Every time I think that I have a good grasp of this sport, it throws a curveball at me. I’m fairly certain that roughly half of my preseason predictions have already aged poorly (as expected). Sometimes when all that’s given to us is chaos, there’s nothing to do but let go of the oars and see where the currents take us. On to Week Five!
Week Four Recap
The Top 25 teams certainly a bit of a mixed bag of results from last week. Texas, Mississippi State, and Iowa all eked out close wins, Florida and Oregon re-asserted their place in the pecking order, and Penn State was upset at home by unranked Wisconsin, As we’ve reached Week 5, maybe these ranking can actually reflect team success, right?
Top 25 Matchups
Rankings are from AP Poll, All game times EST
Saturday 10/3:
12:00-3:00PM
- #3 Notre Dame @ North Carolina, ESPN
- Boston College @ #21 SMU, The CW
- #7 Alabama @ #16 Mississippi State, ABC
- UCF @ #20 Houston, ESPN2
- Vanderbilt @ #2 Georgia, SECN
3:30PM-6:30PM
- #8 Florida @ #25 Missouri, ABC
- Auburn @ #17 Tennessee, ESPN
- #5 Ohio State @ #14 Iowa, CBS
- #24 Kentucky @ South Carolina, SECN
7:00-10:00PM
- #10 BYU @ TCU, ESPN
- Washington @ #18 USC, NBC
- #4 Miami @ Clemson, ABC
- #12 Texas Tech @ Colorado, FOX
- Utah State @ #22 Boise State, CBSSN
- McNeese State @ #11 LSU, SECN
- #6 Indiana @ Rutgers, BTN
Most Interesting Matchups
Pitt @ Virginia Tech: The Hokies and Panthers enter this matchup both 4-0 and yet somehow unranked. No matter the outcome of this one, the back-and-forth chirping between James Franklin and Pat Narduzzi will certainly be entertaining.
Alabama @ Mississippi State: To all of you who had this down as a top 20 matchup at the start of the season, I’ll be asking you for lottery numbers. The Bulldogs’ turnaround has been impressive, but do they have enough to hang with the big dogs in the SEC? Only one way to find out!
Ohio State @ Iowa: Fresh off a dramatic last second win over Michigan, the Hawkeyes welcome the Buckeyes into the hostile environment of Kinnick Stadium. Ohio State is already on thin ice after the loss to Texas, and can’t afford to slip up in a critical conference game like this.
Florida @ Missouri: The Gators have seemingly crawled out of a five-year visit in the swamp of mediocrity, and have emerged as true contenders on the back of a potent passing attack. Meanwhile, Missouri fell to the aforementioned MSU Bulldogs last week; a second conference loss in a row may slam their contending window shut.
Washington @ USC: Any illusions about the Trojans having a defense that would help them win the Big Ten were shattered after a deflating home loss to Oregon last week. If there’s anyone who’d be willing to drive that point home a bit more, it’s their rival Huskies. May the spirit of Pac-12 chaos live on!
FCS Game of the Week
South Dakota State @ Illinois State, 10/3, 7PM, ESPN+
This week’s featured matchup is a Top 15 FCS clash between Missouri Valley Conference opponents. The Jackrabbits and Redbirds meet in Normal, IN this Saturday evening.
Selected Pick ATS
My Picks:
Last Week: 3-2 Season: 11-12
- Pitt @ Virginia Tech (-3.5)
- Alabama (-6.5) @ Mississippi State
- Ohio State @ Iowa (+14.5)
- Florida (-5.5) @ Missouri
- Washington @ USC (-9.5)
Coin Flip Picks
Rules – Heads: Home Covers, Tails: Away Covers
Neutral Site: Heads picks the first team alphabetically
Last Week: 1-4 Season: 11-12
- Pitt (+3.5) @ Virginia Tech
- Alabama @ Mississippi State (+6.5)
- Ohio State (-14.5) @ Iowa
- Florida (+5.5) @ Missouri
- Washington (+9.5) @ USC
