College football upsets were most definitely not in short order in Week 1 of the 2023 season. Colorado upending TCU in Fort Worth was obviously the headliner – and one of the games we didn't even include in our upset picks for the weeks – but there were many more.
The rest of Saturday after the Buffs' triumph was pretty mundane in the world of upsets, but things got a bit crazier in the extended Labor Day slate. Florida State didn't just upset LSU, but the Seminoles absolutely thumped them in Orlando. The same could be said of Duke blasting Clemson in a true stunner on Monday night.
With only a one-game sample size for most teams, the Red Flags are still waving as college football upsets can happen at any moment. It's why we love this dumb, masterful sport. So with that, we're putting these five ranked teams on upset alert for Week 2.
2023 Upset Picks Record: 2-3
Note: All lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. For more college football odds, picks and predictions, visit BetSided.
College football upset picks: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 2
5. Colorado Buffaloes
Opponent: Nebraska | Time: Saturday, Sept. 9, Noon ET (FOX) | Spread: COL -3.0
If you're not higher on Colorado after Week 1 than you were coming into the season, then you're denying the truth.
Sometimes in college football, a game can come down to the has-dudes and has-not-dudes. Colorado has the dudes with early Heisman candidates Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, but not to forget the likes of Jimmy Horn Jr., Xavier Weaver and Dylan Edwards. And after their upset of TCU, they're now the No. 22-ranked team in the AP Top 25.
For as high as I am now on the Deion Sanders era in Boulder, there are some warning signs still. Hunter can't play the absurd two-way snap counts he did in Week 1 for an entire season. Depth is an issue on both sides of the ball and one injury could derail things massively. And for how great the offense is, the defense will be a sore spot at times.
In a Week 1 loss to Minnesota, Matt Rhule's Nebraska didn't necessarily tell me that the Huskers are going to turn this thing around immediately a la Coach Prime. Having said that, this is a quality team with some favorable pieces that should be able to attack the Buffaloes defense. And if Sanders and the offense are even marginally worse, that could follow the massive victory with a letdown loss in the home opener.
4. Ole Miss Rebels
Opponent: at 24 Tulane | Time: Saturday, Sept. 9, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) | Spread: MISS -7.0
Last week, I had Tulane on upset alert against South Alabama. That worked out horrendously. The Green Wave went out and just worked the Jaguars for 60 minutes, proving that both Michael Pratt and Willie Fritz are the goods, even without Tyjae Spears.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss spent their first Saturday of the 2023 season letting all three of their transfer quarterbacks beat the hell out of Mercer. The end result was a 73-7 victory that, frankly, we can't take much of anything from comign into Week 2 other than that, as one would hope, Ole Miss is way, way better than Mercer.
One of the big concerns for Lane Kiffin's team a season ago -- one which largely contributed to their late-season demise -- was the defense. The Rebels were a saloon door far too often and ESPN's FPI projections on efficiency further that as they are ranked 109th in the country on defense. Tulane isn't a world-beater on that side of the ball (shootout, anyone?) but they are inside the Top 75.
With what we saw from both of these offenses, though, I expect both Ole Miss and Tulane to put up points. Having said that, I have more faith in Pratt to come up in the crucial moments to make plays than I do Jaxson Dart, Spencer Sanders or Walker Howard. The Green Wave are the more battle-tested team and, playing at home, they'll put the Rebels up against the ropes.
3. Texas A&M Aggies
Opponent: at Miami (FL) | Time: Saturday, Sept. 9, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) | Spread: TA&M -4.5
So far, so good for the Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino pairing on offense at Texas A&M. Of course, that was against a New Mexico team expected to be one of the worst in the Mountain West this season. Even still, those were the games that the Aggies would worry people in recent years, so it's at least a positive sign.
But this week will be the actual test. I'm not going to lie to you and say that Tyler Van Dyke and the Miami offense were anything special in their Week 1 win over Miami (OH) in the Confusion Bowl. However, the defense looked every bit as dominant as their talent says they could be and as that unit should be against a Group of 5 opponent like the Redhawks.
We know that Texas A&M is anything but short on talent. Fisher and his staff have recruited at an absurdly good level for College Station. The problem has been the results on the field not matching that -- especially in some of the big-ish games that they should and need to win. This game would qualify as that.
All told, I probably have more faith in Texas A&M's talent than I do Miami's. But when you have two programs that have consistently left too much to be desired in recent years, it's anyone's guess. Because of that, you have to put the Aggies on upset alert. Anything could happen in this game and it would not be that much of a surprise.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Opponent: at NC State | Time: Saturday, Sept. 9, Noon ET (ABC) | Spread: ND -7.5
If we're looking just at aggregate scores to open the season, Notre Dame's run over Week 0 and 1 is one of the most impressive as they're up 98-6 on the season. Of course, those victories came against Navy in Ireland and then Tennessee State in South Bend. Not exactly what you'd call signature wins.
On Saturday, though, Notre Dame will play its first true road game, making the trip to Raleigh to face NC State. Admittedly, the Wolfpack didn't do a whole lot on Thursday in Week 1 to really inspire a ton of confidence in this team, despite some preseason buzz about the reunion between offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterback Brennan Armstrong. After all, they made magic happen at Virginia.
Instead, NC State managed just a 10-point win over UConn. Coming off of that only to beat Notre Dame would be shocking -- but there are a couple of factors that seem to make it a possibility.
For one, the Wolfpack were playing UConn. While they may not have taken the Huskies seriously enough, it's also easy to understand looking ahead to the Fighting Irish and, more importantly, not putting too much on tape. Furthermore, we also don't truly know what Notre Dame is given the lackluster competition that we've seen Sam Hartman and this team face to this point.
There's a world where Notre Dame isn't as explosive or dangerous as we've seen and where the Wolfpack have more than they showed in Week 1. In that world, the Irish playing on the road on Saturday afternoon could find themselves in real danger of an upset.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Opponent: 11 Texas | Time: Saturday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) | Spread: ALA -7.0
Alabama undoubtedly checked a box that, coming into the season, we were unsure of being certain after Week 1. Jalen Milroe is the starting quarterback. He played every meaningful snap against Middle Tennessee and, albeit against lesser competition, looked quite impressive. That's good news for the Crimson Tide coming into this marquee matchup against Texas.
Some people who were hyping up Texas in the preseason saw the Longhorns aimlessly wander through the first half against Rice, however, and immediately lost their moxie in that regard. But that's missing the forest for the trees.
Steve Sarkisian has one of the most talented offenses in the country. And it was abundantly clear that, for the majority of the win over Rice -- which ended up as a 30+ point victory -- Texas was playing as vanilla as possible. They weren't showing Alabama their hand, which was always the right move.
Texas has improved drastically in the trenches and, somehow, at the skill positions too. This is also a team that, if Quinn Ewers had not got injured in the first half last year, would've beat the Crimson Tide in Austin. Yes, this year's game is in Tuscaloosa, but Texas is also better while Alabama no longer has Bryce Young.
Most importantly, though, for as good as Milroe looked, he wasn't perfect. Moreover, he was able to mask some mistakes with athletic talent because it was Middle Tennessee -- that's not happening against the Longhorns with the athletes and players on that roster. Texas has a statement to make, and they are every bit capable of doing so at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.
