Who here doesn’t love a good old upset in college football? Last week we were treated to two results that shook NCAAF odds fanatics to their core.
On the one hand, the Appalachian State Mountaineers took a road trip to College Station, home of the Texas A&M Aggies, and left with a dominating win.
Not to be outdone, the Marshall Thundering Herd put Notre Dame in the spotlight, but for all the wrong reasons. In its 26-21 victory over ND, Marshall not only left Indiana with an immense upset win on the road against a ranked opponent but also managed to expose the lack of firepower within the Fighting Irish.
Now, as Week 3 of the 2022 college football season approaches, let’s take a look at three games that could end up taking the prize of the biggest upsets, even if the concept of upset is bent liberally.
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No.12 BYU vs No.25 Oregon
Let’s kick this off with a little bit of a twist. Coming into their weekend non-conference matchup at Autzen Stadium, home of the Oregon Ducks, the No. 12 BYU Cougars are slated as the underdogs. How could a team that’s ranked so much higher than its opponent be the underdog? Well, that’s life in college football folks.
If you happened to catch BYU’s action-packed, overtime win over Baylor last week, an upset in itself, it’s hard to understand why the Cougars would be seen as the underdogs in their visit to Oregon. Yet still, here we are. In said victory, QB Jaren Hall showed some seriously good skills against a tough Baylor defense, passing for 261 yards and a TD, while WR Chase Roberts shined through with eight catches for 122 yards. And BYU’s defense? Dominant with four sacks last week. If you add all that up, it sounds like the perfect recipe for an Oregon nightmare.
While everyone had high hopes with Oregon Ducks coming into the season, their Week 1 pommeling against Georgia by 49-3 brought those same hopes down to earth … fast.
Sure, the Ducks bounced back last week beating Eastern Washington, 70-14, but still, the fact that they are being taken as favorites against the Cougars is dumbfounding, to say the least.
Yes, Oregon would definitely benefit from a strong win at home against a ranked opponent, but honestly, QB Bo Nix is not ready for what BYU’s defense will bring. So, if you’re into upsets, picking BYU might be the easiest decision you make all week.
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No. 13 Miami vs No. 24 Texas A&M
If the BYU and Oregon conundrum wasn’t enough, how about we run the same scenario, with different teams, one more time? The 13th-ranked Miami Hurricanes enter their game on the road at College Station against the 24th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies as underdogs. Why? Basically, there are people that believe that the Aggies are a strong football team that deserves some credit.
But let’s be honest: Jimbo Fisher’s team, especially on the offensive side of the ball, has not done anything to be taken seriously. The Aggies’performance against Appalachian State made it clear Texas A&M Aggies should not be ranked, let alone favored against a better-suited Hurricanes team.
While the Aggies have not managed to put one and one together, Miami has shown to be a consistent team on offense. Sure, the Hurricanes’ opponents in the first two weeks of the season were like a walk in the park for Miami, but still, that hasn’t stopped it from filling up the scoreboards.
Maybe the Aggies have some defensive tricks that only a few people know and that’s why they are considered the favorites. But just like with BYU, if you want an easy decision on picking an upset, going with the Hurricanes is a good bet.
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Notre Dame vs California
If this were any other season, with any other version of the Notre Dame football team, then seeing the Fighting Irish as favorites would make all kinds of sense. But with how bad ND has played in the first two games, it’s ridiculous that it is coming into this game as favorites against the 2-0 California Golden Bears.
Yes, a point can be made that Cal hasn’t played against any tough opponents, which is why the Golden Bears have posted two wins. Come on, Notre Dame lost against Marshall, at home! There shouldn’t be any reason as to why the Fighting Irish should be considered favorites and Cal underdogs.
Lastly, if you take into account the fact that the Fighting Irish will have to hit the ground running with backup QB Drew Pyne after losing their starter Tyler Buchner to a season-ending shoulder injury, it makes more sense for ND to not be taken as a favorite here.
If we break this matchup down to pure stats, Cal’s defense has looked better than ND’s, and the Golden Bears’ QB, Jack Plummer, already knows what it’s like to play in South Bend from his time in Purdue. If anything, it would make more sense to call a Notre Dame win in this game an upset, but as we stand here, right now, it’s Cal that is the underdog.
