Week one of the college football season more than lived up to the hype with some thrilling outcomes including a handful of upsets that set the tone for 2016. No. 3 Oklahoma, no. 5 LSU and No. 16 UCLA all faltered in their season openers while No. 9 Tennessee was very fortunate to avoid an upset at home versus Appalachian State. The week two schedule isn’t nearly as loaded with potential upset picks but we have narrowed down a handful of intriguing matchups worth watching. Here is a look at the ranked teams on upset alert for week two of the college football season.
#21 LSU vs. Jacksonville State
It might be a stretch to say that LSU is on upset alert heading in to week two but after a 16-14 loss to Wisconsin in their opener they simply have to be better heading in to their week two meeting with Jacksonville State. The Tigers should have no problem earning their first win of the year but they will have to make a statement in order to get their season back on track. Star running back Leonard Fournette is dealing with an ankle injury heading in to this matchup and it might be a good idea for LSU to hold him back and simply try to get their passing attack going after struggling to move the football through the air in last week’s loss. The Tigers need to be able to move the football through the air in order to be a competitive team this season and they will get an opportunity to find a rhythm this week against Jacksonville State.
#17 Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech
The Vols were fortunate to escape with a 20-13 win over Appalachian State in their season opener so we are putting them on upset alert again for week two. Tennessee will travel to Bristol Motor Speedway to take on Virginia Tech in front of what is expected to be the largest crowd ever for a college football game. After needing overtime to clinch a victory last week, the pressure of the moment will be even greater against a Hokies’ side that will be in a rhythm after opening the Justin Fuente era with a 36-13 win over Liberty. The Vols should be able to win this game but after a close call against Appalachian State, they are definitely on upset alert this week. Virginia Tech is a big step up in competition, so the Vols better show with a much better effort or they’ll be 1-1 after two weeks of action.
#15 TCU vs. Arkansas
Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama each registered wins over top-25 teams and it will be interesting to see how Arkansas fares representing the SEC in a showdown with TCU this week. The Razorbacks opened the year with a narrow 21-20 win over Louisiana Tech and now they will look to play spoiler against the Horned Frogs. TCU was in a deadlock with South Dakota State until they pulled away in the third quarter on the way to a 59-41 win but they will need a much more complete effort at home to take care of business against Arkansas.
UCLA vs. UNLV
There aren’t a ton of ranked teams that should be in position to get embarrassed this week, so we’ll include a team that was stunned last week and fell out of the Top 25. UCLA lost to Texas A&M and is hanging out just outside the Top 25, but they could fall further if they have any type of hangover and aren’t focused.
The Bruins failed to deliver on all of the hype they received heading in to the 2016 season as they dropped a 31-24 loss to Texas A&M in their opener. UCLA allowed Trevor Knight to throw for 239 yards and a touchdown with an additional two rushing scores in his Aggies’ debut while Josh Rosen was held to 26-for-46 for 343 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. The Bruins return home looking to bounce back in front of their fans but UNLV isn’t about to roll over. The Rebels opened the year with a convincing 63-13 win over Jacksonville State and they should provide another tough test for UCLA.
