College Football Picks Week 5: Why Wisconsin and Virginia Tech Are in Danger

Tis’ the season for upsets.

September has come and gone and there really weren’t a whole lot of shockers.

Now that conference play has arrived, expect the upsets to begin pouring in.

Here are two highly ranked teams that have a great chance to drop their first game of the young season:

No. 7 Wisconsin vs. No. 8 Nebraska

Ok, so this wouldn’t be a huge upset, but Saturday marks a historic day for the Corn Huskers. They’ll be playing in their first ever Big 10 conference game and expect the emotions to be running high for Nebraska.

Wisconsin has one of the most balanced offenses in the country, no question about that. Yet Nebraska has the sort of stout defensive front, led by DT Jared Crick to at least slow down the Badges two-headed attack of Montee Ball and James White.

The real difference is on special teams, where Nebraska holds a significant advantage on both kick offs and punt returns.

It’s not going to be easy on the road, but expect this game to come down to the final possession.

No. 13 Virginia Tech vs No. 11 Clemson

 

 

Clemson QB Tajh Boyd is beginning to tuck the ball and run more often and opposing defenses are having a hard time keeping up. He’s already an excellent passer in the shotgun spread and Boyd doesn’t panic when the pressure comes.

The sophomore is also making smart decisions in the option game, which includes elements of the shotgun zone-read option and the triple option. He has 13 TDs and one INT to show for it.

Hokies QB Logan Thomas isn’t the most accurate passer and seems to struggle making the right decision when the opposition blitzes. The sophomore QB already has thrown four INTs and only four TDs against far worse opponents. The Tigers have holes in the middle of their defense, but I don’t see Thomas being able to take advantage of them.

This will put the pressure on RB David Wilson, who has great initial burst, but struggles to gain much after contact.

After already knocking off Auburn and Florida State in consecutive weeks, there is no reason to think this confident Tigers team can’t keep the momentum going against a young and untested Hokies squad.

V-Tech is always one of the best-coached teams in the country and the special teams are second to none, but I think it’s the multi-talented Boyd that emerges as the big story in this one.