Pac-12 Football: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 3

Speaking of that San Jose State team, they head to Salt Lake City this weekend to face Utah. This would be the longest of longshot upsets, as the Spartans come to Rice-Eccles Stadium as a 26-point underdog. But here are three reasons why the upset could happen:

1. Utah is the most penalized team in the Pac-12. While San Jose State has hardly been the paragon of virtue on the field this season, they average just over half as many penalty yards given away as the Utes. If Kyle Whittingham’s team continues to give away yardage like that, it could prove costly.
2. San Jose State ranks in the top 10 nationally in special teams blocks, with one blocked kick and one blocked punt already this year. They could get cheap points on a returned block in this contest to keep things closer than expected.
3. The Utes could get caught in a trap game looking ahead to the beginning of conference play. Utah has a short week before their Friday-night showdown with Arizona in Tucson, always a tough place to visit. Coming in between the high of winning the Holy War over BYU and preparing for a visit to the desert, Utah could come into this one less focused than necessary.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft - Post Week 2

Even if they fail to cover the spread, it would be a monumental upset that would likely continue to keep Utah out of the AP Top 25. They will need to stay on alert lest they slip up in between big games and let San Jose State turn this one into a big game for all the wrong reasons.