College football games to look forward to in Week 5
Week 4 of the college football season is in the books and it definitely lived up to the hype. The meeting between the Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers was remarkable, with Mike Norvell’s team emerging with a 31-24 overtime win. And the night matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish was a classic. The Buckeyes won that game at the buzzer, as running back Chip Trayanum reached across the goal line to help Ohio State earn a 17-14 road win. The Week 5 college football slate might look as good as the Week 4 slate on paper, but I think it’s another loaded weekend of games — beginning with the Utah Utes facing the Oregon State Beavers under the lights on Friday. And the Saturday action should be tremendous. So, keep reading to see my Week 5 Games of the Week.
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Week 5 Games of the Week
Utah Utes at Oregon State Beavers (-3, 44.5) – Friday
Utah was able to earn a 14-7 win over UCLA without Cameron Rising last week. But it kind of feels like it’s now or never for the star quarterback to return from last season’s torn ACL. Rising warmed up for the Utes last game, but he didn’t end up starting. Hopefully that means he is ready to go here. Backup quarterback Nate Johnson has done a good job of avoiding turnovers and providing a small spark with his legs, but Utah is going to need Rising if the team is going to go into Corvallis and remain unbeaten. Jonathan Smith’s team gave up 38 points in a road loss to Washington State last week, but this Beavers team is very good defensively. And playing a road game against Oregon State is never easy.
The Utah offense is going to need to find a way to deliver in this game — even if it’s just a few successful drives. The Utes have been impenetrable defensively early in the season, but you can’t rely on a defense to win you games every week. Utah will need a statement drive or two in this game, and I don’t have much faith in Johnson being able to throw on this secondary. But if Rising can play, the Utes will love their chances. There will undoubtedly be some rust early on, but Utah beat Oregon State 42-16 last year. And it’s hard to say home-field advantage will make up that type of difference.
USC Trojans (-22, 73.5) at Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado got absolutely demolished by Oregon last week, losing 42-6 as a 21.5-point underdog. The Buffaloes only had 199 total yards in that game, which was wild to see considering Coach Prime’s offense had scored at least 36 points in each of its previous three games. Colorado also gave up 522 yards of offense to Oregon, which is the more alarming thing heading into this meeting with USC. I don’t think the Buffaloes will struggle nearly as much offensively against the Trojans, as Alex Grinch and the USC defense have been disappointing thus far. Last week, the Trojans gave up 28 points against a very bad Arizona State team. But can Colorado stop Caleb Williams and USC? It’s hard to see that happening. USC is tougher in the trenches and has talent all over the field. Even with this being a road game, the Trojans should hang a huge number on the scoreboard. But maybe Shedeur Sanders and the Buffaloes will score enough to stay within the huge number. The fact that this is a home game makes that a bit more likely.
Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats (-3, 46)
A few weeks ago, I would have had very little interest in this matchup. But Florida is now 3-1 and has a win over Tennessee on its resume. So, the Gators are suddenly looking like a rock-solid football team. Meanwhile, Mark Stoops’ group is a perfect 4-0 heading into this game. The Wildcats haven’t really been tested yet, but they’ve done enough to make me excited about this game. However, I’d be lying if I said this isn’t a game that I’d expect to go Florida’s way. Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary just hasn’t looked all that comfortable since transferring in from NC State. He was miserable in the win over Vanderbilt last week, throwing for just 205 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Leary completed only 51.7% of his passes in that game, and things won’t be any easier against a Florida defense that looks borderline elite right now. The question is whether Graham Mertz can make enough plays in the passing game to help the Gators pick up this road win. And there’s no real reason to say he can’t. Mertz has thrown for 951 yards with four touchdowns and only one pick this year, and he has completed 77.8% of his passes. As long as he can avoid mistakes, this Florida team is going to continue to win games. The Gators have a good running game and a strong defense. That goes a long way in college football. And they’ll be looking for revenge in this one, as the Wildcats have won-and-covered in the last two meetings between these two.
Georgia Bulldogs (-14, 47) at Auburn Tigers
Auburn is coming off a 27-10 loss to Texas A&M, but the Tigers will still feel like they have a shot at giving the Dawgs a game on Saturday. Georgia might be 4-0 on the season, but the team is 0-3-1 against the spread. That shows that Kirby Smart’s team is not playing to expectations, and the atmosphere in Jordan-Hare Stadium is going to be electric for this one. That could get to a first-year starter like Carson Beck. And I’m expecting Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts to really put some pressure on him in this game. If his defense can make Beck uncomfortable, the Tigers just might give the Bulldogs a game. Hugh Freeze will just need to find a way to get his offense to put up some points. Things haven’t looked all that great with Payton Thorne under center this year, but it’s not like Auburn has a lot of other options. So, the Tigers will need to find a way to get the ground game going, and the defense will need to be flawless. But I don’t think it’s out of the question that this is a one-possession game late.
Kansas Jayhawks at Texas Longhorns (-17, 62)
If you like offense, this should be a fun game to watch. Kansas comes into this game averaging 37.8 points per game, and Jalon Daniels is one of the most exciting dual-threat quarterbacks in college football. Meanwhile, Texas is averaging 35.0 points per game this year, despite having had to face Alabama in Week 2. With that in mind, both of these teams are capable of lighting up the scoreboard on any given week. But the Longhorns happen to have the nation’s 13th-ranked scoring defense, which is why it’s now safe to say that “Texas is back.” That defense is likely to be the difference maker in this game. Both of these teams might be able to score, but can Kansas find a way to get Texas off the field? That’ll determine whether or not the Jayhawks can stay within the big number here. Last year, Texas earned a 55-14 road win over Kansas. This year’s Longhorns team is better than last year’s, and they now play this game in Austin. So, the cards are stacked against Lance Leipold’s Jayhawks. But I’m still looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
LSU Tigers (-2.5, 63.5) at Ole Miss Rebels
Last week, LSU had some trouble beating Arkansas at home. The Tigers were 17.5-point favorites in that one, but they only earned a 34-31 win over the Razorbacks. But LSU is still viewed as one of the best teams in the SEC, and the door hasn’t completely closed on its College Football Playoff chances. The Tigers do, however, need to win the remainder of their regular season games, and this week’s meeting with the Rebels is going to be a tough one. Jayden Daniels and this LSU offense are going to feel good about scoring on Ole Miss, even with the Rebels looking better defensively under new coordinator Pete Golding. But Ole Miss also has the firepower to score in this game, with offense never being much of a concern for a Lane Kiffin-led team. So, the question here is which one of these teams will come away with some timely stops? Recent history suggests it might be Ole Miss. The home team has covered in nine of the last 10 meetings between these programs, and the home team has won eight of the last 10 outright.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-6, 50) at Duke Blue Devils
Notre Dame is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State last week. The Fighting Irish were up four points with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Buckeyes rushed for the game-winning touchdown as time expired. At one point in the final drive, Notre Dame forced Ohio State into a 4th and 7 situation. That only added to the blow. Now, the Fighting Irish have to go on the road and face a very good Blue Devils team. Duke earned a 28-7 win over Clemson in Week 1, making an immediate statement after being of the more surprisingly good teams of last season. The Blue Devils are now 4-0 on the season and they have covered in three of those wins. Duke’s offense was always going to be good with Riley Leonard at quarterback, as he’s a flat-out star at the position. And the Blue Devils have some solid talent around him. But the defense has been something else this year, giving up 8.8 points per game thus far. That’s good for the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the nation, and it’s more in line with what Duke was expecting when hiring Mike Elko as head coach. But the question is whether the Blue Devils can now slow down an elite offense. And the Fighting Irish do have that with Sam Hartman under center. I personally believe the wrong team is favored in this game. And that’ll only make it more interesting to watch.
HONORABLE MENTION: Washington Huskies (-18, 69.5) at Arizona Wildcats
Maybe it’s because I live in The Valley and have felt the buzz surrounding the Arizona program for months now, but I think Washington is on upset alert this weekend. I know Arizona’s loss to Mississippi State in Week 2 looks a bit worse given what we know about the Bulldogs right now. And last week’s one-point win over Stanford wasn’t exactly inspiring. But the Wildcats are a very talented team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I think they’re going to be able to score on Washington in this game, especially after watching a miserable Cal offense find success against the Huskies last week. The only thing I’m unsure of is whether Arizona can get enough stops to compete in this one. But the fans are going to pack the house in Arizona Stadium on Saturday. This is the most exciting Wildcats team there has been in Tucson in years, and that should get the adrenaline pumping a bit. I think that’ll be enough for Arizona to stay within the massive number, and I think it’ll even be a little closer than that.
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