What To Expect On Saturday: CFB Week 5 Preview

Let The Chaos Flow Through You

Gardner Minshew back at his alma mater. PAC 12 After Dark. Jorts. College Football.

Joey Goodsir, Editor-in-Chief
September 26, 2019

Now that last week has settled us into normal College Football, it’s time to have that genuine, chaotic fun that makes this sport the most popular to watch in America.

While there is just a slight drop off in the quality of games this week, there are still a solid selection of ranked matchups and key storylines to look into this upcoming Saturday.

But let’s not forget to go back before we go forward…

About Last Week

I chose a gif of a cat clock because I’m in need of something soft and comforting. College Football isn’t that right now for your author…

ALRIGHT, you know you’re reading this section for one reason only:

You want to know how I react to or defend my team. I’ll give you my reaction, and guess what? I’m not defending my team right here. As things stand, they don’t deserve it right now.

Believe it or not, it’s not really this that is making this Harbaugh Apologist officially step into the job status conversation:

Harbaugh Era at Michigan

0-4 vs. Ohio State
0-7 as an underdog
1-9 vs. Top 10
1-3 in Bowls
0 Conference Titles
0 Division Titles

— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) September 23, 2019

I mean sure, losing isn’t fun. But the persistent mishandling of the football, the persistent penalties, and the persistent lack of coherent identity or urgency are exactly the things that are evoking the memories of a dark age of Michigan Football — an era that Jim Harbaugh quickly built the program out of, making it his large but lonely piece of accomplishment during his Michigan tenure. Yeah, these kinds of new problems are RichRod bad. They’re Brady Hoke bad. To all CFB fans not close to the Michigan program: this kind of thing is exactly the way this coach gets fired – if it’s even possible.

I struggle to even call him Jim Harbaugh – because I’m not sure who he even is anymore. If you haven’t noticed, he’s changed dramatically in recent years.

Remember this guy?

Yeah, he died in the 2016 Ohio State game. He’s been replaced by an emotionless and soulless guy who paces the sidelines with barely a care in the world. Sure, his antics went away partially because the Big Ten refs were out to get him (and there is some merit to that decision), but his complete lack of intensity reflects onto his players when they wander into Camp Randall with no urgency from the moment the ball is kicked off. It’s concerning, and who knows where the famous “enthusiasm unknown to mankind” went?

The Wolverines play Rutgers (haha) during the noon timeslot this weekend. I will reside in The Big House during the game for the first time this season, and I have no idea what to expect from it. We’ll just have to wait and see. It just blows my mind that this is actually happening. If JIM HARBAUGH of all people doesn’t work at this program, than who will?

Wisconsin looked fantastic on the other hand. Just watch the tape, I won’t:

MOVING ON…

Almost forgot my record: I went 7-4 last week (yikes), pushing my overall record to 42-15 (73.6%).

Elsewhere, Auburn beat A&M in a close game against my prediction:

Notre Dame/Georgia was on par with what I said (UGA win, closer than expected). There was just a lot less scoring:

And ASU/Colorado was not what I thought, although its late spotlight was stolen very quickly by another game (I’ll talk about that later):

Enough living in the past. Let’s get to the previews…

Bonus Game

Friday, Sep 27

7:00 CT:

#12 Penn State @ Maryland (FS1)

Saturday, September 28

Noon Game of The Week

Texas Tech @ #6 Oklahoma

When: 11:00 CT

TV: FOX

Rain (Above 40%)? Maybe (37% per weather.com)

Where: Memorial Stadium (Norman, OK)

Series History: OU leads 20-6 (Last Time: OU won 51-46 in 2018)

When it comes to Big XII Football as of late, two things come to mind: robotically productive offenses, and defenses that are made of wet paper.

This matchup has proven to fit this stereotype in recent history, as the last four seasons have proven to be shootouts between these two (no game has had a team score less than 40 points).

This year’s shootout in Norman will prove to be no exception. Expect points points points.

Sure, Oklahoma currently holds an edge on the offensive side of the ball, as Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts has proven effective as a Sooner thus far. Texas Tech won’t lag too far behind though, as the Red Raiders are utilizing experienced quarterback McLane Carter and experienced playmakers around him.

The difference is in Oklahoma’s defense. While they still fit the Big XII “wet paper” description I gave at the top and I am in no wa giving them overall praise, they have relative competence and production that should slow down Tech a little bit.

Oklahoma Wins, 56-49

Who's Your Pick for Noon Game of the Week: Week 5?

#6 Oklahoma (100%, 3 Votes)
Texas Tech (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 3

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Other Noon Games of Note

11:00 CT:

Northwestern @ #8 Wisconsin (ABC)

#23 Texas A&M @ Arkansas (ESPN)

Afternoon Game of The Week

Mike Miller/One Foot Down
Notre Dame returns to South Bend following a big loss to Georgia.

#18 Virginia @ #10 Notre Dame

When: 2:30 CT

TV: NBC (eyeroll)

Rain (Above 40%)? Probably not, but still possible (33% per weather.com)

Where: Notre Dame Stadium (S̶o̶u̶t̶h̶ ̶B̶e̶n̶d̶ Notre Dame, IN)

Series History: ND leads 2-0 (Last Time: ND Won 34-27 in 2015)

While I often make fun of the Irish for their independence, the one piece of legit bragging material they can hold as a result of it is their ability to have varying big matchups just one week apart.

Last week, is was a marquee GameDay-appearance-warranting game in SEC Country, and now we have a key ranked home matchup with a rising ACC power to look forward to on Saturday afternoon. The only issue is that last week was a loss, almost completely pushing Notre Dame into a must-win out situation, with a schedule that is far from a cakewalk.

If you watched the highlights of last week’s game above, you would know that ND did decently well moving the ball from a passing perspective. This week, it’s really going to be about gaining production out of the running game.

The Virginia Cavaliers are looking to really step up this year, and so far they have with their undefeated start. Like Notre Dame with Ian Book though, they rely on their quarterback in Bryce Perkins to pick up yards.

This game should depend on Bryce Perkins’ performance, and I just don’t think he’ll be comfortable enough at Notre Dame Stadium early – especially considering the Irish’s strong pass defense. Book on the other hand, will likely have a solid day. Assuming Perkins’ rushing doesn’t become superhuman…

Notre Dame Wins, 38-24

Who's Your Pick for Afternoon Game of the Week: Week 5?

#10 Notre Dame (67%, 2 Votes)
#18 Virginia (33%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 3

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Other Afternoon Games of Note

2:30 CT:

#21 USC @ #17 Washington (FOX) *Keep an eye on this*

#1 Clemson @ North Carolina (ABC)

Indiana @ #25 Michigan State (BTN)

Night Game of The Week

Ron Chenoy/USA Today
Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost’s first big game?

#5 Ohio State @ Nebraska

When: 6:30 CT

TV: ABC

Rain (Above 40%)? Probably (50% per weather.com)

Where: Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE)

Series History: OSU leads 6-1 (Last Time: OSU won 36-31 in 2018)

I hope the Michigan talk at the top was not overwhelming, as it provides good historical context for Nebraska. Yes, as much as both fan bases would hate to admit it – they are very similar. Read the next paragraph and see if you could find anything that doesn’t apply to both schools:

This blue blood won their last National Championship in 1997. Since then, they were decent until a significantly dark period haunted the program and the athletic department. After a final dramatic ousting of the Athletic Director and head coach, an exciting hiring of a prominent football alumn brought confidence and a rebuilding plan back to the program to make it great again.

Sound familiar? It should.

The Huskers deserve credit for attracting College GameDay to Lincoln for this matchup this week. It is probably the first spotlight game of Scott Frost’s era.

The unfortunate truth is it seems to be a little lopsided. Ryan Day’s first year at Ohio State has been so smooth, you wonder if the program is even comprised of beings capable of human error ever. Justin Fields looks fantastic as they’ve been pumping the points on every team they have faced, and the defense looks elite too as always.

While I think Nebraska slows down Ohio State at first since it is their first matchup against anyone significant, it doesn’t last long AT ALL. You can’t expect to handle this Buckeye team if you can’t handle Colorado.

Hey Cornhuskers – I’ve been through this before. Just some advice: it’ll take longer than you want before the big games are won. Just be patient (for now).

Ohio State Wins, 49-19

Who's Your Pick for Night Game of the Week: Week 5?

Nebraska (67%, 2 Votes)
#5 Ohio State (33%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 3

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Other Night Games of Note:

6:00 CT:

Mississippi State @ #7 Auburn (ESPN)

Late Game of The Week

Utah.edu
Located in the middle of the Utah mountains, RES is sure to be loud after dark.

Washington State @ #19 Utah

When: 9:00 CT

TV: FS1

Rain (Above 40%)? Yes, and probably storms too (50% per weather.com).

Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium (Salt Lake City, UT)

Series History: WSU leads 9-7 (Last Time: WSU won 28-24)

While the game I covered for PAC12 After Dark last week looked appealing on face value – UCLA/Wazzu really took the spotlight fast.

Gardner Minshew showed up to cheer on his alma mater in freaking jorts (as featured on this week’s cover photo), and the two teams fit 130 points into regulation (!). UCLA won this game for some reason.

This is the chaos that late night college football is built for, and one can only hope to see that when the Cougars come to Salt Lake City to play an interesting Utah team.

The Utes are also coming off of a loss, and it was to the USC Trojans – not an encouraging resume piece for what could have originally been a playoff win.

Because of that loss, this game should be Utah doing everything they can to win. They have the home field advantage, and they are likely to utilize it as best as possible. Wazzu, meanwhile, will continue to air raid until they break a score graphic.

The insomniac I am is quite excited for this one.