Upset Alert: 5 college football teams in danger of losing in Week 8

1. Penn State Nittany Lions

Rank: 7 | Opponent: 16 Michigan Wolverines | Time: Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET

The buzz around the Penn State Nittany Lions is starting to grow. With a 6-0 record and climbing up to the No. 7 spot in the latest AP Top 25, James Franklin’s team is garnering more respect with each passing week, especially coming off of a hard-fought win on the road against Iowa last week. However, the Michigan Wolverines coming to town on Saturday night puts the Nittany Lions on upset alert in a major way.

Make no mistake, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines have been wildly disappointing in the 2019 college football season. Their loss to Wisconsin — coincidentally their only defeat of the season — was both demoralizing and telling as Michigan faltered greatly against top-tier competition. Having said that, they have found a little juice since then, also beating Iowa in a matchup two weeks ago, a 10-3 triumph in a grinding affair.

What makes the potential for an upset here a real thing is how the styles of these two teams stack up against one another. Michigan’s offense is not totally reliable overall but they like to run the ball and control the clock in addition to playing good defense. Meanwhile, Penn State thrives off of elite defense (allowing only 8.2 points per game) and explosive plays on offense.

If the Wolverines are able to control the clock and, more importantly, limit the explosive plays that Sean Clifford and K.J. Hamler make — as Iowa largely did last week — Michigan should have a chance at a monstrous road victory. We don’t know if Penn State can win consistently if they aren’t breaking off big plays offensively and Harbaugh’s team may have the formula to test that.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.