Notre Dame and Florida are just two teams on upset alert in college football Week 11 as a handful of top 25 teams are in danger of losing this week.
If you were hoping that college football Week 11 would feature a number of SEC teams being put on upset alert and some of the ranked teams actually succumbing to upsets, you’re out of luck. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, Halloween has seemingly taken its toll in that regard as four ranked teams in the conference have seen their games either postponed or canceled this week.
Potentially tricky contests for Georgia and Texas A&M, teams that were initially slated to face Missouri and Tennessee, respectively, escape upset alert this week because of this. Meanwhile, the Auburn-Mississippi State game, as well as the Alabama-LSU game, have also both been called off for Week 11. Add in a Big Ten matchup between Ohio State and a pesky Maryland team getting scrapped and things have gone awry.
But fans of upsets shouldn’t fear as, even if some of the marquee matchups of Week 11 are no longer on the slate, there are still a number of ranked college football teams that are in danger of losing. And they are littered throughout both the Power 5 and Group of 5 conferences.
College football upset alert No. 5: Miami Hurricanes
Rank: 9 | Opponent: Virginia Tech Hokies | Time: Saturday, Nov. 14, Noon ET
While I have the No. 9-ranked Miami Hurricanes as 2.5-point underdogs as one of my best bets of the week, the fact that they are not favored in this trip to Blacksburg is reason enough to put them on upset alert this week. But the matchup might also be a bit precarious for The U as well given their current situation.
D’Eriq King looked every bit like a superstar as the Hurricanes came back in dramatic fashion to beat NC State last week. But it should be noted that Miami was trailing for much of that game and needed King to deliver that type of performance just to survive. And Virginia Tech is a superior team when compared to the Wolfpack.
Miami’s defense, though littered with NFL-caliber talent, has started to show some cracks in the armor. That’s something that the Hokies are more than capable of taking advantage of. Hendon Hooker has seemingly gotten better with every game while the rushing attack seems immune to injury. The only worry for Virginia Tech is if their defense can totally contain King as they’ve struggled on that side of the ball recently.
Having said that, the Hokies have garnered valuable experience against dual-threat quarterbacks in recent weeks, so they know where they need to work to try and slow down King. Playing at home and against a Miami team that could be feeling the heat of an outside chance at the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff, the Canes should be feeling anything but comfortable in Week 11.