Upset Alert: 5 college football teams in danger of losing in Week 9

5. Arizona State Sun Devils

Rank: 24 | Opponent: UCLA Bruins | Time: Saturday, Oct. 26, 10:00 p.m. ET

Right out of the gate, let’s dispel the notion that the UCLA Bruins are a good football team. Without question, they are not. Chip Kelly’s group is just 2-5 on the 2019 college football season with their two wins coming in a wild outing against Washington State and then beating a massively banged-up Stanford team one week ago. They have talent and upside but are not a group challenging to be ranked anytime soon.

Having said that, Herm Edwards’ Arizona State Sun Devils have been one of the most wildly variable teams in the country this season. They have two wins over ranked opponents on the year, both coming on the road. At the same time, they have not been decided victors in any game they’ve played and, furthermore, are coming off getting shellacked by Utah last week.

The simplest explanation for why the Sun Devils have been so variable in their play this season is that they play to the level of their competition. That’s something that can be expected with a freshman quarterback, Jayden Daniels, at the helm, no matter how much talent that he has. However, it’s also something that puts a team that is good-not-great like Arizona State in danger of being upset in a road Pac-12 game.

If UCLA comes out inspired by ending their 11-year losing streak against Stanford last week and, more importantly, if the Sun Devils continue to play down to their competition, they could travel to Los Angeles and find themselves in real danger of suffering their third loss of the year.