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College Football 2021: 4 teams that will be on upset alert in Week 1

By Sonny Martinez

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 06: The USC Trojans enter the stadium prior to a game against the Washington State Cougars at Los Angeles Coliseum on December 06, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 06: The USC Trojans enter the stadium prior to a game against the Washington State Cougars at Los Angeles Coliseum on December 06, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney during practice in Clemson, S.C. Thursday, August 12, 2021.Clemson Football Practice August 12
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney during practice in Clemson, S.C. Thursday, August 12, 2021.Clemson Football Practice August 12 /

Dis-honorable mentions

You can’t put every single game on this list, so these games are “unofficial” upset alerts.

UCF (vs. Boise State): UCF is a five-point favorite at home but it would be hard to call a Boise State win a real “upset.” How will both teams look as both are breaking win new coaches and systems while bringing back plenty of experience on both sides of the ball? One thing is for sure: whoever wins this game is likely in the driver’s seat for a New Year’s Six bowl (until Saturday, at least).

Wisconsin (vs. Penn State): Which Penn State team is the real one: the 0-5 start of last season, or the strong 4-0 finish? Wisconsin has Big Ten championship aspirations while Penn State is hoping to get back into the conversation. Upsetting Wisconsin would go a long way in getting there, but it seems unlikely.

Alabama (vs. Miami): If D’Eriq King is healthy, Miami is dangerous. Nick Saban doesn’t let his Crimson Tide gloss over anyone and the Hurricanes won’t be an exception to that rule. Still, Miami might be the second-best overall team in the ACC. What significance does that have? Well, we saw what Alabama did to the second-best team in the ACC in the College Football Playoff last season. Not good news for Miami.

Iowa (vs. Indiana): It just doesn’t feel right saying this would be an upset. Iowa comes in as three-point favorites and in my opinion, is the wrong team to be favored. Michael Penix Jr. is back at quarterback for Indiana and the Hoosier offensive line is solid. Iowa has to be better on offense, and if they can throw effectively, that might be enough.

West Virginia (at Maryland): Taulia Tagovailoa is back for Maryland and it can’t be understated how big that is. West Virginia is building back up, but Mike Locksley has been recruiting like crazy for the Terps. Is this the game those recruits finally explode?

Illinois (vs. UTSA): It might be crazy to think, but UTSA is going to be good this season. It’s a legitimate Conference USA contender. Illinois is riding high after a solid win against Nebraska in Week 0. Will Illinois come into this game looking down on the Roadrunners? If so, the Illini could be in trouble.

LSU (vs. UCLA): UCLA is already 1-0 after a win against Hawaii last week. The Bruins had better hope Dorian Thompson-Robinson is much better than his 10-of-20 performance last week. The line in this game is suspiciously low — LSU is only a three-point favorite — meaning, to borrow a quote from Lee Corso, somebody knows something I don’t.

Clemson (vs. Georgia): The line says Clemson is a three-point favorite, but whether it’s three, 30, or Georgia favored by 30, the result of this game cannot be considered an upset. These could very well be two of the four Playoff teams.

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