Kirk Herbstreit has long been the star behind College GameDay and on ESPN's show leading off college football Week 8, he considered some top teams on upset alert. In Week 7, Five top 10 teams took losses, creating havoc in the rankings and atmopshere of college football. Only seven of the top 10 are active in Week 8, but Herbstreit pondered the possibilities of Top 10 upsets.
The upset that isn't an upset?
One game that caught Herbstreit's attention was No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas.
"That's a pretty logical one," Herbstreit said of the possibility of an upset of the Rebels. The only problem is that it isn't-- strictly speaking-- an upset. Texas was No. 1 until it lost consecutive games and with the Longhorns at home against the Rebels, while the game might be a rankings upset if Texas won, it wouldn't be one in the betting world, where the Longhorns have been consistently favored by around a field goal.
Another interesting possibility
Another game that drew some comments from Herbstreit was No. 6 Indiana's trip to Michigan. With reports that QB Josh Hoover is banged up this week and Indiana coming off a loss to Ohio State last week, the Wolverines could be a dangerous home underdog.
"I think this one [IU/Michigan] is becoming very trendy," admitted Herbstreit. Michigan has had its own problems, often centering around an offense which is becoming a chronic underachiever with high-priced QB Bryce Underwood benched in mid-game last week. But an upset of a top 10 team could flip the script on the Michigan season.
Herbstreit's main consideration
But the game that ultimately took the most commentary from Herbstreit is No. 2 BYU off a massive victory over Notre Dame having to travel across the country to face UCF.
"I think this is tough," said Herbstreit. "It doesn't sound sexy enough. But I'm telling you, Scott Frost has a team that can play well.... That's a tough game to require."
UCF has lost its last two games, but is 3-0 on the season at home. The Knights average 31.7 points per game and QB Keyone Jenkins has played well this season (eight touchdown passes to three interceptions, with another three scores on the ground). Running back Duke Watson has racked up 483 yards on the ground and averages a healthy 6.9 yards per carry.
While Herbstreit didn't go far enough to actually pick UCF to deliver the upset, his comments suggest that the combination of a tough schedule twist and a challenging matchup means BYU should be on alert in Week 8.
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