NCAAF Week 7 upset watch: Bulldogs will keep rolling against Crimson Tide

There were upsets galore in Week 6 of the 2020 college football season, as multiple teams were able to beat the odds. This week we'll identify four more favored squads that are cruising for a bruising. 

#3 Georgia vs. #2 Alabama

The biggest game of the season so far will be quite a chess match, and the Bulldogs may very well have the pieces required to hold the Crimson Tide’s offense in check. Georgia has the best run defense in the nation, allowing just one and a half yards per carry, and they have yet to allow a run of 20 or more yards. Their offense is also playing well, scoring at least 27 points in all three of their games, including 44 against Tennessee on Saturday.

Making things even more interesting is the positive COVID-19 test for Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who will miss the game unless he can test negative Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

While the Tide’s offense has been outstanding this season, their defense has been slow to get into games. They allowed 48 points to Ole Miss, as the Rebels racked up nearly 650 total yards. Even if Saban is there to coach the team, the Bulldogs look poised to be able to slow down their offense and pull out a massive win.

Boston College vs. #23 Virginia Tech

Don’t look now, but the Golden Eagles are 3-1 after upsetting Pitt last weekend 31-30 (a game we gave you right here!). Pitt kicked a 58 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining to force overtime, as Boston College allowed a ten-point lead to slip away, but won in overtime with Pitt missed an extra point to tie the game and send it to double overtime. QB Phil Jurkovec continues to play well, throwing for 358 yards and three scores in the win.

Now they face a Virginia Tech team that fell last week after being gutted by COVID, as they had nearly 20 players out for the game. Their passing offense is one of the worst in the nation at the moment, but they run for nearly 300 yards per game so it usually is not an issue. It could be this weekend, as Boston College has allowed just 3.7 yards per carry and held Pitt to only 98 yards on 40 carries. Virginia Tech’s pass defense has been porous, and it could be their downfall against a BC team averaging almost 300 yards per game. If the Hokies cannot control the game’s pace, they very well may lose two in a row.

Liberty vs. Syracuse

Liberty currently ranks in the Top 25 in total offense and scoring per game, but their four opponents this season are a combined 1-11 on the year. Their first two wins were by a combined eight points, and while they won the next two games by much more, neither opponent could really be considered a challenge.

While Syracuse’s numbers have not been great, their schedule has been pretty tough. Two of their three defeats came to ranked ACC opponents, and they beat Georgia Tech by 17 points before falling last week to Duke. Syracuse was in the game for three quarters, and QB Tommy DeVito threw three touchdowns on the day.

With the talent that Syracuse has on offense, they will pose the first true challenge to Liberty all season. Given how they struggled earlier in the year with inferior opposition, it would not at all be shocking to see the battle-tested Orangemen pull off the upset.

Kentucky vs. #18 Tennessee

The Volunteers saw their eight-game win streak snapped in a big way last weekend by the Bulldogs, as Georgia defeated Tennessee 44-21 behind a dominant second half. Tennessee actually led 21-17 at the half, but Georgia shut them down after the break. However, the numbers were a bit misleading. One of Tennessee’s touchdowns came on a horrible snap on Georgia’s opening drive, which the defense took back for a touchdown. They also rushed 27 times for a loss of one yard, and went just 4-of-17 on third-down conversions.

They now face a Kentucky team that is coming off a win over Mississippi State, where they became the first team to ever hold a Mike Leach-coached squad without an offensive point. They are very good against the run, and showed major improvement in the pass game as they came away with six interceptions.

Their offense struggled at times, but they are among the national leaders in third-down conversion rate, while Tennessee has allowed their opponents to convert 43.7% of their attempts. The odds are against Kentucky, but if they can get some offense going, they have a shot to win at Neyland Stadium for the first time in 18 attempts.