern to 0-2 on the year, confirming suspicions that the Redbirds could be a national contender at the FCS level this season.
  • Georgia nearly fell to Nicholls State, an FCS team that was on nobody’s radar coming into the season. The Bulldogs prevailed 26-24, but dropped seven spots in the AP Poll after struggling to defeat the Colonels.
  • Troy did its damnedest to make top-five Clemson look like a mediocre vintage of itself, losing by six on the road against the defending national runner-up. The Tigers fell three spots in the AP Poll as a result.
  • Grambling State concluded the night by giving Arizona a scare in the desert. The Tigers took a 21-3 lead into halftime against the Wildcats, but the hosts turned things around in the second half to run away with the win.

The lesson to take away is that every week can yield surprising results, and the craziest conclusions often occur when and where you least suspect them.

So let’s look forward to the upcoming slate of games in Week 3 and break down which games provide the greatest upset potential and/or the biggest potential impact should an upset occur. You can also find a full schedule of Group of Five vs. Power Five matchups and a separate chart of FCS vs. Power Five contests at the end of this article. (All kickoff times listed are Eastern.)

Next: New Mexico at Rutgers

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