Upsets Could be Brewing This Weekend

Let's get this party started.

Week 3 of the College Football season brings us plenty of potential upsets. 12 out of the top 25 teams play games away from home this weekend. Winning on the road is never easy, so could we see 12 ranked teams  lose this weekend?

Let's look at the matchups:

Thursday

#3 LSU at #25 Mississippi State (8 PM, ESPN)

What to watch: Mississippi State is reeling after losing at Auburn on a goal line stand. Now the Bulldogs return home to face LSU. The key matchup is the Bulldogs' rushing attack of Vick Ballard and Chris Relf against the Tigers' stingy run defense. LSU is no stranger to having to stop a team that loves to run the football; just ask Oregon after the Tigers held LaMichael James to 54 yards rushing in Week 1.

Friday

#4 Boise State at Toledo (8 PM, ESPN)

What to watch: Toledo came oh-so-close to pulling off a huge upset at Ohio State last Saturday before falling 27-22 to the Buckeyes. Now the Rockets will play host to Boise State. The Broncos opened the year beating Georgia 35-21 at the Georgia Dome, but that win isn't looking very impressive at this point. The last time the Broncos played in a TRUE ROAD GAME (neutral site games don't count as road games), they lost at Nevada. The Glass Bowl has been a death trap for ranked teams in the past. Will the Broncos be next to go down?

Saturday

#21 Auburn at Clemson (Noon, ABC)

What to watch: Auburn has to be the luckiest team in America. The Tigers came from behind to beat Utah State in Week 1, and stopped Mississippi State at the goal line last week. Now they must go on the road to face a Clemson team that had them on the ropes last season at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

#18 West Virginia at Maryland (Noon, ESPNU)

What to watch: Despite starting 2-0 under new head coach Dana Holgerson, West Virginia has been very dependent on quarterback Geno Smith, mostly to run the ball. The Mountaineers have also started slow in both games. Maryland has had a week to prepare for Holgerson's high octane passing offense, and new head coach Randy Edsall is familiar with the Mountaineers, as he beat them when he was at UConn last season.

#7 Wisconsin at Northern Illinois (at Soldier Field, 3:30 PM)

What to watch: Wisky has looked impressive with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Now the Badgers must face a Husky team coached by their former defensive coordinator Dave Doeren.

#15 Michigan State at Notre Dame (3:30 PM, NBC)

What to watch: What is wrong with Notre Dame (besides Brian Kelly getting mad)? In two games, the Irish have turned the ball over 10 times combined in losses to South Florida and Michigan, and their defense got torched for 338 passing yards by Denard Robinson. Now they must face Michigan State; a team that has beaten them nine times in the last 12 years.

#23 Texas at UCLA (3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN)

What to watch: Like Michigan State to Notre Dame, UCLA has been a thorn in the side to Texas. The Bruins have outscored the Longhorns 149-46 in the last 3 meetings. The Longhorns are hoping that new starting quarterback Case McCoy (Colt McCoy's little brother) can give their offense a spark.

#22 Arizona State at Illinois (7 PM, Big Ten Network)

What to watch: Both teams could be two of the most improved in the country. Arizona State has been considered a sleeper in the Pac-12, while Illinois has quietly started 2-0 and looked impressive. The Sun Devils are fresh off an upset win over Missouri last Friday. While the Illini don't look as daunting, it's never easy to win in Champaign. This could end up being a quarterback dual between ASU's Brock Osweiler and Illinois's Nathan Scheelhaase.

#17 Ohio State at Miami (7:30 PM, ESPN)

What to watch: This one should be called the "NCAA Probation Bowl" as both teams have been in hot water with the NCAA within the last 12 months. The Buckeyes escaped with a 27-22 win over Toledo last week, but the real problem was the fact that they struggled to run the ball, as they wheezed to 112 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Miami gets several players back from suspension, including quarterback Jacory Harris and defensive tackle Marcus Fortson, and the Hurricanes are looking for revenge.

#1 Oklahoma at #5 Florida State (8 PM, ABC)

What to watch: A matchup between two top-5 teams. Last year, the Sooners stomped the Seminoles in Norman  47-17. The Sooners have not faired well away from home when ranked in the top 5. Coach Bob Stoops is trying to regain his "Big Game Bob" reputation, and a win over the Seminoles on their home turf could do just that. Meanwhile, the Seminoles are looking for their first win over the Sooners since 1964, and they have not won against a top 5 opponent since defeating then #2 Boston College 27-17 in 2007.

#8 Oklahoma State at Tulsa (10 PM)

What to watch: Oklahoma State leads the country in total offense after two games, and they look to continue lighting it up against a Tulsa team they beat 65-28. The Golden Hurricane will be without all-purpose threat Damaris Johnson, who is suspended. Look for a big night from Cowboy quarterback Brandon Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon.

#6 Stanford at Arizona (10:45 PM, ESPN)

What to watch: This is shaping up to be a quarterback dual between Stanford's Andrew Luck and Arizona's Nick Foles. But the real deciding factor could be the ground game, as Arizona has struggled to run the football this season, only averaging 58 yards per game. Stanford has been averaging 173 yards on the ground. Another question for the Wildcats is will receiver Juron Criner return after having his appendix removed on September 5.

Grab some popcorn, peeps. It's gonna be a great Week 3.