Week 5 College Football Preview

Week 4 was another great weekend for the college football season. Upsets were in the air again. The top 5 curse (if it is much of a curse) struck not one but two teams this past week as No. 4 Ole Miss and No. 5 Penn State both fell in conference games. The BCS busters continued to stay on course and many athletes displayed why they might be qualified to lift the Heisman in a couple months. And oh yea...Thursday night was another great game to start the weekend.

Recap of last week: Cincinnati stayed on pace to make some noise if dominoes fall in front of them, which is very likely as No. 1 Florida and No. 4 (for now) LSU meet next week. The Big East is pretty weak and Cincinnati has only a couple games that might challenge them the rest of the way. Utah and No. 19 BYU, who were on course to possibly be BCS sleepers this year, both rebounded from losses with good victories. However, No. 15 TCU is still on course to be a sleeper (along with Houston and Boise State) as they outlasted Clemson in a good test for the Horned Frogs.

The SEC usually seems to have the best teams in resent years and thus produces a lot of the good games each year. However, the Pac-10 had quite a few good matchups with something at stake for the participants. No. 6 California with Heisman candidate HB Jahvid Best went up to Oregon and not only loss, but got trounced and opened the door for Oregon to make a run heading into October. California must rebound fast as they have USC this week. Speaking of the Trojans, they didn't look especially dangerous or great against Washington State, but got the win nonetheless and had QB Matt Barkeley back. They now head into a clash with California with each having a loss and another could hurt the loser's season in terms of a Pac-10 title. Finally, the team that knocked off then No. 3 at the time, No. 24 Washington took care of Stanford in a good conference battle on the road.

In terms of my top 5 matchups picks, I went a respectable 3-2 and after four weeks I'm 13-7 on the year. No. 3 Alabama and Arkansas did not really live up to the type of game I was expecting from a very good SEC team and a good SEC team. Arkansas was clearly over matched and Alabama made a strong case for why they are one of the best teams...if not the best. A possible rematch of last year with Florida looks very likely again. Texas Tech at No. 17 Houston turned into the Texas shootout that I was expecting. It was a back and forth battle and the Heisman candidate QB Case Keenum led a game winning drive late in the 4th quarter to set the Cougars home crowd off to celebrate the victory. The weekly top 5 team this week to suffer a drawback was then No. 4 Mississippi. They went on the road in the SEC and Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks got a big win for him and the school. They shut down Ole Miss's QB Jevan Sneed, who has been mentioned as a top draft pick as well as a Heisman candidate.

Not too many coaches can say they have Joe Paterno's number, but Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has dominated the series with Penn State since he has arrived going 7-2. Penn State entered the game at No. 5 and was poised the make a jump if any of the four teams in front of them fell. The game was close throughout the first half and Penn State looked like they were going to escape but a turnover led to a Hawkeye touchdown and a lead and they quickly scored again. Penn State QB Darryl Clark looked very bad turning the ball over multiple times and didn't looked in control at all for most of the game. The "U" looked like it was back, but as Lee Corso likes to say "Not so fast my friends." I don't know if it was the weather or the Virginia Tech defense or a combination and then some, but No. 9 Miami (FL) looked very average to below average against No. 11 Virginia Tech. The Hokie defense looked like the defense that Virginia Tech has put on the field for much of the last several years. Miami QB Jacory Harris was being talked about very highly after his first two games, but when the pressure came last week; he wasn't prepared and looked very uncomfortable. The ACC looks to be back in Virginia Tech's grasp, but it is a long season and both Miami and Virginia Tech have challenges ahead. Miami's gauntlet first four games concludes this week with No. 8 Oklahoma.

Now turning to this week's slate of games that might be worth watching/feature a team or teams with something on the line:

Wednesday night game: Hawaii at Louisiana Tech: Should be an offensive oriented game as neither have great defenses.

Thursday night game: Colorado at West Virginia: Colorado upset West Virginia at home last year and now the scene turns to Morgantown and the Mountaineers should not have too much trouble this year. HB Noel Devine will be running loose.

Friday night game: Pittsburgh at Louisville: A couple years ago this would probably be a big Big East battle, but Louisville has taken steps back as a program and Pittsburgh has looked pretty good on offense thus far. It's a crucial game for Pitt if they want to keep up with Cincinnati considering they already have a loss.

Wisconsin at Minnesota: A big time rivalry game in the Big Ten. Minnesota has looked improved thus far this year and a win over Wisconsin would be big. This should be a close game between what looked like fairly even matched teams.

South Florida at Syracuse: QB B.J. Daniels has stepped in for injured Matt Grothe and has given South Florida a vertical passing game they haven't had. He has the offense looking strong and they dominated Florida State last week. They have to be careful not to overlook this Syracuse team as they have looked better than recent years.

Arkansas State at No. 13 Iowa: The Hawkeyes have to be on guard against an upset after a big win.

No. 15 Penn State at Illinois: Penn State looks to rebound after a tough loss at home last week and should ail some of their wounds against Illinois.

No. 9 Ohio State at Indiana: Indiana gave Michigan a run for their money last week and could give Ohio State a little trouble...but the result will most likely still be a loss for Indiana.

No. 21 Mississippi at Vanderbilt: Ole Miss has to avoid any hangover after their loss last week and take care of business against a lesser team in the SEC.

No. 25 Georgia Tech at Mississippi State: Both teams have had heartbreaking losses this year and both have something to prove. A victory for the winner can be a big confidence boost moving forward.

Auburn at Tennessee: A SEC battle in primetime. Doesn't get better than that. Auburn is looking very good offensively under their new coach. While Tennessee has showed signs that might be a good team this year as they have only lost close games. This is an important for both as they are looking to make statements in the race for best in the SEC.

Then there are the BCS busters:
UC Davis at No. 5 Boise State
Southern Methodist at No. 11 TCU
No. 12 Houston at UTEP

Boise State, TCU, and Houston should all have no trouble with their opponents and take another step to breaking into the big dance for college football.

Now for my top 5 matchups of Week 5:
5. No. 22 Michigan at Michigan State: Michigan under freshman QB Tate Forcier have looked like a completely different team then we saw last year. Michigan State usually is a tough game for the Wolverines any year. Michigan State is looking to show that they are serious threat to the Big Ten crown this year and a win over Michigan will go a long way. Could come down to the wire. Pick: Michigan State

4. Florida State at Boston College: Florida State has become an enigma this year as a different team seems to show up each week. Boston College is playing inspired football for their teammate who is battling cancer. This could be a close one between two teams that are pretty close in most categories. Pick: Boston College

3. No. 7 USC at No. 24 California: This could have an even bigger battle for bragging rights in the Pac-10. Nonetheless, this is still a big battle. USC and Cal both have a lot to prove as both as suffered a tough loss a piece. Another loss could hurt the loser as Washington and Oregon are also threats in the Pac-10 thus far. USC has a bit of edge and despite being on the road should play really well. Pick: USC

2. No. 4 LSU at No. 18 Georgia: This is the marque matchup this week in the SEC. Both teams are focused and both want a win very bad. Last week, LSU barely survived against Mississippi State and Georgia outlasted Arizona State. LSU to me would be the one top 5 team this week who is most vulnerable. The game is at Georgia, which adds a little bit of home field advantage for the Bulldogs. It could be another close down to wire SEC battle with some good defense. Pick: Georgia

1. No. 8 Oklahoma at No. 17 Miami (FL): Miami is back this week is the game of the week. This time they are home and have to deal with Oklahoma Sooner, who will most likely be without QB Sam Bradford again. Both teams have tasted defeat and also come into the game with national title hopes still in mind. The loser most likely will fall out of that race. Each team has something to prove and will do so on the big stage of primetime. Could be a bit of back and forth battle and should come down to the 4th quarter. Sam Bradford's backup, Landry Jones, has looked just as impressive as Bradford...if not better at times as he has teared apart defenses. Miami QB Jacory Harris needs to show he can bounce back after a bad game. Pick: Oklahoma

Could be another action-packed weekend. Most likely there won't be too many surprises...just some good games as the drive for the national championship continues.