College Football 2019: 5 teams that will be on upset alert in Week 8

Iowa State will look to not fall to two conference losses as they travel to Texas Tech. The Cyclones are seven-point favorites.

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Iowa State is sitting at 4-2 with a close two point loss to Baylor and a one point loss to rival Iowa. A play or two is all the difference between being undefeated and being a middle of the pack Big 12 team. Them’s the breaks in sports. Quarterback Brock Purdy has been solid, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes for 1,800 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Texas Tech is 3-3 and the Red Raiders have lost three of their last four games. They do have an upset victory over Oklahoma State in that stretch but fell just short to Baylor last week by a field goal. The Red Raiders offense is decent averaging 31 points per game, but with the high scoring Big 12, that won’t always get it done as evidenced by their record.

Where Texas Tech could find an advantage is in the turnover battle. The Red Raiders lead the conference with nine turnovers gained and a plus five in turnover margin through three conference games. Iowa State has been sloppy at times during the season, turning over the ball eight times.

The Red Raiders will need to keep pace with the Iowa State offense and force turnovers in order to pull the upset. The Cyclones are coming off a trip to Morgantown and now have to visit Lubbock. The long travel could affect Iowa State with Texas Tech taking advantage.