The Ohio State Buckeyes celebrated the most impressive win of their season so far when they took down the Penn State Nittany Lions 39-38 in an absolutely crucial Big Ten showdown. However, the Buckeyes can’t afford to let their foot off the gas after last week’s impressive victory as they attempt to maintain their position atop the Big Ten with an eye on the College Football Playoff. Here is a look at the four ranked teams on upset alert heading in to Week 10 of the college football season.
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
J.T. Barrett delivered in a big win over Penn State as he threw for 328 yards and four touchdowns. Buckeyes fans went wild following a key revenge game but as for Urban Meyer and his squad, the focus must remain on the road ahead. Ohio State can’t afford a letdown following last week’s emotional victory as they travel to face the Hawkeyes this week. Iowa pushed Penn State to the brink in a 21-19 loss earlier in the season and lost to the Michigan State Spartans by a single score. The Hawkeyes will throw everything they have at the Buckeyes with the opportunity to pick up a statement win this weekend.
No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions @ No. 24 Michigan State Spartans
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
The Nittany Lions allowed Ohio State to rally back from 11 points down with under five minutes left in last week’s collapse. Now they have to go on the road to face a tough Michigan State team that will be playing with a sense of urgency as they try to keep them down. The Spartans had won four in a row before last week’s loss at Northwestern in which they might have been caught looking ahead to this week’s showdown. Penn State will have to put last week’s loss behind them in a hurry as they attempt to bounce back at home this college football Saturday.
No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners @ No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Saturday, 4:00 PM ET
Oklahoma has won four of its last five Bedlam matchups but considering the intensity of this rivalry the reality is that anything goes when these teams meet on Saturday. Baker Mayfield has been excellent for the Sooners but the Oklahoma State has a very capable quarterback of its own in Mason Rudolph. Rudolph is coming off his worst statistical game of the season but has averaged 358.3 yards per game this year and is more than capable of bouncing back this week. Oklahoma is the favorite but the Cowboys can’t be overlooked in a rivalry game that could end up becoming a shootout with Mayfield and Rudolph in the spotlight.
No. 9 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
Speaking of rivalries, Virginia Tech and Miami are both in the AP Top-25 heading in to their matchup for the first time since 2010. The Hurricanes have a lot more to lose heading in to this contest so there will be some additional pressure on them to deliver at home. Miami could all but secure a spot in the ACC championship game with a win but after four consecutive one-score victories it’s impossible to overlook the Hokies as a potential underdog pick this week. The Hurricanes control their own destiny at 7-0 but after watching a number of undefeated teams fall over the past couple of weeks it’s clear Miami isn’t above being placed on upset alert this college football weekend.
No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones at West Virginia Mountaineers
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
It just feels like this could be a spot where Iowa State lets up. After notching a few big wins in the last month, they better be focused here in Morgantown. The Cyclones stunned Oklahoma, then went to Texas Tech and earned a win, and then upset TCU last week. Now they’re on the road facing a West Virginia team that’s unranked and has already lost three times to unranked opponents. The Mountaineers have fallen short in three big games but this would be a nice feather in their cap. They’ll be up for this one on Saturday afternoon.
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