Kirk Herbstreit names Top 10 team that should be on upset alert on the road in Week 9
Week 9 is chock full of top-notch road games for Top 10 teams. All told, six of the AP Top 10 ranked teams will be playing either true road games or at a neutral site this weekend.
And ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit is particularly worried about No. 4 Florida State traveling to play at Wake Forest, a team Mike Norvell has yet to beat as the Seminoles head coach. Herbstreit isn’t sure this matchup is going to be a stroll for the Seminoles.
“I just think Florida State, going to Wake. It’s always sleepy at Wake and Wake has a good team, well coached and if you don’t show up with the right attitude you’re going to be in the fourth quarter looking up and it’s a three-point game. It has that kind of feel this week for Florida State,” Herbstreit said.
On top of Florida State traveling to play Wake Forest, the other Top 10 teams in action away from home are:
- No. 1 Georgia playing Florida at a neutral site (Jacksonville, Florida)
- No. 3 Ohio State playing at Wisconsin
- No. 5 Washington at Stanford
- No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas
- No. 8 Oregon at Utah
Herbstreit’s overall message was one of caution: He’s not sure who might get beat on any given weekend, especially at this point in the season. He also highlight Oklahoma as a team to be on the lookout.
“I think we make a mistake if we just look around whatever week we’re in, eight or nine or 10, where ever we are, and you just look at teams on paper, you say, ‘OK, they’re better than that team so they’re going to win.’ That’s not how things work at this point in the season. That’s why Oklahoma and Texas and Washington were fighting for their lives. You can’t have your fastball every week. You gotta survive those weeks. So these teams are bound to have a week like this. You take your eye off the ball, the other team is trying to make their season. And there’s upsets. That’s what makes college football,” Herbstreit said.
Herbstreit’s fellow ESPN panelists agreed as they discussed the state of the college football season on a College Football Playoff ranking preview show.
Several highlight Oklahoma as being on upset alert and Booger McFarland also noted Oregon traveling to Utah could be a prime moment for a big home win.
“Oklahoma better be careful, Oregon better be careful. This quarterback that they have at Utah, Bryson Barnes, you talk about playing with confidence against Southern Cal’, some of the drives that he was able to lead the down the field and make. And that defense plays very, very hard,” McFarland said.