College football Week 8: 5 teams on upset alert

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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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – OCTOBER 14: University of Miami wide receiver Jeff Thomas (4) plays during an NCAA football game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the University of Miami Hurricanes on October 14, 2017 at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated Georgia Tech 25-24. (Photo by Richard C. Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Miami Hurricanes

Rank: No. 8, Opponent: Syracuse Orange

To say that the Miami Hurricanes have been playing with fire as of late would be putting it in the mildest of terms. Two weeks ago, they took on rival Florida State and saw the game go down to the wire before eking out a 24-20 victory over the Seminoles. They followed up that effort last week by winning on a late field goal against Georgia Tech in Miami, in a game that they probably should’ve lost, no less.

It’s not hard to see why this would be the case for the Hurricanes given the current state of Mark Richt’s team. Despite the fact that quarterback Malik Rosier has been impressive this season, the offense was supposed to go through running back Mark Walton each time out. With him injured and not on the field, that’s not been possible. Thus, their offense hasn’t been able to reach its full potential and the results speak for themselves in that regard.

In terms of talent alone, the Syracuse Orange shouldn’t be in the same conversation as Miami. However, they shouldn’t be in the same conversation as Clemson either, but they beat the Tigers just last week, 27-24. Eric Dungey is a true dual-threat quarterback, something that the Hurricanes struggled to defend last week with the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option attack. It’s a different offense, sure, but the Orange have proven that they can knock off a high-caliber team, and Miami can’t take them lightly.

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