College football upsets prediction for Week 5: List of teams that might face losses ft. SMU
Upsets are the lifeblood of college football. While the sport's power programs dominate the game, it's the sleeping giants pulling upsets that make college football beloved. Every week can be seen through the lens of potential upsets waiting to happen.
Here are five teams that could face upset losses in Week 5.
College football upset predictions for Week 5
#1. Baylor (-3.5 facing BYU)
Unranked Baylor finds themselves as 3.5-point home favorites against No. 22 BYU. Baylor (2-2) managed a pair of easy wins before losses to Utah and a heart-breaking defeat to Colorado. It's certainly plausible that there's an emotional hangover from the overtime loss to the Buffaloes.
Meanwhile, No. 22 BYU is 4-0 and coming off a dominating 38-9 win over then No. 22 Kansas State. The Cougar defense is allowing just 12.8 points per game, in part based on making five interceptions while allowing zero touchdown passes. Frankly, the wrong team is the favorite here.
#2. NC State (-6.5 vs Northern Illinois)
NC State (2-2) has been blown out by Clemson and Tennessee and frankly struggled to post victories over FCS Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech. The Wolfpack is allowing 37.8 ppg so far. They've struggled to beat anybody and now face a legitimate foe in Week 5.
Northern Illinois fell out of the top 25 after a 23-20 loss to Buffalo. That loss probably obscures the Huskies' win over Notre Dame the previous week. Now that the luster has worn off, look for Northern Illinois to play with more focus. They're probably taking down their second power program in the last three weeks.
#3. Notre Dame (-6.5 vs. Louisville)
Again, this feels like a game where the wrong team is favored. Notre Dame (3-1) has played two good teams so far. They were upset by Northern Illinois and held off a mediocre Texas A&M team in Week 1. The plaudits rolled in perhaps too quickly after the A&M win, while the Northern Illinois loss seems to be forgotten.
Meanwhile, No. 15 Louisville (3-0) hasn't played meaningful competition, but its average margin of victory is 47-11. The Cardinals are averaging 8.4 yards per play and could plausibly end up winning the ACC crown. The Cardinals might even go on to win this one easily.
#4. Texas A&M (-4 vs. Arkansas)
The A&M Aggies play Arkansas in a neutral site game and are ripe for an upset. As noted above, the Aggies lost to an average Notre Dame team in Week 1. They beat an FCS team then edged by a poor Florida team by two scores and bested Bowling Green 26-20. The only game in which A&M has played well was against an FCS foe, McNeese State.
Meanwhile, Arkansas is coming off a gutty win over Auburn. The Hogs (3-1) suffered their only loss in overtime after blowing a late lead against Oklahoma State. Bobby Petrino has the Razorback offense humming along well enough to pull the mild upset here.
#5. SMU (-6.5 vs. Florida State)
SMU (3-1) lost to BYU and nearly dropped its opener to Nevada, which isn't exactly a brilliant foe. SMU has since benched starting quarterback Preston Stone and switched to backup Kevin Jennings. Frankly, neither has played well as SMU is averaging 7.2 yards per pass attempt.
Meanwhile, Florida State (1-3) is finally off its winless run with a 14-9 victory over Cal. Yes, the Seminole offense has been awful. But their defense is giving up just 20.3 ppg. It'll keep them around against SMU, and the untested QB will likely make a crucial mistake to deliver the upset to the visiting FSU squad.
Which favored teams do you think could suffer a loss in Week 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.