College Football Week 7: 5 Biggest Upset Picks
Who doesn't love upsets, especially college football style?
Week 6 saw some big ones with Alabama and Florida falling and Michigan State defeating rival Michigan on the road.
What surprises are in store for Week 7?
5: Mississippi State over No. 22 Florida
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Florida (4-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) has been reeling of late, dropping two in a row to former No. 1 Alabama and No. 9 LSU.
These losses eliminate the Gators from national title contention.
Gators quarterback John Brantley has not filled in the hole left by Heisman winner and two-time national champion Tim Tebow. Brantley has six touchdowns and four interceptions, while averaging only 183 yards passing per game.
Florida's once-potent offense is now ranked 87th in rushing and 76th in passing.
Despite this, the Gators are eight-point favorites over Mississippi State (4-2, 1-2 SEC).
The Bulldogs are 23rd in rushing, going 211.8 yards a contest, which will overwhelm Florida.
Mississippi State is led by Vick Ballard, who has 418 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. Quarterback Chris Relf also has 295 yards on the ground.
The Bulldogs also have a tough defense, allowing 17.5 points a game.
4: Texas Tech over No. 20 Oklahoma State
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Oklahoma State has pounded teams this season, going 5-0 and 1-0 in Big 12 play.
The Cowboys get 362 passing yards a game, good for second nationally. Also, points are forced like no tomorrow, with OSU scoring 52.6 per game.
Saturday, the Cowboys are favored by 3.5 points.
Part of the problem is OSU has not had the best competition, feasting on lesser teams like Washington State, Troy, Tulsa and Louisiana-Lafayette. Defense is a weakness, ranked 87th by allowing 29.2 points a game.
Texas Tech will be a stiffer opponent compared to the Cowboys' early schedule. The Red Raiders are fourth nationally in passing, with quarterback Taylor Potts leading the way with 1,649 yards, 16 touchdowns and only four picks.
The Red Raiders almost upset then No. 6 Texas and beat Baylor last week. Being home should help Texas Tech.
3: Hawaii over No. 19 Nevada
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Nevada (6-0, 1-0 Western Atlantic Conference) has played well, but it again is against weaker competition, with Brigham Young its hardest foe.
Although averaging 43 points a game, Brigham Young held the Wolf Pack to 27 points.
Hawaii (4-2, 2-0 WAC) will be a threat, even though it is a 2.5-point underdog. The Warriors are led by stud quarterback Bryant Moniz.
Moniz is top dog in college football right now, leading the country in passing yards (2,245), touchdowns (18) and has a quarterback rating of 161.94.
Moniz's favorite targets are Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares, who combine for 1,483 yards and 16 touchdowns. This aerial trio makes up for an atrocious run game that still has seven scores.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
2: Illinois over No. 13 Michigan State
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The Spartans (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) is coming off one of the biggest wins in program history, defeating then No. 18 Michigan 34-17 on the road.
Michigan State is solid in rushing, with Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell accounting for 14 scores.
Michigan is home versus Illinois (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) for a 7.5-point spread.
However, this could be a classic trap game for the Spartans. They will have Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue and Penn State remaining on the schedule, so they might be eyeing a possible Rose Bowl berth.
The Illini played No. 1 Ohio State close in a 24-13 loss and disposed of Penn State 33-13 on the road. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase replaces an erratic Juice Williams, not making as many mistakes on offense with only four interceptions.
The run game, ranked 19th, will keep the Illini in the game.
| Mikel Leshoure and Scheelhaase have 874 yards and 5 scores between them. Illinois averages 217.6 on the ground. |
1: No. 18 Wisconsin over No. 1 Ohio State
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Ohio State (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) caught a break when Alabama fell to South Carolina last week to forfeit the No. 1 seed.
Now, all the Buckeyes have to do is run the table to get an automatic bid for the BCS Championship game.
The Buckeyes are sixth in scoring offense (43.2) and scoring defense (13.5). Quarterback Terrelle Pryor and wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher are a deadly combo, connecting for 27 receptions for 411 yards and seven touchdowns.
No. 18 Wisconsin (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) are at home but remain six-point underdogs.
The Badgers could pull this off. The Buckeyes' schedule has been less than impressive, with Marshall, Ohio and Eastern Michigan some of their victims.
The Illini also gave them a run for their money.
Wisconsin is a rushing powerhouse, with John Clay and James White averaging 6.85 yards a carry and 17 touchdowns. The two-headed running monster also has the Badgers ranked 11th nationally, with 240.8 yards on the ground.
Defense could be the difference, as the Badgers allow 19 points a contest, which will look to stop the Buckeyes' high-scoring offense.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
