College football upset picks: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 1

College Football Upset Pick No. 4: Ohio State Buckeyes

Rank: 4 | Opponent: at Minnesota Golden Gophers | Time: Thursday, Sept. 2, 8:00 p.m. ET

Entering the 2021 season as one of the top-four teams in the country, it’s safe to say that Ohio State is one of the favorites to make the College Football Playoff. They have the talent on virtually every level on both sides of the ball, including arguably the best offensive line and definitely the best wide receiver corps in the country.

When you look at that in comparison to Minnesota, their Week 1 opponent, the narratives are completely different. After one of the best seasons in program history in 2019, things couldn’t have been worse in 2020 as COVID ravaged the Golden Gophers roster and put them behind the 8-ball quite often.

But P.J. Fleck’s team we know is going to be well-coached and they should be healthy. Plus, there are real weapons with running back Mohamed Ibrahim and wide receiver Chris Autman Bell (though his status is a bit up in the air for this game. And Tanner Morgan, though imperfect, is an experienced quarterback. On top of that, the defense should be better this season.

Morgan’s counterpart, C.J. Stroud, has no experience. While talented, that could be an issue in a Big Ten matchup against a Minnesota team that won’t be a pushover. Furthermore, if Morgan is back firing and Autman Bell plays, the Golden Gophers can attack a Buckeyes secondary that also has question marks.

Is it likely Minnesota upsets Ohio State? Probably not. But there is definitely a path to it happening with all the circumstances at play.