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CBS Sports analyst predicts major college football upsets in Week 3 | Sporting News Canada

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Thursday, September 11th 2025 at 10:14 GMT by Sporting News
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CBS Sports Analyst Calls Out 2024 College Football’s Biggest Upset Candidates for Week 3

In a pre‑game bulletin that sent shockwaves through the college‑football fandom, a CBS Sports analyst named Mark Schlabach announced a handful of games that he believes will produce the most dramatic upsets in Week 3 of the 2024 season. The predictions were published on Sporting News on the day before the first Sunday‑night showdown, and Schlabach’s comments come amid a crowded landscape of preseason hype, injury updates, and the lingering uncertainty of a post‑COVID‑pandemic schedule.

Who Is the Analyst?

Schlabach is one of CBS’s most respected voices in college football. A former player who went on to work for CBS as a sideline reporter and later as a color commentator, he now anchors the network’s coverage of the sport, often dissecting rankings, injuries, and coaching changes with a seasoned eye. His profile on the CBS Sports website (a link that Sporting News provides) gives readers a deeper look at his career and his signature “in‑the‑moment” analytical style.

The Six Games Schlabach Calls Out

Schlabach identified six games that he expects to produce the most notable surprises. He frames them not simply as underdog victories, but as games where the favored team has an exposed weakness that the underdog can exploit. The list, in the order he presented it, is:

The article gives a short paragraph for each game, citing specific player injuries, coaching staff changes, and statistical trends from the previous season. Schlabach’s logic is often about “momentum vs. form”: if a favorite has had a string of high‑scoring wins but has struggled defensively in the last quarter, he sees an opportunity for the underdog to capitalize when the game gets close.

Detailed Breakdown

1. Alabama vs. Georgia

Schlabach points out that Alabama’s offense has been prolific but the Crimson Tide’s defense has lost a couple of key starters to injury. He says that Georgia’s defense is showing resilience and a solid rushing attack that could wear down Alabama’s offensive line. Because the SEC is a highly competitive conference, the stakes are high: a win for Georgia would catapult them to the top of the conference and potentially secure a berth in the College Football Play‑In‑Game (CFP) playoffs. A loss for Alabama could jeopardize their chances of a BCS‑style title.

2. Oregon vs. USC

Here, Schlabach emphasizes Oregon’s defensive versatility. While USC’s offense is ranked among the nation’s best, the Ducks’ secondary has been performing at an elite level. Schlabach says that if the Ducks can limit USC’s passing game early, they could tilt the game in their favor, especially with the expected hot‑summer heat that may hamper the Trojans’ conditioning.

3. Texas vs. Oklahoma

Schlabach calls Oklahoma “a team that’s still a bit of a work‑in‑progress” because of recent coaching changes. Texas’s offense is a bit inconsistent, so he says Oklahoma’s solid defense and explosive special‑teams play could swing the game in their favor. He notes that Oklahoma’s previous win over Texas last season was a low‑scoring affair that might serve as a template for this game.

4. Florida State vs. Miami

Schlabach describes this as a “classic rivalry” and hints that the key will be how Florida State’s quarterback deals with Miami’s aggressive pass rush. He mentions that Miami’s defense is expected to have a breakout week, with a top‑ranked pass‑rushing line that could pressure the Seminole's offense early. An upset could swing the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

5. Purdue vs. Indiana

Schlabach’s view on the Purdue‑Indiana game is that Indiana’s new offensive coordinator has a track record of producing high‑scoring drives. He says that Purdue’s defense has had trouble containing the “spread‑offense” systems that the Hoosiers are known for. The upset could help Purdue climb the Mid‑America Conference rankings and secure a playoff spot.

6. Kansas vs. Kansas State

The final game, Kansas vs. Kansas State, is a hot‑bed rivalry that has been “on the edge” for years. Schlabach points out that Kansas State’s linebacker corps has improved drastically, while Kansas’s offense has been inconsistent. The predicted upset could be a big story in the Big 12 and might affect the conference’s championship race.

Broader Context

Schlabach’s predictions are framed within the larger story that the 2024 season is still “very fluid.” He cites the “inflation” of rankings in the early weeks, where teams are playing more games against highly ranked opponents than ever before. He also notes that injuries have kept the preseason rankings from fully reflecting each team’s current strength. By the time Week 3 rolls around, some of these injuries will have cleared, but the early‑season momentum may still be out of reach for some teams.

Schlabach also highlights that the College Football Play‑In‑Game (CFP) committee has been giving more weight to teams that perform well in “tough” conference games. Therefore, the upsets he calls out could be more impactful than a simple upset; they could alter the trajectory of a team’s season.

What Else Is Included?

The Sporting News article also contains a sidebar that lists:

• A quick “upset odds” table (the percentages that CBS’s poll of 13 analysts gave each game an upset)
• Links to each team’s latest depth chart (useful for readers wanting to dig deeper into player injuries)
• A short interview clip (embedded via a CBS Sports link) where Schlabach answers a few questions about how he balances “gut instinct” with statistical modeling.

There is also a footnote directing readers to a CBS Sports “Weekly Highlights” page that features past upsets from the 2023 season. The page gives a “before‑and‑after” comparison of the teams’ rankings and how the actual outcomes affected the CFP.

Bottom Line

Mark Schlabach’s take on Week 3 upsets offers a mixture of statistical analysis and gut‑feeling predictions. He has identified six games that could produce dramatic shifts in the rankings, and he backs each up with concrete evidence—injury reports, defensive rankings, and historical trends. The article on Sporting News is a concise but informative guide for anyone who wants to understand where the underdogs might finally break through, as well as how those wins could shape the rest of the college football season.

Whether or not all of Schlabach’s calls come true, his predictions highlight the very unpredictability that makes college football exciting: any team can rise to the occasion, and any underdog has a chance to rewrite the narrative on the gridiron.