On Tuesday College Football Playoff’s first rankings were released. As the selection committee demonstrated, good wins are at a premium and hold clear value for teams looking to move up the rankings. On the flip side, teams looking to get into the playoff could have their hopes dashed if they’re upset by a lesser opponent. As we head into Week 10, here are three Top 25 teams that need to be on upset alert this week:
Florida State Seminoles
Odds: Seminoles (-4) @ Louisville Cardinals – Thurs.
The Seminoles are going to encounter their toughest road game of the season when they go to Louisville on Thursday to face the Cardinals. Florida State did trail North Carolina State, 24-7, in the first half of a game against the Wolfpack earlier this season, but N.C. State’s defense can’t compare to the quality that FSU will face in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
The Seminoles have encountered some attrition on defense, with a number of starters along the defensive line getting injured. Some of them are back, but don’t seem to be fully healthy as this team is still not in peak condition entering a midweek game against an opponent whose coach, Bobby Petrino, is acknowledged as one of the best offensive masterminds in college football. The situation awaiting Florida State feels like a trap, so much that the betting line has steadily plunged. Florida State opened as an 8.5-point favorite but has the line is now down to (-4).
Duke Blue Devils
Odds: Blue Devils (+4.5) @ Pittsburgh Panthers
There are some tricky situations for ranked teams this weekend, and another one of them comes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Duke is traveling to Pittsburgh to play the Panthers, who won in Duke a season ago even though the Blue Devils eventually claimed the ACC Coastal Division championship. The thing about Pittsburgh is that even though it got blown out by Georgia Tech last week, the Panthers lost that game in the first five minutes, fumbling five times and falling behind by a 28-0 score.
The Panthers have been angry all week and will be intent on fixing their issues. This could lead to a tough situation for Duke, in which it gets an opponent’s best shot on the road. The Blue Devils will need to start out strong and make Pittsburgh doubt itself. If Pittsburgh gets off to a hot start in this game, it could feel confident and build off that bit of prosperity.
Duke opened as a one-point road dog but bettors are expecting an upset as they are now at (+4.5).
Oregon Ducks
Odds: Ducks (-7.5) vs Stanford Cardinal
The Ducks should beat Stanford at home. Yet, this is what just about everyone was saying two years ago when Oregon hosted the Cardinal in Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
Two years ago the Ducks defense contained Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan and the rest of the Stanford offense. Giving up only 17 points to Stanford should have meant an easy win for Oregon. Yet, the Cardinal held the Ducks and quarterback Marcus Mariota to only 14 points. Two years later, Mariota is still searching for his first win over Stanford as the starting quarterback for Oregon. The Ducks might win this game, but they can’t feel too comfortable about this latest reunion with a nemesis.
