What a week of college football upsets we had last Saturday — that was the type of week we have dreams about. The games were so much fun and the results were unexpected.
That usually means this week will not be the same. We are going to look for some upsets anyhow, perhaps teams who won last week are now going to fall flat. Or maybe a team coming off a bye will be prepared to take the wrecking ball to someone. Here are the three we're picking.
Mississippi State Bulldogs at LSU Tigers
- Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Odds: LSU -14.5 (-104)
- Moneyline: LSU -550, Mississippi State +400
Mississippi State is coming off a needed bye week following their first loss of the season to Alabama. LSU is coming off their second loss of the season — Kentucky was able to score on a two-point conversion to close out the Tigers in overtime on Saturday.
The biggest thing going the way of Mississippi State in this matchup is the time. A noon start in Baton Rogue is much different than a night game. The fans have not had a chance to tailgate all afternoon and Mike the Tiger has not had a chance to wake up.
This selection is entirely dependent on the ability of quarterback Kamario Taylor to play in this game alongside running back Fluff Bothwell. This duo will be key to victory for the Bulldogs. The line in this game is inflated with the expectation that both or one of these two will not play. If both do, the line needs to be closer to -7. In fact, if both are fully healthy, I would not be surprised if the line flipped entirely and Mississippi State were favored by two or three points. These players are that important to what coach Jeff Levy does on offense and Taylor is that good of an athlete.Â
LSU has a lot to prove for the rest of this season for Lane Kiffin and for all the money spent on his behalf. A third loss this early in the season would not be something anyone in Louisiana wants to see. As for the rest of college football, it is exactly what they might want to see.Â

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Maryland Terrapins
- Time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, BTN
- Odds: Maryland -4.5 (-108)
- Moneyline: Maryland -184, Rutgers +152
This is a game that no one cares about. Maybe not even a few fans will be at the stadium on Saturday. These two teams are the dregs of the Big Ten Conference, and both coaches rank in our top three in the coaching Hot Seat Rankings.Â
Mike Locksley is in his eighth year with the Terrapins and Greg Schiano is in his second stint with Rutgers across the field. The loser of this game may well not make it to the next game, while the winner may only give himself a one week reprieve. No matter what happens, do yourself and your eyes a favor. Do not watch this game. Just follow the score while watching Ohio State vs. Indiana or even FIU vs. Army.
This is numbers play more than a premonition. Maryland, who lost to UCLA 54-3 and Ohio State 45-16 in the past two weeks, should not be a 4.5-point favorite over anyone. Not even Rutgers. On a side note, Rutgers have no defense and their offense can score. The over 57.5 is also in play here.Â

Kentucky Wildcats at Oklahoma Sooners
- Time: Saturday. 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC
- Odds: Oklahoma -6.5 (-122)
- Moneyline: Oklahoma -275, Kentucky +220
Both teams are coming off last-second wins. Oklahoma walked off Texas with a last-second field goal in the Red River Rivalry. Kentucky used a two-point conversion to beat LSU in overtime.
This means that both the Wildcats and the Sooners are set to come down from the adrenaline rush. The difference is that Kentucky has Will Stein and Kenny Minchey while Oklahoma has Dan Arbuckle and John Mateer.Â
Stein is an offensive genius. This is seen both in how Kentucky has played this year, and how Oregon has been struggling without him so far with two losses.
The fact is that Kentucky’s offense is more trustworthy than Oklahoma’s. While Oklahoma has the best defense in this game, it was not enough to stop Georgia, it did not help them win against Michigan and coming off their biggest win of the season, it is not enough for them to be favored by 6.5 points against a solid Kentucky team.Â
