College Football 2020: 3 teams that will be on upset alert in Week 13

2. Notre Dame (at North Carolina)

Notre Dame pulled off its own upset win over Clemson earlier in the season and have the longest active winning streak in college football. Could they really fall victim to the upset alert when they travel to Chapel Hill to face a 6-2 North Carolina team that have been explosive and implosive in equal measures in 2020?

Conventional wisdom would suggest not. The No. 2-ranked Fighting Irish have overcome all challengers this season and although it hasn’t always been pretty (I’m looking at you, 12-7 win against Louisville) they have managed to find a way to grind out victory week in, week out.

They have been defensively solid, allowing just 16 points and averaging around 300 yards allowed per game whilst balancing their offense between the ground game and just enough Ian Book passing plays to convince some people that he could be a viable NFL quarterback.

North Carolina has been a different beast entirely. Their defense has been woeful despite some impressive performances from linebacker Chazz Surratt. Their offense, however, has been consistently one of the most electric in college football behind sophomore sensation Sam Howell.

They have a multitude of wide receiving options and possibly one of the best running back duos in the nation with Michael Carter and Javonte Williams. The Tar Heels are averaging 43 points and 560-plus total offensive yards per game this season.

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives North Carolina a 28.7 percent chance of victory but they have a genuine chance of creating an upset and here’s why.

One of the reasons that Notre Dame’s offense has been so successful this year is because they have arguably the best offensive lines in college football. They will be without two of the stars on the line for this matchup and that will impact not only Kyren Williams’ ability to dominate on the ground but also Ian Book’s impact as a duel threat.

I also don’t trust Book’s ability to go toe to toe with Howell if the game turns into a slug fest, which I think inevitably it will do. The Notre Dame defense was torched by Clemson backup D.J. Uiagalelei and there’s no reason to believe that the Tar Heels can’t do the same.