College Football Upset Watch: Week 12
Last week had a lot of cancellations in college football due to COVID-19 but did see an upset with Tulsa knocking off SMU. This week is pretty quiet as well, but there are some huge potential upsets on the slate.
No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0)
Opponent: UCF Knights (5-2)
Cincinnati has looked unbelievable this season and is receiving a lot of talk as a team that could sneak into the College Football Playoff.
With that being said, the Bearcats have their biggest game of the season this week against UCF. Cincinnati has a great defense that can force turnovers, but Knights quarterback Dillon Gabriel has only two interceptions this season.
UCF has been a sneaky good team, with their two losses only coming by a combined nine points. Cincinnati can struggle on offense at times, and if the Knights can turn this game into a shootout, then they will give themselves a great chance to upset the Bearcats.
No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers (2-0)
Opponent: No. 19 Northwestern Wildcats (4-0)
Wisconsin has looked unstoppable in its first two games, winning by a combined score of 94-18. Those numbers look great, but they also came against Illinois and Michigan, two teams that are struggling in the Big Ten this year.
Now the Badgers face the Northwestern Wildcats, which are playing their best football since 1996. Northwestern is not the flashiest team, but it plays extremely efficient football and plays great defense.
Pat Fitzgerald has done a tremendous job as the coach of the Wildcats and has them ready for a run in the Big Ten West. Wisconsin has looked great as well, and Graham Mertz appears to be one of the best freshman quarterbacks in college football, but Northwestern is hot and poised to give the Badgers a run for their money this weekend.
No. 23 Auburn Tigers (4-2)
Opponent: Tennessee Volunteers (2-4)
Auburn has been one of the luckiest teams in college football this year. The Tigers are two bad calls away from being 2-4 instead of 4-2. They looked great against LSU in their last game, winning 48-11, but they are still a team that was lucky to beat Arkansas and Ole Miss.
Tennessee has fallen completely off the map after its 2-0 start, losing its last four games. But this weekend’s game against Auburn shows huge potential for the Volunteers to get the win they need to get back on track.
Auburn’s offense often struggles, and Tennessee does have a capable defense that can make plays. If the Vols can run the ball and control the game, they have a great chance to pull off the upset over Auburn.
No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones (5-2)
Opponent: Kansas State Wildcats (4-3)
Iowa State has been impressive at times in 2020, but the Cyclones always seem to be in close games. They barely won against Baylor in their last outing 38-31, and a lot of their other games have been one-possession contests as well.
Kansas State was a team that was in the running for the Big 12 title before falling to West Virginia and Oklahoma State in back-to-back games. The Wildcats have an amazing running back Deuce Vaughn, who leads the team in both rushing and receiving yards. He played great against Oklahoma in the Wildcats’ upset of the Sooners and has been consistent throughout the season.
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy has also been known to make costly mistakes with the football, having six interceptions on the season. If the K-State defense can force turnovers and give Vaughn the opportunity to touch the football, then the Wildcats have a great chance to walk out of Ames, Iowa with an upset victory.
Adam Sheetz is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.
