College Football 2021: 3 teams that will be on upset alert in Week 9
Dishonorable Mentions
Michigan (at Michigan State): I just don’t think Michigan is as good as their record shows. The dominance that the Wolverines have shown in non-conference games has been questioned in conference contests, where they’ve struggled against Nebraska and Rutgers. Now comes one of the best rushing attacks in the country, led by Heisman candidate Kenneth Walker. Michigan’s elite run defense is about to get its biggest test of the year. Are they for real?
Baylor (vs. Texas): If football games were 30 minutes Texas would be a lock to win. But since they’re not, can they actually close out a game? Baylor’s good, but not on the level of an Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, or even the Longhorns themselves for that matter. This is a desperate Texas team in need of a win to keep any slip hopes of a conference title game appearance alive. Can they play the final 30 minutes as well as the first 30?
Nebraska (vs. Purdue): How can you trust a team that routinely finds new ways to lose against a team that dominated Iowa? This should be a typical ugly Big Ten defensive slugfest. Can Nebraska slow down Purdue wideout David Bell better than Purdue can contain Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez? Between Nebraska’s special teams issues and inability to close out games, they’re a candidate to lose all close games.
Kentucky (vs. Mississippi State): Just a few days ago, Kentucky was a 3.5-point favorite, per WynnBET. As of this writing, they’re down to a one-point favorite. Mississippi State is better than their record shows and they’ll be a big test against a tough Wildcat defense. It’s a night game in Starkville and the crowd will be extra loud for this own. Kentucky had an extra week to prepare for this one, but is that bad taste of the Georgia game in their mouth?
Georgia Tech (vs. Virginia Tech): I didn’t want to leave the ACC off the list and there isn’t a better choice than this one. Virginia Tech might just be playing for Justin Fuente’s job. They’ve lost four of five since a 2-0 start, while Georgia Tech has been all over the map this year: they almost beat Clemson, struggled against Duke, got smoked by Pitt, and gave up six touchdowns to Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong last week. Now here comes another duel threat quarterback in Braxton Burmeister. This might be more of the same for the Yellow Jackets.
San Diego State (vs. Fresno State): I doubt San Diego State finishes undefeated and this might be the game to cost that perfect record. This should be a solid defensive game, but San Diego State hasn’t faced a quarterback as good as Jake Haener, who has already led the Bulldogs to a win over a previously undefeated team in UCLA. Is San Diego State next on Fresno’s California upset tour?