Games To Watch: Week 5
Last weekend provided some shocking upsets and a lot of "phew" moments. There were plenty of surprises to go along with it. A winless Old Dominion caused a huge upset over former #13 Virginia Tech and left quarterback Josh Jackson hobbling in the process. Kentucky ran over rival Mississippi State to jump back into the Top 25 for the first time since 2007. Washington escaped a persistent Arizona State team, Purdue crushed Boston College's hopes, Texas Tech showed that they can play some defense against Oklahoma State, and Texas took back their state against TCU. The game that had me sweating was Oklahoma against Army. Army could've upset my Sooners if it wasn't for that late pick to stop a 10-MINUTE DRIVE in the 4th quarter and another pick to end the game in overtime.
This weekend could provide a similar outlook before October, and unsuspecting things may happen. What's important to note is how Kelly Bryant's unexpecting transfer will affect Clemson's revenge matchup against Syracuse.
This Top 5 Games To Watch picks provides plenty of epic matchups and potential upsets, including my Sooners. The upset pick was tough, but I unfortunately went with the obvious and will hold my breath for that game too.
UPSET) BAYLOR (3-1 OVERALL; 1-0 BIG 12) AT #6 OKLAHOMA (4-0 OVERALL; 1-0 BIG 12) - 12:30 PM PT/ 3:30PM ET [ABC]
I never looked forward to seeing Baylor play since they won their first game in 2011. It's always brutal. Oklahoma won their last 3 meetings with Baker Mayfield, but he's gone now. Kyler Murray is a good quarterback but I can’t discount what happened after Army nearly downed the Sooners. Army's control of possession and Oklahoma's bad defense nearly downed the Sooners. I can’t say this game is a godsend because Baylor runs their offense swiftly. Jalen Hurd is the leading receiver along with Denzel Mims, Chris Platt, and new guy Tyquan Thornton. For some of you SEC and Tennessee fans, Hurd was a running back at Tennessee and played against Oklahoma in 2014 and 2015. Hurd managed over 200 rushing yards against them in two meetings. Oklahoma's lack of defensive consistency and bad tackling puts them in danger of losing their first game this season.
4) #20 BYU (3-1 OVERALL) AT #11 WASHINGTON (3-1 OVERALL) - 5:30PM PT/ 8:30PM ET [FOX]
It’s only the 10th meeting and Washington leads 5-4. This matchup has been fairly tough since 1996. BYU's 4-8 season was unbearable watch due to their lack of toughness and quarterback play. The last 5 games, they lit a spark and won 3 of the last 5 games, carrying their momentum into 2018 with 3 wins and a return to the Top 25.
Washington has played three fierce games and won two of them so far. Despite offensive consistency against three defensive teams, they got the job done on the defensive side, including special teams. What needs to be addressed is their offensive line. They allowed 25 tackles for losses. What's worse is that they're playing BYU's aggressive defense, led by Corbin Kaufusi.
The offensive line will play a key part in this game. Both offenses allowed a lot of tackles for losses. It likely has to come down to making big plays and both offenses are capable of it. It will also come down to the last possession of the game.
3) #19 OREGON (3-1 OVERALL; 0-1 PAC-12) AT #24 CALIFORNIA (3-0 OVERALL) - 7:30PM PT/ 10:30PM ET [FOX SPORTS 1]
This is an intriguing game to watch. California starts 3-0 for the 2nd straight season. They played teams like North Carolina, BYU, and Idaho State. But now that BYU is ranked, California could be good...but how good? The quarterbacks were questionable before freshmen quarterback Chase Garbers took over. Their defense could be the strength. They’re currently #6 in total defense (907), #9 against the pass (170.7), and has allowed 3 touchdowns each for passing and rushing. They have a couple of tackling machines in linebackers Evan Weaver and Jordan Kunaszyk. Oregon ran their offense like Oregon again, but they burnt out in the end against Stanford. Despite being outscored 31-7 in the second half and overtime and losing, they were awarded a rank up.
Two years ago, California defeated Oregon. The last time both teams were ranked in this matchup was in 2007. When California started 3-0 last year, they lost the next game to USC. The Bears defense is good, but has their offense improved???
2) #7 STANFORD (4-0 OVERALL) AT #8 NOTRE DAME (4-0 OVERALL) - 4:30PM PT/ 7:30PM ET [NBC]
Stanford won during an impressive 2nd half comeback after being trailing 24-7 at halftime. They’re in a good spot in the Pac-12 North with three other teams ranked. After escaping the offensive side, now they face the defensive side in Notre Dame.
The Irish had some ugly moments, but they went out strong in those 3 games. Quarterback Ian Book was great against Wake Forest, but that was a bad Wake Forest defense. Can he prove it once more against Stanford's defense?
Stanford may have established themselves to run the tables in the Pac-12 conference while Notre Dame is running to be the first non-Power 5 team in the college football playoff. Notre Dame is again #8 against Stanford, and they're looking for revenge after Stanford shut down their playoff opportunity. They need a reliable quarterback to give them any shot at a playoff spot.
1) #4 OHIO STATE (4-0 OVERALL; 1-0 BIG TEN) AT #9 PENN STATE (4-0 OVERALL; 1-0 BIG TEN) - 4:30PM PT/ 7:30PM ET [ABC]
The last two seasons in this matchup was nothing less than epic. Trace McSorley has been involved in those two games. He's by far the best quarterback in the Big Ten and his big play ability to keep his team running has impacted the program. With J.T. Barrett gone, Dwayne Haskins leads the offense and he's really good. He's thrown 16 touchdowns to one interception and is 75.7 percent on his completions. This matchup has similar averages on points and points allowed for both teams. They both have good offenses and good defenses. Even without J.T. Barrett and Saquon Barkley, there's still stars and impact players to make this game great to watch. The last two matchups were fantastic to watch and this weekend should show a similar impact. The winner takes the lead in the Big Ten East and has only the state of Michigan to beat to own the division.
UNDERRATED TEAM RESULTS FROM WEEK 4: (51-29)
AAC: 1-1
ACC: 2-0
BIG TEN: 1-0
BIG 12: 2-0
C-USA: 0-1
INDEPENDENT: 1-0
MAC: 1-1
MOUNTAIN WEST: 0-1
PAC-12: 1-1
SEC: 1-1
SUN BELT: 1-1
GOOD WIN: TEXAS, BUFFALO
BAD LOSS: NONE
