Heading into Week 8, we just escaped a week of chaos where ranked teams constantly went down. What will this week hold? Here are my 5 upsets to watch (with the spread):
Season: 7-8 (5 Outright)
- MARSHALL (+2.5) v Florida Atlantic
- Marshall has been scoring very easily this year, although their record may not seem like such. FAU has been up and down this year, and unable to put together a good contest on the road. The Herd is tough at home and should be able to win outright in my opinion against the Owls.
- CHARLOTTE (+16.5) at Mid Tennessee State
- Hard to see what Vegas sees here. Can’t fathom this line being this large, but it is. Charlotte has been playing good football this year and has a good defense; MTSU has been doing much of the same, but allows plenty of points per game. Can’t see MTSU winning by more than 10.
- NC STATE (+17.5) at Clemson
- Although the Textile Bowl has been all Clemson, it hasn’t been a blowout in recent years. I do not know what Vegas is thinking once again with this line, but two undefeated teams will clash in Death Valley, both looking for ACC supremacy, and I can’t see it being a blow out one way or another. NC State is a very strong team up front and can exploit the weakness in Clemson’s secondary. This is Trevor Lawrence’s first test too.
- OREGON (+3.0) at Washington State
- For the first time in years, the Ducks get to play Washington State with a healthy quarterback. For years injuries have plagued Oregon against Washington State, but not this year. The Cougars do look good, but Oregon has been much better this year and should walk out of Pullman with a win.
- PURDUE (+12.0) v Ohio State
- Under the lights in West Lafayette, Ohio State tries to stay undefeated against a Big Ten West foe. They were in this spot just last year – a heavy favorite on the road in conference… and lost to Iowa. Purdue is a very solid team, and much better than their record states. This offense of Purdue should be gunning and should be able to exploit an Ohio State defense that struggles against the pass. This will be a much closer game than expected.
