College Football Predictions Week Eight: Who's on Upset Alert?

It was perfect timing for the Hokies to take time off and prepare for next week.

Wisconsin lost their hold on the potential upset against Iowa last week and lost the week before to the Buckeyes. They need the time off to regroup and see if they can make a run at the rest of the Big Ten.

This game will make or break both team's season.

Oklahoma is 3-3 (fourth in the Big 12 South) and their most impressive win is a 45-0 shutout over Tulsa.

Kansas is 5-1 (second in the Big 12 North) and their most impressive win was a blowout on the road at UTEP.

Stick a fork in whoever loses this game. Neither team has much to put on their résumé.

Oklahoma wins a close one, 31-27.

The Commodores would love nothing more than to spoil the Gamecocks’ season with an upset, but South Carolina will have this one under control.

South Carolina has a great defense and they can put points on the board as well. Gamecocks win, 24-14.

The only thing that jumps off the page for West Virginia is they have a few comfortable wins.
UPSET ALERT: West Virginia.

Connecticut has been dealing with some delicate issues recently and I anticipate they will come out fired up and ready to prove themselves.

UConn knocks off the Mountaineers, 23-20.

Arizona hosts a banged up UCLA team that is desperately trying to find a way out of their hole.

UCLA doesn’t look much like a contender anymore. Arizona is playing very well and they’re ready to make a statement in the Pac-10.

The Wildcats prevail, 34-21.

This is a very intriguing game. Pittsburgh is currently battling West Virginia and South Florida for runner-up in the Big East.
UPSET ALERT: Pittsburgh.

South Florida looks to unveil enough for the Bulls to pull out the win.

But Pitt rallies in the fourth quarter to get the win, 27-17.

No. 19 Ohio State comes off a disastrous defeat to Purdue that almost no one saw coming. I was aware that the Buckeyes were feeling overconfident and the Boilermakers were underrated despite a 1-5 record.

But I didn’t actually believe Purdue would beat them to a pulp (prior to the 4th quarter).

The Buckeyes host Minnesota this week. The Golden Gophers are feeling a little down after being shutout last week against Penn State.

Ohio State will come back and show they can still compete. After choking last week in a trap game, Ohio State rebounds with a 27-6 victory.

The Utes are all about security this season. Utah beat Utah State 35-17, San Jose State 24-14, Louisville 30-14, Colorado State 24-17,and UNLV 35-15.

The Utes only have one blemish to the Quack Attack in Oregon.

Air Force has a 4-3 record, losing to Minnesota and

Navy on the road and TCU at home, all within a touchdown.
Utah gets another secure win, 35-23 over Air Force.

Houston is a much better team then they are given credit for being. Despite a loss to UTEP, the Cougars knocked off Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

But with only cupcake games ahead, Houston doesn’t have much of a chance to be a BCS buster. Fortunately, they’ll have an easy win this week, 35-14 over SMU.

No. 15 Oklahoma State heads to Baylor where neither team has lived up to their potential.

Okey State survived Georgia and Missouri, but neither one of those teams have lived up to their potential either.

In addition, the Cowboys struggled against Rice and Texas A&M and lost to Houston.

Okey State will be able to maintain Baylor in a 34-23 secure victory.

No. 13 Penn State must have the same game plan as Utah, because the Nittany Lions appear to be all about security.

Penn State is coming off a 20-0 shut-out over Minnesota, hoping to avoid a ‘trap game' this week against Michigan.

Michigan is 5-2 and even though they beat Delaware State last week, 63-6, the Wolverines are fired up.

UPSET ALERT: Penn State.

This is the typical upset rivalry game that everyone loves, except for the team that loses.

Michigan wins, 23-20.

This is another ACC game that is almost too tough to call.

Virginia has an impressive three-game win streak, defeating North Carolina, Maryland, and destroying Indiana after losing to William & Mary in week one.

At 3-3, The Cavaliers won't have much of a chance this week against the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech wins, 36-14.

No. 11 Oregon is more than likely the most complete team ranked outside of the top five.

This week the Ducks head to Washington to take on the Huskies, who have been known for ‘trap games’ already this season.

Washington is 3-4, and they’re the best team in college football with a losing record. Washington has had a very intense schedule so far this season.

Washington lost to LSU in week one in a shootout. The Huskies took care of business knocking off Idaho in week two, then pulling the shocker over USC in week three. In week four, the Huskies were brought back down to earth in a loss to Stanford, 34-14.

It didn’t get much easier in week five, losing to Notre Dame in overtime, 37-30. In week six, Washington took down Arizona (now No. 22) 36-33. And last week the Huskies lost to the Sun Devils 24-17.

The Ducks will have some trouble with this one, since it’s on the road. The Quack attack pulls through in the fourth quarter, 41-24.

No. 10 Miami (FL) might be the best team in the ACC right now, but that could easily be anybody in this league.

The ACC is a joke. Only they’re playing the joke on us.

This week Miami (FL) hosts Clemson.

Does anybody know which Miami (FL) team or which Clemson team will show up?

UPSET ALERT: Miami (FL).

The ‘Canes won’t see it coming. Clemson gets the upset, 27-21.

No. 9 LSU hosts Auburn in an SEC West match-up with dyer consequences.

LSU has been taking it easy so far this season. Their fans are pumped up throughout the game, but the score usually gives that relaxed feel.

This game should be filled with excitement, as two SEC teams collide.

It will come down to the wire and it will be closer than you might expect.

LSU wins, 27-23.

No. 7 USC hosts an Oregon State team that got all the glory last year for pulling off the upset. If USC loses again this season, it will be against Arizona or Oregon.

Oregon State has lost two games at home to Cincinnati (No. 5) and Arizona (No. 22). The Beavers are coming off a couple of wins over Arizona State and Stanford.

The 'Dam Workers' will come up short this week at USC.

UCS outlasts Oregon State, 37-24.

This should be a very competitive Big Ten rivalry game.

Iowa is having a lot of trouble this season with cupcake opponents, but they’ve shown up big in the high-stake games.

The Hawkeyes barely survived Northern Iowa and Arkansas State, but they put Arizona, Iowa State, and Penn State out to dry.

Iowa hasn’t had it easy the past two weeks, with a two-point victory over Michigan and having to rally over Wisconsin in the second half.

UPSET ALERT: Iowa.

Despite a 4-3 record, Michigan State has a three-game winning streak. The Spartans look to play all four quarters with intensity and drive.

But Iowa wins in overtime, 23-20.

Louisville is 2-4 and tied for last place in the Big East.

The Cardinals lost on the road by two touchdowns to Utah and Connecticut, but were nudged out by Kentucky and were blown out at Pitt.

An upset is far from even being discussed in this one. Cincinnati wins, 45-21.

If Boise State gets knocked off at all this season, it probably won’t occur at home.

Boise State has been tip-toeing past opponents and if you’re on your toes too long, you are eventually going to fall.

UPSET ALERT: Boise State.

The Warriors haven’t played well this season, but they play much better at home.

Boise State survives, 38-24 (with a late score putting the game away).

No. 3 Texas heads to Missouri hoping to escape a potential trap game.

There’s more than meets the eye in what Texas has done this season. The Longhorns got the win over Texas Tech (No. 16 in my rankings), blew apart UTEP, and edged past Oklahoma, 16-13.

Missouri plays well early, but blows it at the end of nearly every game. Texas always starts out sloppy, but they always come together in the second half.

Texas puts together the win, 38-23.

The Tide had two consecutive trap games, but avoided them with ease.

Tennessee comes in angry and fired up, but passion won’t be enough to get the victory.

Alabama has only allowed 11.5 points per game this season, which will make it very difficult for Tennessee to put points on the board.

The Tide just keeps rolling. Running back Mark Ingram plans to take flight for record-breaking status.

Alabama wins, 36-17.

No. 1 Florida heads to Starkville to take on Mississippi State. Florida is still an elite team, but they're not playing the like the No. 1 team in the country.

After several controversial penalties, whether there was one or one that wasn’t called, or there was clearly no penalty necessary,the refs were accused of giving the game to Florida last week.

Florida will play extremely tough this week to prove they are a good team, and deserved to win last week.

This is the typical trap game that you wouldn’t expect. The Bulldogs get back to .500 with their signature win over Florida.

Mississippi State takes down Florida and the goalposts with them, 31-23.

No. 8 TCU will give it their all this week at No. 16 Brigham Young in the Game of the Week.

The Mountain West could argue that they should be in the BCS and I would absolutely agree. The Mountain West is just as solid as the Big East.

BYU has been on their toes recently and they could be in for a big fall.

Texas Christian has the best defense in college football right now and they sneak out the win, 23-17.

Other intriguing games:

This is the first week of the season that I am doing other intriguing games in addition to the Top 25.

And the Cheerleader(s) of the Week award goes to Texas for the close victory over Oklahoma last week in the Red River Rivalry.

Here are the picks:

Florida State heads to North Carolina in what should be an ACC slugfest. The ‘Noles can’t go 2-5. In addition, NC has been having a lot of trouble.

007’s Loser: North Carolina

Indiana heads to Northwestern in a Big Ten match-up. It is a must-win situation for Indiana if they want to stay in the conversation.

007’s Loser: Northwestern

Nebraska (No. 21 in my rankings) hosts Iowa State. The Cyclones have been semi-impressive, with a 4-3 record. Nebraska was a top twelve team in my mind, before being clobbered by Texas Tech last week.

007’s Loser: Iowa State

Arkansas (3-3) heads to Mississippi (4-2) in the SEC Game of the Week (outside of the top 25).

Arkansas has rebounded extremely well since losing to Georgia in week two and being hammered by the Tide. The Razorbacks ripped apart Texas A&M, and gave Auburn a severe illness, also known as the swine.

Arkansas almost knocked off the No. 1 Gators before some questionable calls came into play.

007’s Loser: Mississippi (24-19, ARK)

Boston College (5-2) heads to Notre Dame (4-2). BC is a decent team. They beat up on Northeastern, N.C. State, and Kent State and outlasted Florida State and Wake Forest, but were ripped apart by Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Boston College is a top 40 team, which is why Notre Dame will win this game. ND is still a force to be reckoned with especially today.

007’s Loser: Boston College

Texas Tech (No. 16 in my rankings) hosts Texas A&M. Tech comes in with two explosive blowouts over Kansas State and Nebraska that were supposed to be close games.

Texas A&M started the season 3-0, but have fallen like a $2 suitcase.

007’s Loser: Texas A & M

Arizona State (4-2) at Stanford (4-3)

This should be a really good one. I am impressed with Arizona State to some extent, but losing to Georgia and Oregon State were big games and they came up short.

007’s Loser: Arizona State

Those are my predictions and analysis for “College Football Week Eight: Who’s On Upset Alert?” I hope you’ve enjoyed it! Feel free to comment, give your predictions, or anything else. Feedback is always appreciated.