Five Ranked Teams Face Upset Risks in Chaotic College Football Week
From Texas to Utah, the No. 11 schedule features five ranked matchups where the higher-seeded team is a narrow favorite or outright underdog.
By Justin Barnes ·
Five ranked teams will face the possibility of an upset this weekend, extending a stretch of instability that saw four top-10 programs lose last week. The schedule features five ranked-versus-ranked games, with several favorites holding only minimal advantages.
The attention turns to Baton Rouge, where No. 6 Texas travels to face No. 21 LSU on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. The 6-3 Tigers are seeking back-to-back wins over top-10 opponents to keep their playoff hopes alive, a scenario statistical models assign a 27% probability. LSU enters the game as a four-point favorite. Texas quarterback Arch Manning has taken a backseat to running back Raleek Brown, who gained 290 yards from scrimmage in recent victories over Ole Miss and Missouri.
In the Big 12, No. 2 Utah visits No. 23 Arizona on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on Fox. The Utes are projected as 2.5-point favorites despite Arizona’s quarterback Noah Fifita completing 73% of his passes. Later that night at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN, No. 12 Texas Tech travels to No. 25 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are 3.5-point home favorites, supported by an offense that has averaged 48.1 points over its last eight games.
Other notable underdog situations include No. 10 BYU hosting Baylor on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on Fox. The Cougars, favored by 7.5 points, welcome back running back LJ Martin. In the ACC, No. 13 Wake Forest faces SMU at noon on ESPN. The Mustangs are 1.5-point favorites despite Wake Forest leading the nation in points per possession.
Duke visits No. 7 Miami at noon on ABC, where the Hurricanes are 13.5-point favorites. Miami’s defense has allowed 31 points per game over the past month, yet it holds a commanding lead over the Blue Devils, who have won their last two games by a combined 88-5. The Big Ten schedule features No. 18 USC at No. 9 Indiana on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS, with Indiana favored by 10 points.
On Friday night at 9 p.m. on Fox, Illinois visits No. 4 UCLA. The 9-0 Bruins rank first nationally in takeaways but have struggled in the passing game since Ty Dieffenbach replaced Nico Iamaleava four weeks ago. These games cap a weekend where every major conference faces pivotal decisions for the season’s final stretch.
All game times are listed in Eastern Standard Time.
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