Brad’s 2024 College Football Preview- Regular Season Upset Picks

Every summer since 2007 I have created an intricate set of college football predictions for each upcoming season.  This year is no exception, as I will be using my blog over the next few weeks to publish my 18th annual college football preview guide which will contain 19 entries in all. Over the past eight seasons, I have made my college football offseason more expansive by predicting the outcome of every single game that is played by every FBS team over the course of the entire regular season season.  I obviously sprinkle a few upsets in there when favored teams matchup poorly with inferior opponents or play them at inopportune times.  Last season, I picked 6 correct upsets including NC State over Clemson, Kansas over Oklahoma, and Marshall over Virginia Tech. This year’s upset picks are listed below in chronological order, and the 15 upset picks that will be the most impactful to the college football playoff picture are marked in bold.  Also, the (H), (A), and (N) monikers written on each line represents whether or not the the team pulling off the upset is playing the game at home, away from home, or at a neutral site. This year I have included my reasons why each upset is going to happen in parentheses next to each pick.

Preseason Upset Picks of the Year
1Montana State (H) over New Mexico- Aug 24 (bad spot for Lobos against good FCS foe)
2Lafayette (A) over Buffalo- Aug 29 (bad spot for Bulls, Lafayette has dominated series history)
3North Dakota St. (A) over Colorado- Aug 29 (early season rust, NDSU history vs. FBS foes)
4FIU (A) over Indiana- Aug 31 (early season rust, overconfidence)
5West Virginia (H) over Penn State- Aug 31 (unit matchups, location)
6Chattanooga (A) over Georgia State- Sept 7 (trap game for Panthers, series)
7Tulane (H) over Kansas State- Sept 7 (unit matchups, series history)
8Texas State (H) over Arizona State- Sept 12 (tough road game on short week)
9Air Force (A) over Baylor- Sept 14 (unit matchups)
10Toledo (A) over Mississippi State- Sept 14 (trap game for Bulldogs, unit matchups)
11Miami-OH (H) over Cincinnati- Sept 14 (unit matchups, bad spot for Bearcats, historical success for Redhawks over Bearcats)
12FIU (A) over FAU- Sept 14- Sept 14 (rivalry game)
13Old Dominion (H) Over Virginia Tech- Sept 14 (unit matchups, series history: the Hokies have never beaten ODU on the road!)
14Northwestern (H) over Washington- Sept 21 (early season continuity issues for the Huskies, unit matchups)
15Washington State (H) over Boise- Sept 28 (series history, unit matchups)
16Wyoming (H) over Air Force- Sept 28 (series history, location)
17UNLV (H) over Syracuse- Oct 5 (trap game, unit matchups, long road trip)
18Virginia (H) over Louisville- Oct 12 (trap game, unit matchups)
19Rice (H) over UTSA- Oct 12 (unit matchups, spot)
20Oklahoma (H) over Texas- Oct 12 (bad scheduling spot for the Horns, series history, unit matchups)
21Sam Houston (H) over Western Kentucky- Oct 16 (last year’s game, spot, short week)
22BYU (H) over Oklahoma State- Oct 18 (last year’s result, unit matchups, location)
23Rice (A) over Tulane- Oct 19 (unit matchups, last year)
24Maryland (H) over Southern Cal- Oct 19 (letdown spot, unit matchups, location: this will be a long cross country trip for the Men of Troy)
25Illinois (H) over Michigan- Oct 19 (look ahead spot for Mich.)
26Michigan State (H) over Iowa- Oct 19 (bad spot for Iowa)
27TCU (A) over Utah- Oct 19 (bad spot for Utes, unit matchups)
28South Carolina (H) over Texas A & M- Nov 2 (good spot for Gamecocks, unit matchups)
29Arkansas (H) over Ole Miss- Nov 2 (trap game, series history, good spot for Razorbacks)
30Syracuse (H) over Virginia Tech- Nov 2 (unit matchups, spot)
31TCU (H) over Oklahoma State- Nov 9 (series history, bad spot for Pokes)
32Vanderbilt (H) over South Carolina- Nov. 9 (trap game for Gamecocks)
33Georgia Tech (H) over Miami-FL- Nov 9 (spot, historical success for Jackets against Canes)
34Arkansas (H) over Texas- Nov 16 (historical success for Hogs against Horns, trap game for Horns)
35Colorado (H) over Utah- Nov 16 (last year’s result, unit matchups, bad spot for Utah, location)
36South Carolina (H) over Missouri- Nov 16 (good spot for Gamecocks)
37Old Dominion (H) over James Madison- Nov 16 (almost got last year, ODU off bye, rivalry game)
38Oklahoma (H) over Alabama- Nov 23 (good spot for Sooners, unit matchups, new stadium to play in for the Tide)
39Bowling Green (H) over Miami-OH- Nov 29 (look ahead spot for Redhawks to MAC title game)
40UL-Monroe (H) over UL-Lafayette- Nov 30 (rivalry game, unit matchups, letdown spot for ULL)

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