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Red Flags: 5 college football teams on upset alert in Week 9

By Cody Williams

Oct 30, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) calls an audible against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) calls an audible against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /
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College football upset picks Week 9
North Carolina Tar Heels. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

We’re building towards a huge crescendo in November leading to the Playoff, but our college football upset picks for Week 9 show teams are still in danger.

As several ranked teams were out of action last week, the simple opportunities for upset were a bit scarce. But that didn’t stop us from getting a couple results that shocked the college football world, perhaps most notably LSU laying a hurting on Ole Miss. There were also close calls for Clemson and TCU, but they ultimately survived.

Now we’re moving onward and trying to comb through our college football upset picks for Week 9. There would normally be two obvious picks here with two big rivalry matchups on the slate with Georgia-Florida and Michigan-Michigan State. But instead, even with the stakes, I see both matchups being exceptionally one-sided in favor of the College Football Playoff contenders.

So what does that leave us for our college football upset picks in Week 9 with a relatively light docket for Saturday? There are still some teams that could wind up in trouble with the red flags waving coming into these matchups.

Note: All odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds are subject to change and update periodically on the site. For more betting content, check out BetSided.

College football upset picks for Week 9: 5 teams on upset alert

5. North Carolina Tar Heels

Opponent: Pittsburgh | Time: Saturday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. ET | Spread: UNC -3.5

Because North Carolina played in Week 0, they are now coming off of their second bye week of the season as they welcome Pitt to Kenan Stadium. If you’ll remember, the first game after an off week was the lone loss of the season for the Tar Heels as they got trounced by Notre Dame.

Now they come into this matchup with the Panthers and the vibes are eerily similar. Not only is the point spread roughly in the same range but Pitt is a physical team that wants to beat opponents into submission, much like the Fighting Irish. And UNC had a nightmare of a time dealing with that.

Make no mistake, Drake Maye is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and this offense should score. Concerns still remain with the defense, though, and in a tough, hard-nosed matchup, the fans in Chapel Hill should be a bit worried about a possible upset.

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