Pac-12 Football 2017: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 7

Oregon State is a team in disarray. After leaving Wisconsin for the Beavers less than three years ago, Gary Andersen walked away from the head coaching position in Corvallis following a dismal 1-5 start and little hope of turning things around. In two and a half seasons at Oregon State, Andersen was just 7-23 after showing promise at Utah State.

After taking the Badgers to a Big Ten championship game his second year in Madison, Andersen returned west in a strange transition from Big Ten powerhouse to Pac-12 lightweight. The rebuilding project never actually rebuilt a broken program, as Oregon State continued to languish at the bottom of the North standings.

Andersen’s loss comes at a rough time for the Beavers, though, as they  will enter one of their hardest divisional showdowns of the year with an interim coach in Cory Hall who has never even served as a coordinator. But there are a few building blocks that could spring an upset, beginning with a strong special teams unit and including a solid offensive line.

Colorado also has issues with discipline, as they take eight penalties that cost 67-plus yards per game. If Oregon State can rally its beleaguered program, the emotions could carry the team to an upset over the defending Pac-12 champs at Reser Stadium.