Ohio State, Georgia Among Five Top-25 Upset Alerts — SkimNews
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- Ohio State travels to USC as a 6.5-point favorite with true freshman Luke Fahey expected to start after relieving Julian Sayin two weeks ago against Indiana; Ryan Day said the Buckeyes must be tighter to "help a young quarterback get his first win."
- Georgia meets Florida as an 11.5-point favorite in the rivalry at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after both teams received an extra week of prep, with Florida's Tramell Jones Jr. starring in place of injured starter Aaron Philo.
- Georgia also ranks fourth-best in the SEC at plus-3 in turnover margin, but Gunner Stockton's three giveaways sank the Bulldogs in their loss to Auburn earlier this month.
- Utah travels to Cincinnati as a 6.5-point favorite and one of three unbeatens left in the Power Four, pairing one of the nation's top run defenses with the Big 12's second-best scoring offense (37.4 points per game) and total offense (478.4 yards per game); junior running back Cole Tabb averaged 9.6 yards per carry with a season-high 173 yards and a score last week.
- Texas Tech hosts No. 22 Arizona as a 3.5-point favorite after surrendering four touchdown passes in its loss at Cincinnati, though Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita has 2,064 passing yards and 18 touchdowns and Arizona has won five straight since an early-season loss at BYU; Joey McGuire is 8-8 against top-25 opponents.
- Missouri travels to Arkansas as a 9.5-point underdog in a series the Tigers lost 10 of 12 times since entering the SEC in 2014; running back Ahmad Hardy returned to practice this week for the first time this season after recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in May, with his Saturday availability TBD per Eli Drinkwitz.
- College Football Playoff selection committee members reveal their first rankings Tuesday night, with Ohio State, Georgia, Utah, Texas Tech and Missouri all on upset alert this weekend as the initial opinions weigh conference valuations, record strength and quality wins.
Why it matters: Tuesday night's first College Football Playoff rankings hinge on the résumé these five teams build this weekend. Cincinnati says repeating last weekend's Texas Tech takedown is its top priority, while Utah's Nov. 7 host of BYU is the next test; Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech are favored by 6.5, 11.5 and 3.5 points.
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