This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: Three Upset Picks in Week 5
It's Week 5 of the college football season, and it was a nice haul last week with 3-for-3 on upsets. We won't talk about the player to pop, as he was like that kernel at the bottom of a microwaveable popcorn bag that just wasn't quite ready yet. We'll take a look at three more live underdogs for a potential upset on the upcoming schedule and one player who is hopefully ready to pop.
Colorado 
at UCF – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
This would be a big one. The Buffaloes hit the road on the heels of a giant come-from-behind victory last weekend against Baylor. A missed field goal by the Bears in the fourth quarter gave the Buffs a heartbeat. Colorado had a big pass play into the red zone which was dropped. All hope looked like it was lost until it wasn't.
Shedeur Sanders scrambled left and hit LaJohntay Wester on a prayer to the left corner of the end zone, and Colorado forced overtime. There was no way Baylor was coming back from that. The Buffs escaped in overtime, and it was a terrible beat for the Bears.
More importantly, it could be the springboard that CU needs to get its bowl eligibility hopes back on track. After a disappointing showing at Nebraska and a lackluster offensive performance at Colorado State, there were a lot of doubters. Granted, Baylor isn't a top-tier program right now, either, but a win, especially in such dramatic fashion, can really spur a team on.
It was a bit shocking to see this number so large. UCF is good, yes, and it escaped TCU last week with a 35-34 win. But that defense allowed 402 yards passing last week, and that's bad news with Sanders, Wester and Travis Hunter coming to the Bounce House.
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North Carolina 
at Duke – Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
The Tar Heels made the highlight reels last week but for all the wrong reasons. UNC had a punt blocked in the first half, and James Madison was able to roll up 53 points on the Heels at Kenan Stadium, no less.
Meanwhile, Duke went to Middle Tennessee and pulled away from the Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro, posting a 45-17 win and cover as a 14.5-point favorite. The jury is still out on the Blue Devils, however.
Duke barely escaped the previous two games against Northwestern and UConn, not exactly the cream of the crop. Prior to that, Duke's offense had a ton of trouble getting much generated against FCS Elon on Aug. 30. This is a team that is 4-0, yes, but it could easily be 2-2 right now.
North Carolina hopes to take the Victory Bell, the award given to the winner in this series, back down US 15-501 to Chapel Hill for a sixth straight win in the series. The Heels have the firepower on offense, as they showed by scoring 50 last week. Now, they just need to learn how to tackle, and they could get a win against their nearby rivals.
Florida State 
at SMU – Saturday, 8 p.m. ET
Here come the Seminoles, as they finally got their first win of the season by handing ACC newcomer Cal its first conference loss. Now, it looks to be the one to welcome the Mustangs in the same fashion.
SMU plays its first conference game as an ACC member, and it faces a wounded, yet still very dangerous Florida State team in Dallas on Saturday night under the lights.
The Mustangs broke out the whooping stick against TCU last time out, routing their rivals 66-42 for Metroplex supremacy. After a couple of lackluster offensive efforts against Nevada and BYU, the Mustangs were able to move the ball with relative ease.
However, Florida State has a talented defense with plenty of NFL-caliber players. It might not have shone through in the first three games, when the team struggled with consistency, including a loss at home to Memphis. But, FSU bowed its backs and took care of an unbeaten California team last week, and it has the tools to make it a long night for SMU.
Week 5 Player To Pop
Michael Van Buren Jr., QB, Mississippi State 
The Bulldogs saw journeyman QB Blake Shapen go down to a season-ending injury last weekend against the Florida Gators. With Shapen done for the year, it's now up to Michael Van Buren to lead Hail State.
Once Shapen exited, Van Buren came on and completed 7-of-13 passes for 100 yards against the Gators in the fourth quarter. He was able to move the team in obvious passing situations, with the Bulldogs well behind on the scoreboard.
Mississippi State is a giant underdog against Texas at the DKR this weekend, so there is likely to be an early deficit. This means Van Buren will be tasked with plenty of passing and few run calls after the first quarter.
Look for Van Buren to sling it all night long, perhaps racking up 40 or more pass attempts, and his yardage total could be surprisingly good.
