In Week 2, 20 different matchups pit Group of Five underdogs against Power Five favorites. Which five have the best shot at pulling off an upset?
After Week 1, only one Group of Five school had knocked off a Power Five opponent. That win actually came in Week 0, as Colorado State took down Oregon State 59-27 at home. After that opening-day victory, there were 20 more games pitting Group of Five and Power Five teams against one another.
In all 20 of those contests, the Power Five team came out on top. This, of course, does not include upsets like Liberty’s takedown of Baylor. The Flames, remember, are transitioning to the FBS at the moment and will not be full members until 2019. We are concerned only with upset threats from Group of Five conferences here. Thus Liberty’s upset is an extraordinary case outside the scope of this weekly post.
It also means that, though Baylor will once again be on upset alert this week against UTSA, it would be far less surprising to see them collapse against their Conference USA opponent after already falling to a team in transition from FCS to FBS.
This week, we could see far more upsets by Group of Five teams. In Week 2, 20 teams have a shot at pulling off a statement victory. Some, though, have a better shot at taking down their bigger competition than others.
Remember the Chippewas?
Last year, one of the biggest early-season upsets in Week 2 of 2016 was also among the most controversial. Oklahoma State took on Central Michigan at home, and the Cowboys found themselves in a bigger fight than expected. Mike Gundy’s team seemed to have the game won when the clock expired. But a dubious interpretation of the rules gave Central Michigan one final play. They turned it into a miraculous last-second Hail Mary touchdown and a 30-27 upset victory.
Related Story: Why Central Michigan Hail Mary should serve as precedent for new rule
This year, Oklahoma State heads on the road in Week 2. The Cowboys take on South Alabama in Mobile as a 28-point favorite. They cannot rest too comfortably on their skill, though, as the Jaguars upset Mississippi State on the road in their opener last year.
Central Michigan, meanwhile, will try to pull off another upset a year after taking down the Pokes in Stillwater. The Chippewas will be just a 5.5-point underdog when they head to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. Given that the Jayhawks have fallen in recent years to Ohio from the MAC, Memphis from the AAC, and even FCS South Dakota State, it wouldn’t be that huge an upset.
So with all that in mind, click ahead to see which five Group of Five teams are the biggest upset threats heading into Week 2. (All betting lines courtesy of Sportsbook Review.)