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

3. Oregon (vs. Fresno State)

Fresno State is a legitimate Mountain West contender. They looked great last week against a UConn team that hadn’t played in nearly two years.

It’s hard to talk about how good the Bulldogs looked because of not only the UConn layoff but also just how bad the program is. Don’t put too much stock into last week, but the importance of live reps against an actual team might come in handy for rhythm for Fresno State.

Oregon might be the favorite in the Pac-12, but you have to address the elephant in the room: quarterback.

Boston College transfer Anthony Brown was named the starter for the Ducks in somewhat of a surprise announcement. He’s had issues in the past, one thing he can work to improve (accuracy) and one he really can’t do too much about (two knee surgeries). Our own Connor Muldowney recently took a look at what Brown brings and why he might not last too long as the starter.

Oregon is solid across the board otherwise. The feature perhaps the best player in all of college football, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. Given that the Ducks offense might be a work in progress with the quarterback questions, Thibodeaux and the defense might have to take over the game to secure an Oregon win.