College Football Week 5 Preview

Week 4 was a great weekend for any ranked team as they had little to no trouble in their games as three teams won by 70 or more points. Heisman candidates were able to showcase themselves and it left an empty feeling. Now, the heat gets turned back up with possibly the deepest slate of games this season. Two SEC conference games, a Big 10 game between the two teams who have dominated it the last several years, and a rematch game.

Looking back at the games highlighted, Clemson got a serious scare on the road and a potential questionable call in their favor kept them undefeated and on track for a possible title game appearance. Both Wisconsin and Texas A&M rebounded nicely and Texas got some of their problems addressed at the minimum with a crucial conference game. Finally, Michigan needed some magic and luck late in the game for the second straight week to defeat a much weaker opponent. They will have a bye this week to hopefully address what areas they need to focus on before their conference schedule picks up.

In my top 5 for Week 4, I went 5-0 bringing my record to 17-3 on the year. It was another solid game between Boise State and Fresno State as the Bulldogs led by QB Derek Carr snapped a lengthy losing streak to the Broncos and improved to 5-0. A favorable schedule sits in front of them and if they can run the table, they have a shot to follow the footsteps of Northern Illinois last year and go to a BCS game. Auburn had been showing much improvement this year out to an 3-0 start but ran into a much better team in LSU who now is 4-0 with a trip to Georgia ahead. The LSU offense has shown multiple aspects that could cause problems for some of the top teams they will confront to scheme against and gives them a shot to stay in the title picture until the end. In an SEC East clash, Florida again proved to be too much for Tennessee as another fairly close one was won by the Gators. Unfortunately, they did lose their starting quarterback in the win and will pose questions going forward on how their offense will look.

While it might not have been pretty again, Notre Dame will take another win as they bested Michigan State to even their record against teams for the state of Michigan. They will need to much sharper against Oklahoma this week as the Fighting Irish cannot keep playing these close games cause they might end up on the wrong end against better teams. Finally, Stanford looked dominant as ever as they dissected Arizona State throughout the game. The Sun Devils did fight hard until the end but Stanford plays a style on both sides that creates for an interesting matchup down the road when they see Oregon. Arizona State can quickly rebound this week against a USC team that is searching for a more consistent offense.

Now comes this week's games to spotlight and the weekly top 5.

Games to highlight in Week 5:

South Carolina at UCF: UCF is out to a great start and coming off a very nice victory against Penn State. Now they get South Carolina coming to town and can make an even bigger statement beating a top 12 team. South Carolina knows they much keep pace with Georgia and win an extra game to jump them so this game is just as important for the Gamecocks.

Arizona at #18 Washington: Each week it has been an opportunity to see just how good Washington is. Each poses a harder challenge and now they get a tough minded Arizona team. Can they continue to impress on the field and make their own case in a tough upper division  of the Pac-12.

California at #2 Oregon: Oregon has been mowing down opponents so far this year but California has been able to slow down the Ducks' offense a couple times in the recent seasons. It will be tough to keep them below though and should be another chance for Oregon to make their case to be the best team.

USC at Arizona State: Arizona State is coming off a tough conference loss while USC is coming off a big win but still has questions to answer. Two teams with something prove and both teams needing the win.

Top 5 Games of Week 5 (17-3):

5) Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (Thursday night): Georgia Tech has a dynamic option-oriented offense while Virginia Tech has consistently for a while been able to use tough defense to slow down most teams. It will be close but enough Hokie defensive effort will keep the score low enough for the offense to outscore the Yellow Jackets in a good Thursday conference clash. PICK: VIRGINIA TECH

4) #22 Mississippi at #1 Alabama: Last year, Alabama was shocked by an upstart Texas A&M team but still found their way into the title game pictured. This year, they survived the rematch with a win and now get another SEC upstart coming to Tuscaloosa. Mississippi has played well on both sides of the ball and come in confident after a big win in Austin. The biggest thing they will need to do is avoid mistakes and play well on defense and special team. That might seem fairly generic but when playing the Crimson Tide you cannot turn the ball over and allow them to get in open field cause they can tear off lots of yards. The Rebels will keep it close through the first half but the skill of Alabama will start to pull away with a couple of big scores in the second half. PICK: ALABAMA

3) #14 Oklahoma at #21 Notre Dame: There are probably few coaches as successful as Oklahoma Bob Stoops when it comes to rematch games. The Sooners lost a close one last year to Notre Dame at home and now get a chance for revenge on the road. The Fighting Irish has not looked overly impressive in most of their games and has survived a couple close calls. They will need to play smart and try to enter the half up to give them confidence entering the second half. If they fall behind early, it might become too tough to overcome. The game will be a lot like the Notre Dame-Michigan game with lots of scoring and the Fighting Irish trying to come back and falling short. Oklahoma does enough especially on defense to set up a win. PICK: OKLAHOMA

2) #23 Wisconsin at #3 Ohio State: Wisconsin or Ohio State has held at least a share of the Big Ten title the last few years. Thus, this game has major implications for the Big Ten title. Wisconsin has a similar ground and pound approach with two emerging running backs while Ohio State presents a dual threat at QB in not only the fact that they have two strong starters to choose from but their dynamic play keeps defenses on watch. I would not be surprised if this becomes a back and forth defensive battle after a couple of early scores and then a couple late drives to determine the game. With that in mind, it tightens up before Ohio State gets a couple late scores and seals the game. PICK: OHIO STATE

1) #9 LSU at #7 Georgia: Georgia draw their third top 10 opponent of the season and this might be the toughest one yet. LSU has traditionally been a more defensive low scoring type of team but their offense has opened up in different ways this season and Georgia brings a lot of skill and talent on their offense as well. With that in mind, it could be a lot like Georgia's earlier game with Clemson. The two quarterbacks will exchange scores along with a couple by their dynamic running backs behind them. Much like against Clemson, Georgia will need a late drive to win. Unlike on the road against Clemson, they will convert a big play that sets up the winning score and they escape a tough first month of the season with a big SEC win. PICK: GEORGIA

After a quiet week of college football with one top 25 matchup, this week provides a top 10 game and a few really good games. It would not be a surprise if at least one team fell out of the top 25 and the title hopes of a couple others take a hit. Should be an exciting weekend highlighted by LSU going to Georgia.