3 NCAAF upsets to watch for in Week 5
#18 Virginia (+12.5) at #10 Notre Dame, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Notre Dame lost a heartbreaker last week, 23-17, at Georgia, and the letdown angle is in play, as the Irish return home to face the Virginia Cavaliers. With a 4-0 record, Virginia comes to South Bend for its biggest game of the year, while the Irish just lost theirs. The main question is, how will Notre Dame bounce back?Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins has led the way offensively for the Cavs, with 843 passing yards, six touchdowns and a QB rating of 131.9. He also has had two touchdowns on the ground.
Brian Kelly says that a sack of Virginia QB Bryce Perkins is any pass play in which he scrambles and runs for three yards or less. That’s a win for the #NotreDame defense.
— Irish Illustrated (@timprister) September 26, 2019
Notre Dame is on upset alert after a crushing loss.
OSU quarterback Justin Fields has 13 touchdowns through the air and zero interceptions, and running back J.K. Dobbins has five touchdowns and almost 500 yards. How can this team be stopped?
Enter the Nebraska Cornhuskers, with a 3-1 record. Their only loss came on the road at Colorado. The game has a three-score spread for a reason, but we have to find signals in the noise and get creative. One angle that might come into play is the fact that Nebraska can run the ball well. Quarterback Adrian Martinez is more than capable taking off from the pocket, and he had 118 yards rushing last week against Illinois. Starting running back Maurice Washington has 455 yards this season and will look to continue that success in his breakout season.
#5 Ohio State at Nebraska (+17), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Ohio State has rolled opponents in its first four games and not just at home. A 51-10 beatdown at Indiana showed the Buckeyes can travel and perform.OSU quarterback Justin Fields has 13 touchdowns through the air and zero interceptions, and running back J.K. Dobbins has five touchdowns and almost 500 yards. How can this team be stopped?
Enter the Nebraska Cornhuskers, with a 3-1 record. Their only loss came on the road at Colorado. The game has a three-score spread for a reason, but we have to find signals in the noise and get creative. One angle that might come into play is the fact that Nebraska can run the ball well. Quarterback Adrian Martinez is more than capable taking off from the pocket, and he had 118 yards rushing last week against Illinois. Starting running back Maurice Washington has 455 yards this season and will look to continue that success in his breakout season.
75 yards on that touchdown drive. 41 of them came on this run by Maurice Washington. pic.twitter.com/KFXdAbwChH
— Jacob Padilla (@JacobPadilla_) September 22, 2019
The only way for Nebraska to stay in this game is to run the ball and keep the powerful Ohio State offense off the field.
#1 Clemson at North Carolina (+27), 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Clemson should be on high alert this week, even though Oddsmakers have given the Tar Heels almost no chance.The Tigers are a clear favorite to return to the College Football Playoff and defend their national title, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been spectacular this year. While others have shined from Clemson, he has already surpassed last year’s interception total.
It’s hard to say why Lawrence has regressed, but one thing is for sure—27 is too many points. I go back to that home game against Texas A&M, when the Tigers struggled to put the Aggies away. Perhaps they bust out this week, but I am not buying it.
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