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

1. Alabama (vs. Auburn)

If the Auburn Tigers come into Tuscaloosa on Saturday afternoon and defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide it would be an upset that rocks the 2020 college football season to its very core. Alabama is riding high at 7-0, ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation, and have a 92 percent chance of victory.

In the immortal words of Lloyd Christmas: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance?!”

On the face of it you would say not.

Alabama have been imperious this college football season. There has been no drop off in their offensive firepower with the departure of Tua Tagovailoa to the NFL. If anything you could argue that they have been even more offensively impressive behind Mac Jones. Before a season ending injury Jaylen Waddle was looking far-and-away the best receiver in the nation and Devonta Smith has effortlessly filled the void left by Waddle.

Najee Harris is for my money the best running back in college football and the Crimson Tide offensive line has several guys that will go on to be starting NFL players.

Although Auburn have been far less impressive there have been some standout offensive performances. Freshman running back Tank Bigsby has the makings of being a star, and in Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz they have a dynamic wide receiver pairing.

Despite that it is difficult to believe that Bo Nix could engineer an upset win over the Alabama without some mitigating factors.

Thankfully for Auburn, there are several such factors that could help them pull off a surprise on Saturday.

Firstly, the Alabama defense has been far less impressive than the offense. They allowed 48 points to Ole Miss and even allowed 24 to a Georgia team that has been woefully ineffective this season. They have allowed nearly 360 yards of offense per game and are averaging 19 points per game allowed despite holding Kentucky to three points and shutting out Mississippi State.

Secondly, Alabama will be without head coach Nick Saban for Saturday’s game. Saban tested positive for COVID-19 this week after suffering with mild symptoms and although his fingerprints will be all over the Alabama game plan, the loss of his presence still shouldn’t be overlooked.

Finally, it’s the Iron Bowl. Crazy things can, have, and will happen in one of college football’s biggest and best rivalry games. Although Alabama hold a 46-37 winning record and haven’t lost in Tuscaloosa since 2010, Auburn’s dramatic 48-45 win last year proves anything can happen and the Tigers have won two of the last three matchups between the two teams.