Anybody that thought they had a good handle on what to expect in Week 7 was likely in for some surprises when seven top 25 college football teams lost to unranked opponents. The college football landscape looks a lot different than it did at the beginning of the year and with so much time left in the regular season it only makes sense to expect more changes in the perception of the top teams in the country. We did our best to identify a handful of teams that should beware of potential traps heading in to this weekend. Here is a look at the top four ranked teams on upset alert heading in to Week 8 of the college football season.
#10 Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Texas Longhorns
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
The Cowboys are rolling following back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and Baylor in which they averaged 50.0 points per game on offense. However, Oklahoma State is heading in to the toughest stretch of its schedule with back-to-back road games at Texas and West Virginia before returning home to host Oklahoma. The Cowboys have to be careful not to get caught looking too far ahead in a potential trap game this weekend. Texas is 3-3 but with the exception of an upset loss to Maryland in its opener it’s only two other losses were on the road to USC and at home to Oklahoma by an average of just 4.0 points. Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger appears to be the real deal and he has a chance to carve out a statement win on Saturday. Oklahoma State deserves to be the college football favorite but they are far from a lock to win in Austin this weekend.
Pick: Texas +7
#18 Michigan State Spartans vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Indiana proved it wouldn’t be a pushover for the top teams in the Big Ten when it took Michigan to overtime in last week’s loss. Now it has another opportunity to turn heads with a potential upset win this week at home versus Michigan State. The Spartans are 4-1 following three straight one-score wins versus Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota but they need to make sure they avoid a potential trap game this week with back-to-back games versus Penn State and Ohio State right around the corner. The Hoosiers might not win this game straight up but they should be able to keep it close and cover at home.
Pick: Indiana +7.5
#20 Central Florida Knights @ Navy Midshipmen
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Navy dropped out of the top-25 but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a tough opponent when they host UCF in a potential AAC Championship Game preview on Saturday. The Midshipmen had five turnovers in the loss to Memphis and if they can clean up those issues they could have an excellent shot at surprising Central Florida at home. The Knights own the best scoring defense in the AAC and sophomore quarterback McKenzie Milton has thrown for over 300 yards in each of his last two games. Central Florida should be able to avoid the upset on the road but expect Navy to keep it close and cover the spread.
Pick: Navy +7
#24 LSU Tigers @ Ole Miss Rebels
Saturday, 7:15 PM ET
It’s amazing how quickly LSU has gone from being an afterthought in the SEC to a legitimate top 25 team. It’s also important to remember that when evaluating the potential for them to be upset on the road at Ole Miss this weekend. Just a few weeks ago, LSU lost at home to Troy and nearly lost at home to Syracuse.
The Rebels are coming off a lopsided win over Vanderbilt and should be confident that they can surprise the Tigers at home in prime time on Saturday night. They are 3-0 at home this season and have scored at least 45 points in each of their home games. LSU is favored by more than a touchdown right now so even if Ole Miss doesn’t win this game the should be a lock to cover the spread at home in another game with major college football upset potential.
Pick: Ole Miss +7.5
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