Week 7 has arrived, and Josh Pate is already circling the games that could go sideways.
On his Thursday night show, Pate ran through a handful of matchups and pegged the ones that deserve upset alert attention as college football moves deeper into the regular season. With conference races tightening and the first College Football Playoff rankings set for Tuesday, November 3, the stakes keep climbing - and so does the pressure on the favorites.
One of the biggest swing factors on Pate’s board is Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. Taylor is dealing with an injury and is questionable for the game, and that uncertainty is keeping Pate from getting too aggressive on LSU’s upset danger. Pate made it clear he does not expect Taylor to be at full strength.
“At this point, I don’t expect Kamario Taylor to play,” Pate said. “Even if he does, it’s not an overly mobile threat. You’re not getting the full Kamario Taylor experience even if he does play right now.”
Concern Level: 3
Kentucky’s strange little winning streak has Pate much more uneasy. The Wildcats have won two straight on game-winning two-point conversions in overtime, and now they head into a matchup with Oklahoma, which beat Texas last week behind some timely turnovers. Kentucky is the underdog, but Pate thinks the recent chaos around the Wildcats makes this one a real candidate for a surprise.
“When you come off of back-to-back walk-off two-point conversions, history says you’re due for a crash,” Pate said of Kentucky. “Kentucky is in that spot. Then again, when Arch Manning tosses a couple of picks your way and you inexplicibly win the Red River Shootout, history also says you’re due for a crash the next week.”
Concern Level: 8
The highest alarm on Pate’s list goes to Nebraska at Oregon. If Dylan Raiola gets the start for Oregon, he’ll do it against his former team, though he’s also coming off a rough outing that led to him getting benched. Pate says the quarterback advantage belongs to Nebraska and Anthony Colandrea, and that’s why this one sits near the top of his upset list.
“Don’t really care who starts for Oregon at quarterback, Nebraska will have the QB edge in this game,” said Pate. “Can you imagine saying that in the preseason?”
Concern Level: 9
Texas Tech comes out of its bye week, but Pate isn’t ready to stamp the Red Raiders as safe. He sees turnovers as the key variable, and says if the turnover battle were guaranteed to be even, it would be a four-quarter game.
He also pointed back to Texas Tech’s lone regular-season loss last year, which came against Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State. Will Hammond’s numbers this year - five touchdowns and five picks - keep this one from feeling clean.
“Lone regular season loss last year for Texas Tech was at the hands of Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils,” Pate said. “Will Hammond so far this year, who started that game by the way, five touchdowns, five picks. Not a disaster, but not great.”
Concern Level: 6
Georgia is next on the list after knocking off Alabama in Tuscaloosa and taking over the top spot in the polls. Auburn had the week off, and that rest-versus-grind setup is enough for Pate to at least consider the upset path. Even so, he’s not treating this as a major warning sign for the Bulldogs.
“This is Georgia’s seventh straight game, they’re coming off of a big, emotional game on the road at Alabama,” Pate said. “What did Auburn do last week?
Slept. They were off, and now the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry features a rested team vs. a team that’s gone through a gauntlet.
Auburn’s got to grind, and they’ve got to hope.”
Concern Level: 3
Penn State at Michigan rounds out Pate’s Week 7 upset watch. It’s a game that looked a lot bigger before the season, but both teams have underwhelmed enough that the matchup now comes with a different feel. Pate believes Penn State can keep Michigan from pulling away if it takes care of the football, and he sees enough reason to think this could turn into a long night.
“If (Penn State) can protect the ball here, Michigan’s probably not pulling away,” said Pate. “Maybe this is a four quarter game.
I’ll put a 6 on it. That’s about as good as I can do.”
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Added A Familiar Face Big Blue Nation Will Love
Kentucky officially filled out part of its basketball staff this week, announcing the hires of Alfred Aboya as an assistant coach and John Pelphrey as director of player development. Aboya arrives after coaching at NBA Academy Africa and with the Cameroon National Mens Basketball Team, while Pelphrey comes back to Lexington with plenty of experience from stops at Tennessee Tech and other programs.
Pelphreys return gives Big Blue Nation a familiar face with deep ties to the program, and the combination of his background and Aboyas international experience adds another layer to the Wildcats staff. For Kentucky, the moves bring in two coaches with different paths but plenty of basketball experience, as the program continues building out its support system around the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Heads To Norman With Two Major Availability Concerns
Kentucky heads to Norman with the injury report already shaping part of the conversation, and the Wildcats have at least one notable name to watch on offense. Running back CJ Baxter is listed as questionable, while wide receiver Nic Anderson is probable, giving Kentucky some measure of optimism at one spot even as the backfield situation remains unsettled. Oklahomas report also matters for the matchup, with left tackle Michael Fasusi questionable as he works toward a return.
The rest of the availability picture is spread across both sideline reports, with several players on each team carrying different designations as game day approaches. For Kentucky, the question is not just who is active, but how much of the offense can be counted on if Baxter is limited or unavailable. In a road trip like this, the final injury decisions can quietly shape everything from play-calling to personnel groupings. [Read more 🡒]
Greg McElroy's New Top 15 Just Raised The Stakes For Kentucky
Greg McElroys latest Top 15 on his Always College Football podcast offered another early-season snapshot of where the national powers stand, and it put a fresh spotlight on the kind of company Kentucky hopes to keep. Georgia checked in at No. 1, with Indiana and Miami right behind, and McElroys list again underscored how much attention is being paid to teams that have already separated themselves through the opening stretch of the season.
For Kentucky, the value in a ranking like this is less about the number next to a rivals name and more about the standard it sets. McElroys commentary centered on how teams have played and what they still have in front of them, which only adds weight to every upcoming opportunity for the Wildcats to prove they belong in the same conversation with the sports elite. [Read more 🡒]