Virginia Tech - NC State Odds Preview and Week 6 Upset Alerts

Lets start off by recapping last weeks article. Three out of the five underdogs selected won their weekly matchup. Louisville beat NC State, Pittsburgh beat Virginia Tech, and Central Michigan won against Northern Illinois.

I guaranteed that Central Michigan would win, but whiffed on West Virginia.

Week 5 showed exactly why we love college football. #3 Mississippi, #7 UCLA, and #19 Wisconsin were all upset by unranked teams. What does that mean for week 6? Without further ado, here is my preview of the Hokies and Wolfpack and also who I think is on upset alert.

N.C. State at Virginia Tech pk: If I were a gambling man, I would stay far away from this game. Which team is more of a disappointment? North Carolina State opened the year 4-0, but was beat pretty easily against a 1-3 Louisville squad. The Wolfpack never had a lead in that game and were held to just 228 yards of total offense. The Cardinals have a few talented players on defense, but that is not the type of performance you expect from a potential ACC contender. Virginia Tech on the other hand, looks like a team that is starting to unravel. The Hokies won two straight with backup quarterback Brenden Motley under center, but have recently lost two heartbreaking games. Bud Fosters defense has been inconsistent and the offensive line is starting to show a lot of holes. There is a possibility that Michael Brewer will return, but who knows how effective he will be. I have picked Virginia Tech to win every game this season. It pains me to say this, but I think North Carolina sneaks into Blacksburg and leaves with a win.

Upset Alerts

No. 23 California @ No. 5 Utah -7: The Utes have now become everyone's trendy pick to make the college football playoff. I am not saying they won't, but when you start receiving a lot of praise you tend to lose focus for just a second. That's all you need to lose a game in college football. Utah's win against Michigan is looking more and more impressive, but did they really do anything special. I think Michigan beat themselves in week 1. The Utes also beat an Oregon squad without their starting quarterback Vernon Adams. Its a decent road victory, but that's about it. The Cal football team is entering uncharted territory. The Bears are off to their best start in 8 years and have the best quarterback in college football. Yes, i am talking about Jared Goff. He has led Cal to road victories at Texas and at Washington. Goff is the type of player that can carry a team on his back. Sonny Dykes has done a great job of putting a talented roster together and they are ready to make some noise. Utah will escape with a victory, but this game won't be decided until the fourth quarter.

Indiana @ Penn State -8: I have literally stared at this game all night. Does Indiana have anything left in the tank after last weeks game against Ohio State? I think they do. Head coach Kevin Wilson is saying all the right things and is predicting that his kids bounce back after a tough defeat. I am concerned if quarterback Nate Sudfeld is unable to give it a go, but that should tell you what I think of Penn State. The Nittany Lions are not a good team. They are sloppy and very inefficient on offense. Christian Hackenberg is a shell of his former self and on top of that, there schedule is very weak. Their toughest matchup was a neutral site game against Temple. Indiana is out on a mission to prove they are not the same Hoosier team from years past. They beat Penn State last year in Bloomington and I think they have a shot to do it again this year. If Sudfeld plays at full strength, this game might get ugly for the Nittany Lions. If he doesn't, I still think the Hoosiers can pull off the victory. I will stop just short of guaranteeing an upset. However this game is going down to the wire.

Week 5 Guaranteed Upsets to Happen (1-3 YTD)

No. 19 Georgia -3 @ Tennessee: When you think about how hard it is to be a Hokie, just remember..... It could always be worse. You could be a Volunteer fan. Head coach Butch Jones had his squad ranked in the top 25 and on the way to opening the season 2-0 with a big win over Oklahoma. Unfortunately his team blew a 17-0 lead and their season hasn't been the same since. Tennessee is on a two game losing streak, and is in dire need of a victory. There is no doubt that the early award for most disappointing team has to go to the Volunteers. What better way to silence some of the critics than a victory over rival Georgia. The Bulldogs have a talented roster, but who have they placed. They beat a horrible South Carolina team and that's about it. We all saw what happened last week against Alabama. Georgia was exposed and looks to have a lot more problems than we originally were led to believe. Tennessee has the talent on both sides of the ball to keep them in the game. Jones is fighting for his job in Knoxville. Somehow some way, Georgia will choke and lose for the second week in a row. Tennessee will upset Georgia and Jones will earn his first big wig ever as head coach of the Volunteers.

Southern Mississippi @ Marshall -5: I guess there is just something about Friday games this week. Southern Mississippi is an impressive team. They made the upset list two weeks ago when facing Nebraska and almost came back from a huge deficit to win in Lincoln. They fell just short, but still proved they are not the same team from the past two years. If you don't know about Southern Miss quarterback Nick Mullens, you will by the end of the year. Last week against North Texas, Mullens passed for 325 yards and four touchdowns. Against Nebraska he threw for 447 yards and two touchdowns and zero turnovers. Point blank, he has talent. Also head coach Todd Monken will be the next hot commodity in college football. Recent bowl projections have put the Golden Eagles in the R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Monken was quick to discredit that notion, and is keeping his players level headed with only the next game in mind. The Thundering Herd had to replace a lot of talent from last years roster and this is a tough matchup. I like Southern Miss to upset the Thundering Herd.