Ohio State’s loss at Penn State provided another shakeup to the outlook for this year’s College Football Playoff with the Buckeyes taking a major step back while the door opened a little further for Michigan and Washington to push their way in to the picture. Ohio State should be in a favorable position to bounce back this week when they host Northwestern while a number of other top-25 teams that will be put on upset alert this weekend. Here is a look at the top teams on upset alert for Week 9 of the college football season.
#2 Michigan @ Michigan State
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
The Wolverines have moved to No. 2 in the country following back-to-back wins over Rutgers and Illinois by a combined 119-8 score and there is little reason to expect them to take their foot off the gas pedal heading in to their showdown with Michigan State. Wilton Speight has thrown for 1,447 yards and 13 touchdowns compared to only two picks while Chris Evans, De’Veon Smith, Karan Higdon and Ty Isaac have taken turns torching opposing defenses on the ground. Everything seems to be going the Wolverines way heading in to a date with a Michigan State side that has dropped four in a row and that is exactly why Jim Harbaugh and company should be on upset alert heading in to this weekend. An early kickoff on the road at Spartan Stadium should mean these teams get the spotlight to themselves and it will be very interesting to see whether Mark Dantonio and his staff have anything up their sleeves as they look to throw a wrench in Michigan’s playoff plans. The Spartans haven’t shown very much to indicate that they can win this game, but these teams have a long, storied history and there will be a ton of pressure on the Wolverines to make a statement on the road. That pressure could work to Michigan State’s advantage as they attempt to grind out a win as double-digit home underdogs.
Pick: Michigan State +24
#10 West Virginia @ Oklahoma State
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
West Virginia is one of only seven undefeated teams from the Power Five conference schools so they should be wary about going on the road for a tough test against an Oklahoma State team that has won three in a row. Mason Rudolph has completed 62.4-percent of his passes for 2,259 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and the Cowboys offense has averaged 45.0 points per game over their last three victories. The Mountaineers defense will be in tough to slow down Rudolph and company while Skylar Howard and company can’t afford to slow down. This will mark West Virginia’s toughest test so far and beating Oklahoma State in their own house will not be easy to do. They’re on upset alert.
Pick: Oklahoma State +4
#14 Florida vs. Georgia
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
The Gators bounced back from a 38-28 loss to Tennessee by grinding out a 13-6 win over Vanderbilt. Then they had their date with LSU postponed before beating up on Missouri in a 40-14 win two weeks ago. Now Florida will host Georgia in its first real test since the loss to the Vols with both teams coming out of a bye week. The Gators likely won’t gain 530 yards of offense the way they did against the Tigers so they will need their defense to step up versus the Bulldogs. Georgia’s offense has the potential to put up big numbers with running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Jacob Eason leading the way and both should be fresh coming off the bye week. The Bulldogs will give Florida all that it can handle while putting the Gators on upset alert this weekend in Jacksonville.
Pick: Georgia +8
#15 Auburn @ Ole Miss
Saturday, 7:15 PM ET
Auburn and Ole Miss will match up in a clash of teams that appear to be headed in opposite directions as the Tigers have won four in a row while the Rebels have dropped two of their last three. However, Auburn’s only win over a top-25 opponent came in its 56-3 win over Arkansas last week while Ole Miss lost on the road at both Arkansas and LSU. The Rebels are still 3-1 at home with their only loss coming against Alabama and while the team is disappointed with its record, Ole Miss has to be optimistic about its chances to get back on track this weekend. The Rebels are listed as five-point home underdogs but they could win this game straight up. The Tigers are on upset alert here.
Pick: Ole Miss +5
