3 Teams on Upset Alert for College Football Week 1

Even though college football's 2019 Week 1 schedule features only one matchup between two AP Top-25 Poll teams, there are still plenty of teams that could be in for a season-opening blunder this week.

With that in mind, here are the three teams that should be on upset alert, both straight up and against the spread, in Week 1 of the 2019 college football season.

* All college football betting odds and spreads are available on FanDuel Sportsbook. *

3. Utah State Aggies vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Utah State returns star quarterback Jordan Love after he led last year's Aggies to an 11-2 record, on the shoulders of the nation's No. 2 scoring offense (45.4 points per game) behind only the Oklahoma Sooners. As for playing up to Power 5 competition, Love also nearly led Utah State to a Week 1 upset on the road against then-No. 11 Michigan State in East Lansing last season. Wake Forest doesn't quite invoke the same kind of home-field advantage as Spartan Field either, as the Demon Deacons went just 2-5 at home in Winston-Salem last season. And defense certainly wasn't Wake Forest's strong suit last year either, finishing the 2018-19 season ranked No. 110 in total yards allowed per game (462.7), No. 104 in passing yards allowed per game (259.5) and No. 102 in scoring defense (34.4 PPG). Utah State could come out on top in this one, despite being 3.5-point underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

2. Boise State Broncos vs. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State's second-year head coach Willie Taggart had a rough first season at helm in Tallahassee. The Seminoles posted a 5-7 record, finished 3-5 in the ACC and snapped the program's streak of 36 straight bowl games, missing their first postseason since 1982. Boise State, on the other hand, has made a name for itself by playing up to and even upsetting the bigger-name programs from the Power 5 conferences. Florida State is facing a Boise State team that plays with a chip on its shoulder, making FSU vulnerable in Week 1. That the Seminoles are favored by 5.5 points could be an added perk for Broncos bettors.

1. Oregon Ducks vs. Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers opened last season with a similar non-conference battle at a neutral site, taking down Washington in a 21-16 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. However, Oregon and Auburn head into their 2019 season opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., on completely opposite ends of the quarterback spectrum. The Ducks return Justin Herbert, who is a senior that is widely-projected as a top NFL quarterback prospect, while the Tigers are relying on a 19-year-old true freshman in Bo Nix, who will be making his first collegiate start. The Ducks also brought in a host of young talent with the No. 7 overall 2019 recruiting class in the nation, headlined by the No. 1 overall recruit, according to ESPN, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. This game seems more like a coin flip than one that Auburn should be favored by 3.5 points in, making the Ducks a solid upset option in Week 1 of the 2019 college football season.

Join FanDuel Sportsbook Today. New users get a risk-free bet up to $500. Join Now.

David Hayes is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David Hayes also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username DavidWHayes. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.