It seems like each week of this college football season brings with it a whole new batch of chaos, with results we couldn't possibly have predicted and upsets galore. Just last Saturday, Texas upended Oklahoma while Indiana won at Oregon and Penn State somehow lost again, this time to Northwestern.
What madness will Week 8 have in store? There are plenty of ranked battles to salivate over, from Tennessee traveling to Alabama to USC at Notre Dame. But those aren't the only matchups worth watching this weekend. Here are four ranked teams that need to be put on upset alert.
No. 4 Texas A&M at Arkansas (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The Aggies have won 12 of the last 13 editions of this rivalry, but don't get it twisted: Many of those games were absolute barn-burners, including three that went to overtime and four more that were decided by one possession. Things always get weird when these programs get together, and after yeras at Jerry World in Arlington, the scene will shift to Fayetteville for the first time since 2013.
But it's more than just vibes that have me thinking that undefeated A&M could be in for a dogfight on Saturday afternoon. Mike Elko's defense has been on a heater of late, but they also haven't played the stiffest of competition, with three straight home games against Florida, Mississippi State and Auburn. (They've also been benefitting from some preposterous performances on third down that are bound to regress.) The last time the Aggies went on the road or played an offense with a pulse, they got lit up for 40 points against Notre Dame in South Bend.
Arkansas might not be quite as potent as the Irish, but underestimate this attack at your own risk — especially now that Bobby Petrino has finally Littlefingered his way back into the head chair following the firing of Sam Pittman. Petrino may be a nightmare to deal with, but he knows how to score points, and he has quite the backfield to work with between dual-threat QB Taylen Green (1,654 yards passing, 504 yards rushing, 17 total TDs in six games) and RB Mike Washington Jr.
Green and Co. put a bit of a scare into Tennessee in Knoxville last weekend, and they're tough to stop if they get rolling. It feels like A&M is destined to come back to Earth a little bit eventually, and like Arkansas is going to pull an upset at some point in the back half of this season.
No. 12 Georgia Tech at Duke
Far be it from me to rain on Brent Key's parade, but I think the Yellow Jackets might be ranked a little bit too highly at the moment despite their perfect 6-0 record. That mark doesn't look all that impressive once you take a peek under the hood: Wins at Colorado (by a touchdown) and against Clemson (by a field goal) don't look as impressive as they once did, and the rest of the schedule so far has been thoroughly underwhelming. And even despite that competition, there have been scares: Tech probably should have lost at Wake Forest a couple of weeks ago before eking out a one-point win in overtime.
This defense is gettable, and the offense is extremely reliant on Haynes King making things happen with his legs to keep the ball moving. It all feels just a little rickety, and that's not a great thing to be heading into a road matchup against a white-hot Duke team on Saturday. The Blue Devils pasted Syracuse in Syracuse, then traveled all the way across the country and pasted Cal in Berkeley before enjoying a bye week to rest up.
You know Manny Diaz can dial up a defense — Duke sacked Cal six times a couple weeks ago — and the duo of QB Darian Mensah and RB Nate Sheppard has helped put up 45, 38 and 45 points in their last three games. This is a dangerous, balanced team, one that has playmakers all over the place, and if Tech isn't careful this could be the week the fairy-tale run comes to an end.
No. 15 BYU vs. No. 23 Utah
Speaking of top-15 teams with unblemished records that I'm having a hard time actually buying into. BYU is 6-0 after surviving a scare in overtime at Arizona this past weekend, but ... let's just say surviving a scare in overtime at Arizona does not inspire a ton of confidence. Nor does the rest of the Cougars' resume to date: Kalani Sitake's other wins came over Portland State, Stanford, at East Carolina, at Colorado and at home against West Virginia. Not exactly a murderer's row.
Credit to the Cougs for finding ways to get it done, but it feels like this bill is going to come due sooner rather than later, especially if true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier continues to be inefficient in the passing game while putting the ball in harm's way. Bachmeier has performed gamely since being thrust into the QB1 role after Jake Retzlaff's abrupt departure over the summer, but he's a limited player right now, and that makes this something of a one-dimensional offense.
That's a bad thing to be against a Kyle Whittingham-coached team, as Utah has proven against everyone not named Texas Tech so far this season. The Utes' defense is as salty as ever, and now that Devon Dampier is back healthy, Jason Beck's offense is once again firing on all cylinders. In what should be a low-scoring, defensive affair between two run-heavy rivals, I'll take the quarterback I have more faith in. And besides, Utah could well be the better team in the trenches straight up.
No. 25 Nebraska at Minnesota
Nebraska is riding high right now, riding four touchdowns (and, uh, three interceptions) from Dylan Raiola and a Herculean effort from tailback Emmett Johnson to a wild 34-31 win at Maryland last weekend. The Huskers are already a win away from bowl eligibility at 5-1, and back in the top 25 for just the third time in the last six seasons.
I'm a little worried they're walking into a trap on Friday night, though. Nebraska has been a bit soft in the defensive trenches all year; they don't have the depth up front that we've seen in recent years, and their one loss so far this season came when they gave up nearly 300 yards of rushing to Michigan back in September.
All of which should be music to the ears of star Minnesota tailback Darius Taylor, who's been looking for a breakout game to reestablish himself since going down with a leg injury in Week 2. Taylor returned to the lineup two weeks ago against Ohio State, but he hasn't quite looked like himself yet, and he hasn't had a ton of room to run either. The latter should be easier to come by against the Huskers, and if Taylor's able to get into a rhythm, he could run wild against this defense.
That would force Raiola to try and keep pace, and I'm a little skeptical there based on just how often Raiola has been turning it over of late. For a QB who hardly ever pushes the ball downfield, he sure does produce a lot of negative plays (whether sacks or INTs), and those could loom large in a game that's probably. more evenly matched than the records would suggest.