College Football Week 5 Preview: Top Five Games to Watch This Weekend

Sheet Litman

College football and soccer analyst

Week 5 is here with many exciting duels between ranked opponents. There's last season's SEC Championship rematch between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama, there's a crucial Big 12 showdown between No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Kansas State and there's a thrilling clash in the Big Ten as No. 19 Illinois visits No. 9 Penn State.

This is the last weekend in September, which means the season is just getting going. And in October, we'll learn a lot more about which teams are legitimate College Football Playoff contenders.

Here are the top five games to watch this weekend:

Minnesota at No. 12 Michigan (Noon ET on FOX)

There will be no surprises here. Michigan will run the ball, so Minnesota will have to shut it down to have any hope of winning from Ann Arbor.

As we learned last week, first years Wolverines Coach Sherrone Moore will go with QB Alex Orji over Davis Warren for the foreseeable future. Orji doesn't throw the ball very often, but he and Michigan's Running backs can move the chains with their legs. Last week, Kalel Mullings was hot and had 17 carries for 159 yards with two touchdowns in a huge win over USC. That appears to be Moore's offensive game plan, and he's sticking to it.

The Gophers have the second-largest pass defense in the country, but that won't play a big role here. They give up nearly 125 ypg on the ground and allowed four rushing touchdowns in last week's 31-14 loss to Iowa. Transfer QB Max Brosmer gives Minnesota an advantage in the passing game, but that may not be enough to overcome Michigan's talent on defense.

No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State (12 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Both teams are still in the hunt to win the Big 12, despite coming into this game with fresh losses. Oklahoma State suffered a tough 22-19 result against Utah, while Kansas State fell to a 38-9 loss on the road against BYU.

An important matchup will be Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson against the Cowboys defense. Johnson had a poor performance last week, throwing for 130 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. However, OSU has one of the worst defenses in the country, allowing more than 460 yards per game, so this would be an opportunity for the young quarterback to get back on track.

Mike Gundy said his offense against Utah was “terrible.” Veteran QB Alan Bowman finished the game with 206 yards and two interceptions and was benched for the third and part of the fourth quarter before returning for the final ten minutes to help his team rally. Running back Ollie Gordon II, who won the Doak Walker Award last season, has failed to get going and has run for less than 50 yards in each of the last three games. He faces another top-25 run defense this week, so those struggles could continue.

No. 15 Louisville at No. 12 Notre Dame (3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock)

Notre Dame is trying everything in its power to stay in the CFP race. After a stunning 16-14 home loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, the Fighting Irish need to pick up wins to stay in the good graces of the selection committee and prove to fans why they should cheer for this team instead of booing it (as it was). ). the case last week).

A year ago, Notre Dame found itself in a similar situation against Louisville. The Irish had a loss but went away and were upset about it Cardinals33-20. That probably still hurts a bit in South Bend, especially since the Irish were expected to win. In this year's duel, one of the highest-scoring offenses in Louisville (47.3 ppg) faces one of the highest-scoring defenses in Notre Dame (9.8 ppg). Cardinals QB Tyler Shough, a transfer from Texas Tech and Oregon, has eight passing touchdowns and zero interceptions so far this season.

Meanwhile, Irish QB Riley Leonard had an outstanding performance against Miami (Ohio). He passed for 154 yards with a touchdown and ran for 143 yards with two rushing scores, including a 50-yard dash down the middle of the field in the final minutes of the game.

No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

The most anticipated game of the week. Last year, Alabama beat Georgia 27-24 in the SEC title game, clinching a spot in the CFP and ending the Bulldogs' hopes of winning three straight national championships. Since then, Nick Saban has retired and Kalen DeBoer has been hired to maintain the winning culture in Tuscaloosa. This is DeBoer's first big test as Saban's successor, and it's probably a little unfair that his SEC debut has to come against Kirby Smart and the Dawgs.

Aside from the off-field storylines, the game itself promises to be entertaining as always. QB Jalen Milroe runs even more under DeBoer Georgia The defense must apply pressure early and often and limit explosive plays. Alabama currently boasts the fifth-best offense in the country, averaging 49.0 ppg, while Georgia has the second-best defense in the country and hasn't allowed a touchdown in three games. However, that is Bulldogs To get into a rhythm quickly, they need QB Carson Beck, whose only loss as a starter was against Alabama last year. The Bulldogs haven't scored a touchdown in the first half of two of their first three games this season, but they have a chance to win here against an unproven Bama secondary.

No. 19 Illinois at No. 9 Penn State (7:30 p.m. on NBC)

James Franklin called for “white-out energy” ahead of Penn State’s first conference matchup of the season, a Saturday night matchup against No. 19 Illinois. The last time the Fighting Illini visited Beaver Stadium in 2021, they upset the then No. 7 Nittany Lions 20-18 in an unprecedented nine overtimes.

Three years later, both teams enter this showdown undefeated and sitting in the top 20 with their CFP hopes intact. Illinois has already beaten two ranked teams in the first four weeks of the season, first against then-No. 19 Kansas 23 -17 in Week 2, and then defeated then-No. 19. 22 Nebraska 31-24 last Friday night in Lincoln. The Illini won't be intimidated by loud environments, although Penn State fans will do their best to influence the game.

Penn State, meanwhile, is looking for its first quality win of the season. After taking care of West Virginia in Week 1, James Franklin's team struggled to defeat Bowling Green in Week 2. After a week of idleness, the Nittany Lions beat Kent State 56-0 at home last Saturday. If PSU makes it through this weekend unscathed, it will only have two top-25 teams left on the schedule: No. 13 USC (October 12) and No. 3 Ohio State (November 2).

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

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