Fansided

College football upset picks Week 9: Michigan and 5 teams on upset alert

By Nick Villano

Aidan Hutchinson #97 of the Michigan Wolverines runs to the student section to celebrate a 33-7 win over the Northwestern Wildcats with Erick All #83 and Tristan Bounds #72 at Michigan Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 33-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Aidan Hutchinson #97 of the Michigan Wolverines runs to the student section to celebrate a 33-7 win over the Northwestern Wildcats with Erick All #83 and Tristan Bounds #72 at Michigan Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 33-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Iowa State Cyclones
Quarterback Brock Purdy #15 of the Iowa State Cyclones (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /

College football upset pick Week 9, No. 3: Iowa State Cyclones

Rank: 22 | Opponent: at West Virginia | Time: Saturday, Oct. 30, 2 p.m. ET

This is a battle of two of the most frustrating teams in the Big 12. The Iowa State Cyclones were ranked in the top 10 to start the season, but things went bad almost immediately. They had a pretty weak offensive showing against in-state rival Iowa, and then they lost two weeks later in their Big 12 opener against Baylor. Since then, they’ve won three straight and their offense is clicking.

West Virginia has been equally as frustrating, just with about half the expectations. Neal Brown is in year three after taking over for Dana Holgerson. The offense looks inept at times, and Jarret Doege looks awful sometimes but great at others. There doesn’t seem to be an in-between. However, last week the offense looked alright against TCU and the defense looked dominant. They are returning to Morgantown where WVU has historically had a great home-field advantage. They are desperate for a win to keep its bowl chances alive.

Here’s how this WVU team can actually win on Saturday; quarterback pressure. The Mountaineers are second in the Big 12 in sacks per game with just under three. They get a ton of pressure up front with their defensive line. Brock Purdy has only been sacked eight times all season. However, he was pressured a lot against Iowa and it forced him to make bad decisions. If Doege can avoid the turnovers and the Mountaineers can get to Purdy, it will change the trajectory of the game.

Home/College Football