Eight college football teams on upset alert in Week 11

Down the stretch of the college football season, upsets become pivotal. In scrolling the landscape of college football, here are eight teams in legitimate danger of being upset. As usual, no shortcuts here-- no game with a line of less than -5 is eligible to be genuinely called an upset. Here are eight teams that better be wide awake for Week 11.

USC (-14.5 vs. Northwestern)

It's a Friday special here, but the USC defensive inconsistency is the issue here. The Trojans have given up 31 or more points on three of their last five games. Northwestern isn't a sharp offensive team, but they're trending upward and are stingy on defense. This looks like an excellent candidate for a cover and a potential one for an outright upset.

Georgia (-9.5 at Mississippi State)

Georgia keeps sneaking under the radar, but the Bulldogs are last in the SEC in sacks, tackles for loss, and tied for last in defensive takeaways. Mississippi State is a gritty team that has played within one score in four of its last five SEC games. In Starkville, this could be a daunting one for the Bulldogs if their execution isn't airtight.

Texas Tech (-10.5 vs. BYU)

Tech has been a juggernaut in every game but its one-score loss to Arizona State. Meanwhile, BYU is a grinder of a team with a terrific dual-threat freshman QB in Bear Bachmeier. Logically, either Tech will blow out BYU or they're in real trouble here. The odds line suggests the blowout theory is a bit more popular, but BYU could be a season-shifting headache for the Red Raiders.

Louisiana Tech (-5.5 vs. Delaware)

It's a random-seeming game, but Delaware QB Nick Minicucci has been outstanding, with 2,421 yards and 15 scores against just four interceptions. With the Blue Hens played at home, Tech's iffy offense might struggle to keep up.

Texas A&M (-6.5 at Missouri)

The Tigers are a dangerous foe, particularly on their own field. The loss of Beau Pribula hurts, but Missouri is such a well-constructed, balanced team that there's not a huge gap between QB1 and QB2. Ahmad Hardy is the key here and if he can put together a big game, Missouri can definitely make this a down-to-the-wire finish, if not an outright upset.

Oregon (-6.5 at Iowa)

This is entirely a question of style. If Oregon can control the way the game is played, they'll blow Iowa away. But Iowa is good at inflicting its style on opponents (witness their 20-15 loss to Indiana). If the Hawkeyes can reduce the game to a grinder, it's going to stay close. And with more pressure on them, the Ducks could stumble on the road.

Vanderbilt (-6.5 vs. Auburn)

The Commodores have exceeded expectations all season long. But Texas provided a template on how to top Vandy: play from ahead. Auburn, in the wake of Hugh Freeze's firing, might crumble. But they also might rally their ground game and scratch ahead of Vandy (see Auburn's game with Georgia). If they do, Vandy has a chance to be disappointed for the second week in a row.

San Diego State (-6.5 at Hawaii)

San Diego State is 7-1, but they're not an offensive juggernaut. Hawaii freshman QB Micah Alejado is steady (2,124 yards, 15 TDs). After the long trip to the islands, San Diego State could find itself in a shootout and if so, Hawaii could be more than a handful.

Dante Moore and Oregon could have a significant battle on the road at Iowa in Week 11. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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