Mississippi State suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Alabama last week and while it might not have been a major upset (especially not on the betting lines), it resulted in the Bulldogs falling to No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings. They no longer have any room for error. It still feels like there is a lot that can change at the top, so it will be interesting to see how this weekend’s top-25 action plays out. On that note, here are the Top 25 teams that need to be on upset alert this week:
#8 Ole Miss Rebels (-2) @ Arkansas Razorbacks
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Any chance that Ole Miss had to make the College Football Playoff seemed to die with losses to LSU and Auburn, Following a week off, it will be interesting to see if they can keep their focus and bounce back on the road at Arkansas. The Razorbacks beat LSU 17-0 last week to secure their first SEC win for head coach Brett Bielema and will have an excellent opportunity to add another if Ole Miss is disinterested.
Pick: Arkansas +2
#15 Arizona Wildcats @ #17 Utah Utes (-4)
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Arizona and Utah are coming off close wins, and considering their close proximity in both the PAC-12 South and the national rankings, it would be hard to call a Utes win a major upset here. However, they are still the lower seed of the two heading in to this game. Utah also has the home advantage and the Wildcats could be in for a tough loss traveling after an unconvincing win over Washington last week.
Pick: Utah -4
Boston College @ #3 Florida State Seminoles (-20)
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
It seems as though every week Florida State is at risk of an upset loss but they continue to find ways to get the job done. The Seminoles rallied for a win over Miami last week after trailing by 13 at half but they can’t afford to continue to fall behind by double digits every week. FSU is just 3-8 ATS the spread this season and while they should be able to find a way to win this game straight up, it makes a lot of sense to take the 20 points and bet the Eagles as the ATS underdog here.
Pick: Boston College +20
#20 Missouri Tigers @ Tennessee Volunteers (-3)
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
Missouri is coming off a big win over Texas A&M and sits first in the SEC East but Knoxville is a tough place to play. The Vols continue to improve (slowly) and are actually small favorites at home for this game. Making matters worse for the Tigers is the fact that Tennessee’s offense is hitting its stride with 45 points or more in back-to-back wins. They will be pumped up to make a statement with a big win at home this weekend.
Pick: Tennessee -3
