College Football: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 4

There are two extremely different ways that a team could react one week after dropping a tough game on the road, like Georgia Tech did in a 30-22 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend.

First, the Yellow Jackets could find extra motivation in the loss, respond with a terrific week of practice, and take out their frustration by blowing out their next opponent on the road. Second, Tech could let the “what ifs” of a close defeat cloud their thoughts the entire next week, then sleepwalk through the first half of a noon kickoff against a tough Duke squad. Should the second scenario play out, the Jackets would be in big trouble.

Georgia Tech is one of the favorites in the ACC’s Coastal Division, and played in the conference championship game last season. Of course, Duke won the division the year before, and is a threat to do so again. The Blue Devils are 2-1, with the loss coming last week against a ranked Northwestern squad. Plus, Duke has both a better offense and a better defense than Georgia Tech through three games: They hold the edge in total offense at 504-487 yards per game, and have allowed only 8.7 points and 242.7 yards per game on average, compared to the 15.3 points and 325.7 yards per game surrendered by the Yellow Jackets.

If the Duke defense can hold down the Georgia Tech triple option early – and they have had success doing so in the past, including last season’s 31-25 victory in Atlanta – this is a game the Blue Devils can win.

Next: Oklahoma State at Texas