College football upset picks Week 6: Ohio State and 5 teams on upset alert

College football upset pick No. 2: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Rank: 14 | Opponent: at Virginia Tech Hokies | Time: Saturday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET

It doesn’t get any easier for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This team suffered their first loss of the season last week as they were all but dominated by Cincinnati in South Bend. Now they have to go to the unfriendly environment of Lane Stadium to face a Virginia Tech team that has proven it can compete with very good teams this season.

There are things that the Hokies should be able to do in this game to move the ball decently well. Braxton Burmeister has been good enough overall to show that he can make throws to keep the ball in possession and drive long enough to get points on the board.

The Virginia Tech defense, though, could provide some real trouble in Week 6. The Hokies dominated North Carolina in the trenches to lead to that upset win in Week 1 and the Notre Dame offensive line has been highly problematic all season. Moreover, with Jack Coan out, the Irish still have major inexperience questions at quarterback, which could be a big issue if the Hokies are getting consistent push and pressure.

And if that weren’t enough, the game in Blacksburg is the real kicker. Notre Dame starting a young quarterback, whichever one Brian Kelly chooses, with the Virginia Tech crowd raucous throughout the game is going to be a problem. This feels like a legitimate chance for the Fighting Irish to lose their second game in a row.