College Football Upset Watch: Week 10

Story posted November 5, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by Matthew McLaughlin

In a season where conferences have staggered their restart dates, every win matters for each program looking to contend for the national championship. There has already been a fair share of upsets, but these teams are far from safe, so here’s three teams that are on upset alert this weekend.

No. 1 Clemson Tigers (7-0)

Opponent: No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0)

Yes, the Tigers are on upset alert this week after barely squeaking by Boston College last week because they face a tough Notre Dame team that is ranked fourth in the country.

While Clemson remains undefeated, head coach Dabo Swinney won’t have star quarterback Trevor Lawrence for a second straight week, after Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19. The offensive burden will be on the shoulders of backup D.J. Uiagalelei.

In his first start, Uiagelelei carved up Boston College’s defense by completing 73% of his pass attempts for 342 passing yards and two touchdowns. The offense also relied heavily on running back Travis Etienne.

That being said, the Fighting Irish have a stingy defense that hasn’t allowed more than 15 points in a game over the last three weeks, even with the offense struggling with Ian Book under center.

Notre Dame’s defense and Clemson’s offense both have to step up, which sets a stage of two college football titans clashing together. It could result in pure chaos in the rankings.

No. 5 Georgia (4-1)

Opponent: No. 8 Florida Gators (3-1)

Throughout this season, the Bulldogs have relied on their incredible defensive unit to rack up wins in the SEC, and that trend continued last week. Although the offense lagged behind, Georgia’s defense allowed less than 100 yards receiving and gave up only a field goal to the Kentucky Wildcats.

However, the Bulldogs have to put up points this weekend, as the No. 8 Florida Gators look to light up Georgia’s secondary after dropping 41 points on the Missouri Tigers.

This matchup of strengths will be incredibly compelling, but Georgia cannot take this Florida offense lightly. The Gators are averaging 342 yards per game through the air, whereas Georgia’s defensive unit stunts the run. This could play right into Florida’s game plan and trigger another upset in the SEC.

No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers (2-0)

Opponent: No. 23 Michigan Wolverines (1-1)

For the first time since 1988, the Hoosiers cracked the top 15 in the nation, thanks to wins over Penn State, which was ranked No. 8 at the time, and an unranked Rutgers squad. Now the Hoosiers face a desperate Michigan team looking to save its season already after a heartbreaking loss to Michigan State.

Indiana’s offense has been incredibly productive so far. In their first two games, the Hoosiers have put up 35 points or more. But the Wolverines ran Minnesota out of the stadium in their season opener with a whopping 49 points. Look for Michigan to cause Tom Allen’s squad some trouble on Saturday.

 

Matthew McLaughlin is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mem6936@psu.edu.