College Football Upset Watch: Week 14

Story posted December 3, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by Adam Sheetz

No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers (2-1)
Opponent: No. 12 Indiana Hoosiers (5-1)

On paper, this game would not be an upset, but a lot has changed in the last week regarding these teams. Indiana star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. tore his ACL against Maryland and will be out for the remainder of the season.

The Hoosiers will turn to backup Jack Tuttle to try and keep Indiana in the race for a New Year’s Six bid. Wisconsin opened as huge favorites in this game due to the uncertainty of the quarterback position for Indiana, but the Hoosiers are more than just their quarterback.

The Hoosiers’ defense has been opportunistic and have forced a lot of turnovers this season. They forced Justin Fields to throw three interceptions and then forced Taulia Tagovailoa to throw three interceptions as well.

The Badgers turned the ball over five times in their loss to Northwestern, including three interceptions by quarterback Graham Mertz. Indiana is ranked higher, but are the underdogs in this game and have a great chance of pulling off the upset in Madison this weekend.


No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies (6-1)
Opponent: Auburn Tigers (5-3)

Texas A&M has been rolling since its loss to Alabama. The Aggies bounced back with a huge win over Florida and have not looked back. Last week, they struggled with LSU, only winning 20-7. Texas A&M now plays an Auburn team that has been inconsistent all year.

Auburn beat LSU 48-11, but then lost to Alabama 42-13. Bo Nix has been inconsistent as well, throwing 10 touchdowns, but also seven interceptions. Auburn can play amazing, but can also be really bad.

The Aggies are very similar, as their offense has the tendency to struggle at times. This game has the possibility to be very interesting, and the Aggies better be ready to play or they could get upset by an Auburn team looking to bounce back.

No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones (7-2)
Opponent: West Virginia Mountaineers (5-3)

Iowa State is the leader in the Big 12 right now, with Oklahoma right on its tail. Every win is a must-win for the Cyclones, and this week is not going to be easy. West Virginia is a different type of Big 12 team, as they prioritize defense over offense.

The Mountaineers only allow 17.75 points and 274 yards per game. The Cyclones have the ability to score with quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall, making one of the best tandems in the nation.

They will have their hands full with the Mountaineers defense coming to derail the Cyclones conference title aspirations. This game should be extremely close, and the Cyclones should be on upset alert this week.

No. 20 USC Trojans (3-0)
Opponent: Washington State Cougars (1-1)

USC has been a tough team to judge this season. The Trojans needed a miracle to beat Arizona State in their first game 28-27, and scored a touchdown with 25 seconds left to beat Arizona 34-30 in their second game.

The Trojans did look impressive against Utah, shutting out the Utes in the second half and winning 33-17. USC now faces a Washington State team that is known for its ability to score. Quarterback Jayden de Laura and running back Deon McIntosh make up a very dangerous backfield that can score in bunches.

With the way USC has struggled and the explosiveness of the Cougars offense, USC could be in some trouble this weekend and need to watch out come Sunday.

Adam Sheetz is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

Adam Sheetz's photo

Adam Sheetz

Junior / Broadcast Journalism

Adam Sheetz is a third year student from Reedsville, Pennsylvania majoring in broadcast journalism. He has been a broadcaster for WCHX 105.5 FM in Mifflin County covering high school sports. He has also been a member of CommRadio since his first semester at Penn State, being involved in both the Arts and Sports departments. Adam has extensive experience in a play-by-play setting within CommRadio, covering football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball for the station. He has done written content for CommRadio ranging from Penn State football articles all the way to discussing Disney Channel movies. To contact Adam, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).