College Football Picks Week 6: Ranked Teams That Will Be Upset This Weekend

Week 6 of the 2012 college football season will feature several showdowns between ranked teams, and the polls will go through drastic changes after this next slate of games.

Stanford highlighted the upsets last week after losing to unranked Washington. There may not be any results as surprising as this one, but several ranked teams face difficult matchups this week.

There have been no shortage of unexpected events this season, and this week will see that trend continue.

Here are the teams that will lose despite being favored this week.

No. 22 Nebraska over No. 12 Ohio State 

Ohio State is undefeated this season, but Nebraska has won three games in a row since losing to UCLA.

The Cornhuskers have enjoyed having star running back Rex Burkhead back in the lineup, and the team’s ground attack is ranked fifth in the country in yards gained.

This matchup features two extremely mobile quarterbacks in OSU’s Braxton Miller and Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez. Miller has been fantastic this season, but a multifaceted rushing game will help Nebraska keep him off the field.

Both teams are coming off close, hard-fought Big Ten victories, but it will be the Cornhuskers who continue rolling in Columbus.

  

No. 8 West Virginia over No. 11 Texas

While West Virginia is ranked higher in this week’s AP poll, Texas is favored by 6.5 points in this game, according to Sports Book.

But when Geno Smith and the Mountaineers offense roll into Austin, the high-powered passing attack will lead the team to victory.

The Longhorns defense is significantly better than the Baylor unit that allowed Smith to throw for 656 yards and eight touchdowns last week, but the confidence gained in that game will allow the Heisman Trophy favorite to continue playing extremely well. 

This will be another shootout in which the Mountaineers have the necessary firepower to still be standing at the end of the game.

California over No. 25 UCLA

UCLA’s season got off to a promising start with wins over Rice, Nebraska and Houston. 

But the Bruins dropped their Pac 12 opener to Oregon State and are now struggling to stay in the top-25. The team faces a tough road matchup against Cal this weekend.

The Bears are just 1-4 on the season, but have dropped close games to Ohio State and Nevada. This team is better than its record suggests. 

Desperation is also a powerful motivator, and Cal cannot afford to go 0-3 against conference opponents. With their backs against the wall, the Bears will deliver a victory.