Who’s on Upset Alert in Week 3?

What initially appeared a masterpiece in the works on Saturday suddenly turned awry, only for the final horn to sound in Piscataway with a win for our readers.

For Washington State, it was a glamorous opportunity to buy low on a Mike Leach-coached batch of Cougars that sought a win before falling into the aphotic chamber of PAC 12 play. And a Luke Falk game-winning touchdown pass to River Cracraft would inscribe an exclamation point on our underdog play of the week, as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ late quarter comeback would go for naught.

Here’s who I believe may be treading water come Week 3:

 

Utah State at Washington (-5.5, 44.5)    

A pair of bewildered programs crop up for Week 3, as I believe the Utah State Aggies are jam-packed with value versus the Washington Huskies.

While Week 1 portrayed insufficient evidence of a team’s complete stature, Week 2 and 3 serves as the cut-off for being able to outfox the public. For Chris Petersen’s Huskies, I don’t believe it’s a good spot come Saturday.

Sure, the benevolent ringleader nearly flipped the tables on his former program, Boise State, only to fall short, 16-13. The Blue Turf Broncos and that little number hanging by the wayside surely echoes a positive for Washington, in that a marginal field-goal loss proves it can spar alongside the crème de la crème.

Or can it?

The unsettling notion of disarray appears to be in full effect for Washington as freshman quarterback Jake Browning still searches for answers in the pocket. The rust and nerves may have swabbed off versus Sacramento State, but he’ll measure his talent against a defense more than capable of stymying the offensive scheme. It’s a depleted line that lacks the prototypical push, and his inexperienced receivers will cause fits for the passing game.

Glossing over the Aggies’ offensive blueprint, versatile QB Chuckie Keeton’s endured quite the setback in regards to his supporting cast; however, that restraint may subside as the Aggies return Hunter Sharp and Brandon Swindall at receiver, while rejuvenating the offensive line following suspensions.

The Huskies have yet to eyeball a dual-threat quite like Keeton, and while the Aggies have yet to establish anything, I believe that could change, especially when running through the numbers: since head coach Matt Wells took over in 2013, Utah State’s team total is a blemish-free 7-0 to the over following a straight up loss, producing over 38.4 points per contest. Advancing on that statistic, USU is compiling 43 points per game on the road in four tries.

It may not be a pretty win, but expect the encounter between Utah State and Washington to be rather tight-knit come late afternoon on Saturday.

 

Clemson (-6, 51) at Louisville 

Dabo Swinney takes Clemson on the road to face a Louisville team in desparate need of a win after losing their first two games in tight affairs. 

The entire buzz currently surrounds Clemson, fans and football connoisseurs preaching that the Tigers looked extremely potent out of the gate in ’15. Well, of course they have. Inferior opposition in Wofford and Appalachian State both stood zero shot in even testing Clemson in Death Valley, but this will mark the inaugural true road test for Swinney.

It should be duly noted that Thursday night home underdogs are 23-10 against the spread since 2013 (minus Thanksgiving) and the Louisville Cardinals seemingly enter desperation mode to refrain from stumbling to a 0-3 clip in 2015.

 

Louisiana Tech at Kansas State (-10, 50.5)

Enter Kansas State, perhaps one of the most boring teams to eyeball in person this year. The Wildcats cut ties with two efficient offensive studs in quarterback Jake Waters and wide receiver Tyler Lockett, and like Washington, look to settle in a newborn signal-caller in Joe Hubener.

The junior’s looked less than productive in the first two contests of the season, barely surpassing a 50% completion clip versus South Dakota State and Texas-San Antonio. The slow-moving inadequacy may eventually haunt the Wildcats as they clash with Skip Holtz and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, a team that was gashed by Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty.

Since Holtz took the helm in ’13, the Bulldogs are a perfect 5-0 against the spread following a loss, and I expect quarterback Jeff Driskel to consistently move the chains as KSU will meet its first real opponent.

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