Red Flags: 5 college football teams on upset alert in Week 4

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Opponent: at 9 Notre Dame | Time: Saturday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC) | Spread: OSU -3.5

I've perhaps never been more wrong than putting Ohio State on upset alert last week against Western Kentucky. The Buckeyes made me look foolish in just about every way. The defense was monstrous in stifling Austin Reed and the Hilltoppers offense while also Kyle McCord connected for some explosive plays with Marvin Harrison Jr. and company.

Of course, that's not enough for me to learn any lesson other than Western Kentucky's defense might be despicably bad.

Now, the Buckeyes are going to be truly tested as they go on the road to face No. 9-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend. With the addition of Sam Hartman this season, the Fighting Irish have looked more than formidable. The offense has been firing at every level and the defense might be one of the most underrated units in the country.

I still maintain concerns about McCord for Ohio State. He's not been in this type of position before, a Top 10 matchup against a good-to-great defense on the road in a hostile environment. Moreover, the offensive line that was largely rebuilt for the Buckeyes has not been tested in the trenches yet either. The same too could be said of the defense, though I'm less concerned there.

Frankly, I see this matchup not featuring a ton of scoring. The defenses are the best units in this game and that will show. Having said that, I have exponentially more faith in Hartman and Audric Estime to hit the singles and doubles to win with death by 1,000 cuts than I do McCord in a game where explosive plays should be extremely limited.

Especially in South Bend, advantage Notre Dame.