USC, LSU, and Notre Dame all on Upset Alert

There are multiple major games Saturday with three playoff contenders all trying to avoid being upset on the road.

USC is traveling to Colorado, Bryan Kelly and LSU head to Oxford to take on the Rebels of Ole Miss and Notre Dame will be looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, facing the red hot Duke Blue Devils.

USC vs. Colorado

The USC Trojans are in Colorado to take on Shedeur Sanders and the Buffaloes for the Trojans’ first road test. USC is looking to stay unbeaten while Colorado is looking to avoid falling to 0-2 in conference play. The Trojans’ offense couldn’t be any more balanced than they were last week against Arizona State. Caleb Williams went 20/31 passing for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile for the Buffaloes, Shedeur Sanders went 23/33 passing for 159 yds and one touchdown.

The Trojans have arrived in Colorado. pic.twitter.com/muhYsZwSjR

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 29, 2023

For starters, whether people want to accept it or not, Deion Sanders is still rebuilding a program who has been historically poor for over two decades. Sanders brought in nearly 60 transfers upon arriving to Boulder. In addition to Colorado being in a rebuilding year, the program has taken huge strides in the right direction in just a couple of months.

Colorado will be without their two-way star Travis Hunter for the second straight week as they try to pull off a massive upset.

USC is 16-0 all-time against the Buffaloes. Furthermore, the Trojans are 15-3 over the last two seasons.

LSU vs. Ole Miss

No. 13 LSU is set to take on No. 20 Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, Saturday at 6 p.m.

Coach Kelly talks about the Tigers' preparation and final days before LSU-Ole Miss

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 28, 2023

Ole Miss had high expectations Saturday when they took on Alabama in what they thought was their time to takedown the Crimson Tide. Though, they found themselves heading home with a 24-10 loss. The Rebels offense struggled mightily to move the ball with starting quarterback Jaxson Dart going 20/35 for 244 yds, one interception and no touchdowns. The running game never got going and after having the lead at halftime, they were dominated the entire second half.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has been sensational this season and threw for over 300 yds in a 34-31 win over Arkansas. Daniels has quieted the doubters and has looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He has thrown for over 1,200 yds for 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. Furthermore, the SEC’s top two scoring offenses will be on display, with LSU averaging 42.8 points points per game and Ole Miss with 42.0 points per game.

Notre Dame vs. Duke

The No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to Durham, North Carolina, to take on the No. 17 Duke Blue Devils. The Blue Devils showed out in their last prime-time game, upsetting Clemson to begin the season. ESPN’s College Gameday will be in town for its first appearance in Durham for a football game in program history. The most notable change for the Blue Devils this season has been their defense, which has only allowed five touchdowns in four games.

The Fighting Irish, led by quarterback Sam Hartman, have a strong offense and cracked the 40-point mark in its first four wins before losing in the finals seconds to Ohio State at the one-yard line at home Saturday.

The Irish have won 29 straight regular-season games against ACC opponents since losing at Miami in 2017, and Duke is looking to get their second upset win at home this season.

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