However, if we have learned one thing this season, it is that anything can happen in any given week. Here is a look at the ranked teams most at risk of an upset loss in Week 8 of the college football season.
No. 6 Clemson @ Miami
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
Clemson has been one of the quietest 6-0 teams in recent memory and while DeShaun Watson and company are coming off a big win over Boston College, it is important to remember the Tigers’ average margin of victory in back-to-back wins over Louisville and Notre Dame was just 2.5 points. The Tigers have the weapons on both sides of the football to make some noise out of the ACC but they have been fortunate to get to 6-0.
They have a tough upcoming schedule with consecutive road games at Miami and North Carolina State followed by a home date with No. 9 Florida State. Miami is coming off a big win over Virginia Tech and is still perfect at home this season, so the upset alert will be on when Clemson visits in a close game this weekend. The Hurricanes are itching to get back in the national spotlight and while they failed to capture opportunities at Cincinnati and at Florida State earlier this season, beating Clemson would get them back in the good graces.
Texas Tech @ No. 17 Oklahoma
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
The Sooners bounced back from a stunning loss to Texas with a lopsided win over Kansas State last week but they clearly aren’t invincible. Now they return home to play a Texas Tech team that has to feel confident following consecutive lopsided wins. Oklahoma has a talented team but they don’t deserve to be considered in the same category as Baylor and TCU in the Big 12 and while they should be able to win this weekend, it won’t be a surprise if the Red Raiders give them a scare. Remember that Texas Tech pushed TCU to the limit earlier this season.
No. 23 Duke @ Virginia Tech
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Duke’s offense has averaged 412.0 yards per game while leading the way in winning five of six games this season but a home loss to Northwestern a few weeks back still lingers. A 9-7 win over Boston College wasn’t very impressive either. The Blue Devils are a good team but they have benefited from a relatively mediocre schedule and they could be in tough this weekend against a Virginia Tech team that is better than their record shows. They’ve played a much tougher schedule than Duke.
The Hokies will throw everything they have at the Blue Devils in their lone home game over a month-long stretch and they have as good a chance as any team at the upset this weekend.
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No. 3 Utah @ USC
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
All eyes were on USC last week to see how it would respond to the dismissal of head coach Steve Sarkisian and the result was a 41-31 loss at Notre Dame that didn’t show us anything we didn’t expect. Now the Trojans return home to face a Utah team that has climbed to No. 3 in the nation so it certainly won’t get any easier for them this weekend.
However, the Utes are coming off an ugly win over Arizona State in which they had to erase an early 18-14 deficit en route to a 34-18 win. If they get off to another slow start, they might not have as easy of a time in the fourth quarter this time around. USC has nothing to lose at this point and while it has been a disappointing season so far, they are still favored in this game. This will also be their opportunity at a measure of redemption with a chance to shock the nation. We still think Utah wins this game but it wouldn’t be a surprise if this game is closer than expected with the Trojans covering at home.
