College football Week 3: 5 teams on upset alert

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 08: Quarterback Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks to pass the ball during the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on September 8, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 08: Brandon Wimbush #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball during the game against the Ball State Cardinals at Notre Dame Stadium on September 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Ball State 24-16. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Rank: 8 | Opponent: Vanderbilt Commodores | Start Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

You would think that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish answered any and all early-season questions about the team in the first week of the 2018 college football season. After all, they welcomed a highly touted and much-hyped Michigan Wolverines team to South Bend and simply dominated them, much more so than the 24-17 final score would have you to believe. And with that, they should’ve been an established commodity with little doubt about them.

Then came the second week of the 2018 season and, well, things got a bit more complicated regarding opinions about the Irish. Notre Dame was again at home and again got the win. This time, though, it was only an eight-point victory — over the Ball State Cardinals.

After being solid and looking to take a big step forward this year in Week 1, quarterback Brandon Wimbush struggled mightily for all 60 minutes against a Ball State team that, frankly, isn’t that good. Wimbush ended with -7 yards rushing and, though he threw for 297 yards, no passing touchdowns and three interceptions. That’s not ideal play from him and, with what we’ve seen from him in his career, it might not be something that goes away.

Now Wimbush and the Fighting Irish have to face a Vanderbilt Commodores team that has proven to be a stout defensive team to this point, showing that last week when they held a Nevada team that scored 70+ in Week 1 to just 10 points. When you have that and the fact that Vandy’s offense with Kyle Shurmur is far better than Ball State’s, an upset seems, at the very least, in the cards.

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