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College football Week 8: 5 teams on upset alert

By Cody Williams

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Saquon Barkley #26 and Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions stand behind the line of scrimmage during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers on September 30, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Indiana 45-14. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Saquon Barkley #26 and Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions stand behind the line of scrimmage during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers on September 30, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Indiana 45-14. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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Unbeaten teams are starting to drop like flies, so which teams should be on upset alert in Week 8 of the 2017 college football season?

Brace yourselves; upset season is coming. Well, it might be more apt to say that upset season has already arrived in the 2017 college football campaign. Last week, we saw teams drop like flies around the country, including three undefeated teams that seemed primed to make a playoff run. Now the wreckage stands before us and more upsets loom in Week 8.

Of course, the three previously unbeaten teams that fell last week were the Clemson Tigers, Washington State Cougars and Washington Huskies. Even more incredible, though, is the caliber of opponent that all three lost to. Syracuse, Cal and Arizona State, respectively, truly aren’t in the same realm of talent as the teams that they usurped last weekend. Yet, that’s the way college football plays out. All it takes is one off day and you’re no longer perfect.

Even with it starting to feel more like upset season, there are a few undefeated teams that really shouldn’t be all that worried coming into Week 8 of the college football season. Alabama looks infallible still and shouldn’t worry about Tennessee. TCU should make light work of Kansas. And so on.

However, just because every unbeaten team isn’t about to fall this week doesn’t mean that there won’t be upsets. Looking at the slate, these are the five teams that need to be on upset alert in Week 8 of the 2017 college football season.

5. LSU Tigers

Rank: No. 24, Opponent: Ole Miss Rebels

When the LSU Tigers were sitting at 3-2 on the season, everyone was ready to fire Ed Orgeron and dismiss the Tigers as a lost cause for this season. Of course, having their second loss of the season coming against the lowly Troy Trojans certainly didn’t help that perception. However, Coach O’s team has responded and rebounded in a big way. They topped Florida in Gainesville in a thriller and then followed that up by knocking off then 10th-ranked Auburn.

Now LSU will face an Ole Miss Rebels team that most certainly isn’t in the same class as Auburn or Florida. What’s more, this team has faltered against high-level SEC competition to this point already, getting trounced by Alabama to the tune of 66-e and then losing to Auburn, 44-23. Having said that, this Rebels team has also proven to be able to score at a high level and really air it out with Shea Patterson at quarterback.

The thing about the Tigers is that their defense is high-quality, but if there’s a misstep at all, there are enough concerns about their offense still that you worry that they won’t be able to keep up. It’s not particularly likely, but it’s possible that Patterson and the Ole Miss offense can put them in that position and increase the pressure on Danny Etling and the offense. In that situation, you never know when it comes to LSU.

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