Dan Mullen picks handful of major college football upsets in Week 5
Former Florida coach and current ESPN analyst Dan Mullen is calling for some major upsets this weekend on a jam-packed slate that features five ranked-on-ranked matchups.
Mullen released his game picks for Week 5 on his Twitter account on Wednesday evening.
The most notable upset he has picked is No. 10 NC State beating No. 5 Clemson on the road. Mullen also has unranked UCLA beating No. 15 Washington. Check out his picks below.
Should those picks play out they could significantly alter the College Football Playoff race. Clemson survived a scare last week against Wake Forest in a double-overtime thriller, and the Tigers have looked more like a legitimate contender this fall after dropping three games a year ago.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has really come into his own, finding a new sense of confidence that has teammates raving about him and coach Dabo Swinney proclaiming he has regained his swagger.
Dan Mullen’s Week 5 picks would remove some from playoff contention
While Clemson could theoretically survive a loss to a top-10 NC State squad and remain in College Football Playoff contention, some of the others Mullen has losing might not be able to.
Mullen is calling for No. 9 Oklahoma State to beat No. 16 Baylor. That would be a second loss for the Bears, almost certainly eliminating them from contention after they dropped an overtime heart-breaker to No. 19 BYU earlier this year.
Wake Forest is another team that would be eliminated from playoff contention should Mullen’s picks pan out. Mullen has the Demon Deacons losing to the No. 23 Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, a week after their double-overtime defeat against Clemson.
Mullen also has No. 17 Texas A&M losing to unranked Mississippi State, even on the heels of Jimbo Fisher‘s squad reeling off back-to-back wins over ranked opponents the last couple weeks (Miami and Arkansas).
Here are the current VegasInsider.com spreads for Dan Mullen’s picks in Week 5:
No. 15 Washington -2 vs. UCLA
No. 16 Baylor -2 vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State
No. 4 Michigan -11 vs. Iowa
No. 23 Florida State -7 vs. No. 22 Wake Forest
No. 14 Ole Miss -7 vs. No. 7 Kentucky
Mississippi State -4 vs. No. 17 Texas A&M
No. 2 Alabama -17.5 vs. No. 20 Arkansas
No. 5 Clemson -6.5 vs. No. 10 NC State