LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 17: Deondre Francois #12 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts on the bench during the fourth quarter of the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)

Upset alert: 3 teams that need to be careful in Week 4 of college football

Week 4 should feature several matchups that will be close.

The FanBuzz upset alert is back, but we only have three teams this week for whom we have sounded the upset sirens. There were a lot of upsets last week, but we only called one of them, so let's see if our crystal ball can do some better work this week.


No. 5 Clemson
Sept. 22 at Georgia Tech

A Thursday night game in a road environment that you haven't won at in over a decade? That is a prime recipe for an upset.

Clemson is clearly the more talented team here, but Georgia Tech has dispatched of more talented teams several times thanks to their option offense. Clemson also has a ton of freshmen and sophomores on their two-deep defensive depth chart, and the Yellow Jackets may be able to take advantage of that inexperience.

As always, the key for Clemson will be on offense with quarterback Deshaun Watson. Georgia Tech's defense has often struggled with big, mobile quarterbacks, and Watson has the ability to absolutely pick them apart. However, if we get the Clemson offense that we saw against Auburn and Troy, though, Georgia Tech might just walk away with a victory.


No. 13 Florida State
Sept. 24 at South Florida

There are two things that could happen to Florida State on Saturday. Either they come out guns ablaze after their 63-20 loss to Louisville, or... they lay an egg.

I'm not saying they lay an egg, but there's a chance that happens. South Florida is a decent opponent for the Noles, and they will be able to take advantage of any mistakes. That being said, the key for Florida State to avoid a loss will be to prevent large mistakes.

Obviously "preventing mistakes" is a game plan for every team, but for Florida State in particular, it will mean giving quarterback Deondre Francois some time to work in the pocket. The redshirt freshman got killed by Louisville's defense last week, so giving him some time to work with will be a godsend for the Florida State offense.

Also, they aren't playing Lamar Jackson this week. That should help a lot.


No. 16 Baylor
Sept. 24 vs. Oklahoma State

Baylor might be the Big 12's last hope at getting a team into the College Football Playoff, so quite a bit is riding on this game for the Bears and the entire conference.

Right now, Baylor has a similar weakness to what they had last season: they haven't played anyone yet. (Sorry, Rice) Oklahoma State is coming off an impressive win last week over Pitt, and chances are that the Pokes are still fuming over their loss to Central Michigan.

Both teams have potent offenses, so this should be a shootout. Baylor should have a slight edge defensively, but considering they are playing a real offense for the first time, Oklahoma State might be able to jump out of the gate with a quick start. The Bears certainly don't want to try and play catch-up with the Cowboys, and they could lose if they get in that situation.