Week 3 of the college football season almost produced one of the great upsets in recent history as the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes flirted with disaster against Northern Illinois before pulling out the 20-13 win at home. Alabama and USC weren’t nearly so lucky as both teams fell from the top 10 after upsets and now the focus shifts as we try to predict which Top-25 teams are most in danger of falling short in Week 4.
Here is a look at the four ranked teams most likely to be upset this weekend.
No. 14 Texas A&M vs Arkansas
The Aggies are 3-0 and all three of their wins have come by 23 points or more and yet they could be in tough when they make the trip to Arkansas this weekend. The Razorbacks are feeling the pressure after consecutive losses but they have a chance to get their season back on track in a big way when they open their SEC schedule at home. While Brett Bielema has found himself under fire early on, the truth is that a win here gets Arkansas’ season back on track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBQwxjpE4s0
There’s no question that Texas A&M has looked the better of the season teams this season as they’ve won all three games – including a win over then No. 15 Arizona State –while averaging 46 points per game. However, A&M has turned the ball over six times over the first two weeks but managed to survive thanks to some favorable matchups. If the Razorbacks can get after Allen and force him to make mistakes, they could have a very real chance to win this game in front of a packed house at home.
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No. 19 USC at Arizona State
USC fell from No. 6 to No. 19 after a disappointing home loss to Stanford and while the majority of experts expect them to bounce back this week, they could be in tough on the road at Arizona State. The Sun Devils smell blood in the water and quarterback Mike Bercovici is looking for another big performance (he played the game of his life in last year’s stunning upset win over the Trojans). Arizona State scored three touchdowns in the final four minutes of that victory – including a 46-yard touchdown on the final play –to complete the comeback. USC will have to put last week’s tough loss behind them but even then they might not be mentally tough enough to handle what the Sun Devils will bring to the table. The Sun Devils received some Top 25 votes and while they just missed the cut, it’s clear this matchup is more even than most people think.
No. 23 BYU at Michigan
BYU finally fell short in its 24-23 loss to UCLA last weekend and while they have impressed early on with a pair of upset wins, the reality is that they have played three very tough games in a row against Nebraska, Boise State and UCLA, and now they have to travel to Michigan for another very difficult test at Michigan.
The Wolverines are coming off consecutive home wins over Oregon State and UNLV, and have proved to be a quality team so far. Their only loss was a touchdown defeat at Utah, who is now ranked in the Top 25. They have more than enough offensive firepower to upset the Cougars and hand BYU its second loss in a row.
No. 25 Missouri at Kentucky
Missouri improved to 3-0 with a 9-6 win over Connecticut last weekend to make it consecutive wins by a single score. While they have found ways to come back in each of those last two games, the reality is that they have been very fortunate in each. The Tigers came back from down seven at half against Arkansas State the week before and then trailed Connecticut late before putting together their lone touchdown drive of the game and narrowly beating the Huskies.
Kentucky is a team on the rise even though they’re coming off a close 14-9 loss to Florida. They beat South Carolina and very nearly Florida. The Wildcats certainly feel like they can beat Missouri with a very real chance to pull off the upset on Saturday night.
