We are winding down toward the final third of the 2024-25 College Football regular season schedule. There’s still plenty at stake — whether positioning for Conference title games, the College Football Playoff, or bowl eligibility. This weekend, there are four games in particular that showcase ranked teams going out on the road. In all four, we feel as if an upset could truly be in the cards.
Iowa at UCLA (Iowa -5)
This is a tricky game for Iowa. The Hawkeyes are on a short week, and have to travel across the country to play UCLA — a team that’s suddenly on a bit of a heater. After a tough 1-5 start, the Bruins have won two straight conference games on the road. They were dominant in Lincoln versus the Cornhuskers. Nebraska struggled with UCLA’s pressure up front. Additionally, Ethan Garbers is playing the best football of his career, moonlighting as a true dual-threat signal-caller. True freshman receiver Kwazi Gilmer looks like a future NFL player — and has quickly become a favorite target of Garbers.
With an improved Bruins’ defense going up against a weird QB situation for Iowa, this game could get quite interesting in a hurry. QB Brendan Sullivan completed only seven passes for 93 yards last week. However, the Hawkeyes rushed for over 300 yards in the win versus a beleaguered Wisconsin team. Having said all of that, the strength of UCLA’s defense is its front seven.
Miami at Georgia Tech (Miami -11)
Maybe this is based on recent history, but we’re all waiting for the shoe to drop. Miami has disappointed time and time again, and with this team being undefeated and a potential National Title contender, the Hurricanes are somewhat poised to be upset. Georgia Tech is one of those trap games. The Yellow Jackets are hosting the contest, and there’s enough talent on both sides of the ball to put pressure on Miami. The line seems a bit high here, and even if the Hurricanes do win, Georgia Tech should be able to cover.
Iowa State at Kansas (Iowa State -3)
This is another trap game. On the surface, you’d think Iowa State would soundly beat Kansas. The Cyclones are 7-1 atop the Big 12 — whereas KU has had a very rough year (2-6) up to this point. However, momentum might be helping the Jayhawks here. Kansas soundly beat Houston 42-14 two weeks ago. Last week, KU came within a whisker of upsetting rival Kansas State (losing 29-27).
Lance Leipold is a great coach, and the combination of RB Devin Neal and QB Jalon Daniels is a tough duo to stop. Factoring in the game is on the road, and Matt Campbell has his work cut out for him.
Georgia at Ole Miss (Georgia -2.5)
The Bulldogs will have to deal with arguably the most explosive offense in the SEC. Ole Miss is coming off a win over Arkansas in which it dropped 63 points. Jaxson Dart is one of the better signal-callers in the league, and Lane Kiffin would like nothing more than to grab a signature win over the ‘bully on the block’ in front of his home fans.
Ole Miss is also desperate from the standpoint of sticking around in both the playoff race and the conference picture. The Rebels — 3-2 in conference play — would love to grab a win here considering the rest of the schedule (Florida, Mississippi State) is somewhat manageable.
