Week 1 Upsets
Posted by deaconcat08 on August 26, 2009
Along the same lines as my weekly picks entry, I’d also like to offer my predictions of a few upsets that could definitely happen in the first week. These are ordered from smallest underdog to largest, and the value in each parentheses represents the number of points by which each team is currently an underdog according to the World Sports Exchange.
Baylor (+1.5) vs. Wake Forest: I hate to pick against my own team, but bringing in a new defense to play against one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the history of college football could be bad news for the Deacs.
Idaho (+3.0) vs. New Mexicho State: This game really could go either way. It will also be very interesting because it could be both teams only shot at a win all year.
South Carolina (+4.0) vs. NC State: The Gamecocks are one of my surprise teams of the year, so naturally I have to pick them to find away to shut down Russell Wilson and pull off the road upset.
Army (+5.0) vs. Eastern Michigan: After making a few forward strides last year, I expect the Black Knights to continue their ascension back to college football relevancy (slowly but surely at least). On the other hand, bad returnees plus new coaches/schemes could bring a winless season in Ypsilanti.
Oregon (+5.0) vs. Boise State: I am not one of those people who think Oregon is going to contend for the Pac-10 crown this year. In fact, I am far from it. However, this game is being hyped up so much in Boise that it seems like a Bronco letdown might be inevitable.
Virginia Tech (+7.0) vs. Alabama: This is going to be the first time in several years that the ACC will have a legitimate national title contender. A new quarterback and numerous offseason issues worry me about the Tide.
Buffalo (+7.5) vs. UTEP: Given the Bulls’ late season charge last year and the Miners’ recent struggles, I am surprised to see UTEP listed as over a TD favorite in this game. The Miners will be much improved this year, but I also expect the Bulls to return to the title game in the MAC. This could actually be one of the best games of the first week.
Longshot of the Week- Navy (+22.5) vs. Ohio State: Yes this might be somewhat of a stretch, but I stll think it was one of the dumbest scheduling moves of the year for the Buckeyes to schedule this game as their opener.