College football upset picks: Oklahoma and 5 teams on upset alert in Week 4

College football Week 4 upset pick No. 3: Clemson Tigers

Rank: 9 | Week 4 Opponent: at NC State | Time: Saturday, Sept. 25, 3:30 p.m. ET

Of all the near-upsets we saw last week, Clemson coming down to the wire against Georgia Tech was the least expected. At home, it just figured that the Tigers’ talent would prove to be way too much for the Yellow Jackets to handle. Yet, they had a punt following a safety in the final seconds to potentially topple Clemson.

Dabo Swinney’s team has looked nothing like the juggernauts in the ACC we’ve seen in the past. The offensive line is a problem, as is the lack of a consistent run game. Moreover, the lack of mobility — at least in comparison to his predecessors — of D.J. Uiagalelei does seemingly limit the offense more than it was in years past.

On the heels of that game, I would feel a lot better about NC State’s chances if star linebacker Payton Wilson wasn’t out for the season. Having said that, the Wolfpack defense has still shown well enough without him to think they can cause Clemson’s struggling offense some problems. Moreover, the offense has more juice than a team like Georgia Tech, meaning more opportunities to just hit an explosive play and get ahead.

Until Clemson’s offense proves that they can play well against Power 5 teams, they are going to be firmly on upset alert whenever they are up against another quality opponent, such as NC State.