College Football 2021: 3 teams that will be on upset alert in Week 11

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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – DECEMBER 05: Christian LaValle #45, Ethan Frasier #47, and Brylon Lawson-Young #16 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders before the college football game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Jones AT&T Stadium on December 05, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Dishonorable mentions, Part 1 (unranked)

Marshall (vs. UAB): We’ll start with our first of two Group of Five games. This is a battle of strength vs. strength: Marshall’s eighth-ranked total offense against UAB’s 23rd-ranked total defense. We’ll find out here if defenses really do win games in 2021 or if it’s all about the offense. These teams are no strangers to each other, as UAB beat Marshall for the Conference USA Championship last season. This might be a preview of the 2021 Championship game, too.

Memphis (vs. East Carolina): Two 5-4 teams that are better than their record shows. Both defenses are nearly mirror images of each other: about 250 passing yards and 150 rushing yards per game given up by each. The two players you need to watch are East Carolina running back Keaton Mitchell and Memphis wide receiver Calvin Austin. Whichever guy has the bigger day will likely walk away with the team win. Can East Carolina limit Austin’s yards after catch?

Arizona State (at Washington): This is a tough one to put on here for a number of reasons. First, I still think Arizona State is a really good team, and secondly, Washington will be without head coach Jimmy Lake as a result of a one game suspension. But the Huskies have been playing better football as of late, playing Oregon within one score until a botched punt resulted in a safety that ran the score to a ten point game. Arizona State isn’t exactly red hot themselves, losing two of their last three. It’s a home game for the Huskies, so this could be the perfect time for Washington.

Iowa State (at Texas Tech): The Red Raiders have disappointed every time they’ve been included on this list, so why go back to them? Well, Iowa State definitely fits the bill of both “shouldn’t lose to Texas Tech” and “totally beatable this season.” Tech needs one more win for Bowl eligibility and this is a great spot to attain that. Iowa State handled Texas last week, but inconsistency on offense makes them a questionable team each week. Texas Tech will have a tough time against a solid Cyclone defense, but if Iowa State plays defensively like they did against West Virginia a couple weeks ago, this game is up for grabs.

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