This week’s college football week 5 preview is brought to you by: the Brussels Airport 1st Class Lounge, where the Belgian Beer is self-serve and after 2-3 everything you type is super hilarious.
By nature, the first four weeks of the college football season tend to be a bit slow, but this week, I think the crap just got real. There seem to be lots of great match-ups this week. Which ones should you be on the lookout for? Well, here is my 2 cents:
Big Ten
The big boys of the Big Ten East are easing into thing this week as MSU and OSU are both ~20+ point favorites over the teams from Indiana and Penn State (-23) has a date with Army. Michigan has to travel to Maryland and oddly only opened as an 11.5-point favorite. Perhaps Vegas didn’t get the memo that Team Harbaugh is now destined to run the table, crushing all opponents by 30+ points and not allowing a team to score another point for the rest of the year. I’m not sure why they even released a spread, or why we are even bothering to play any more games, as the outcome of the season is now set. I guess they are just humoring us. However, the Big Ten West does give us some interesting match-ups as undefeated Iowa visits Wisconsin (-9.5) and Minnesota travels to NW (-6.5). The two winners there will likely be the new favorites to get to Indy. Nebraska also travels to Illinois (+7.5) in a game that my gut tells me will be closer than expected.
ACC
The ACC could have a wild week as only one game features a point spread over 10 points (FSU at Wake Forest [+18]). The game I have had circled for a while now is when Notre Dame visits Clemson (-2). If Clemson wins here, the home game on 11/7 against FSU is perhaps all that stands between them and a playoff spot. Then again, Notre Dame is in a similar position, although they still have games left against USC and Stanford. If ND wins big, this could eliminate the ACC from playoff contention. All the other games should prove to be entertaining, but I am not convinced any will have national impact. As for upset picks, I like Pitt over VA Tech (-4.5).
Big 12
The Big 12 nine-game full round robin gauntlet starts this week, which means teams like Baylor and KSU finally have to play a team with a pulse. TX Tech is +12.5 vs. Baylor on a neutral field. Will the football gods reverse the curse this week and give TX Tech the upset? ISU (-14.5) hosts Kansas in a battle for last place, while TCU (-15) will likely add to Texas’ wonderful season. KSU at OK State (-3) is an interesting match-up, as I don’t have a good feel how good either team is. But, for me the game of the week is WVU at Oklahoma (-9). I don’t know why, but I am issuing an upset alert on that one.
Pac 12
It is a bit quiet out West this week, as four teams have the week off. The Arizona schools this week travel to Stanford (-17.5) and UCLA (-13.5) and they are not expected to do any better than last week. Oregon travels to Colorado as only an 8-point favorite. Just as a point of reference, Colorado lost to Hawaii by 8 points in Week 1 and Hawaii failed to score any points at all against both Ohio State and Wisconsin. Sweet.
SEC
Several games pique my interest down south this week, but the headline of them all has got to be Alabama at Georgia (-2). I am not sure if Alabama can absorb another loss this early, but the either case, the winner will get a huge boost towards the play-offs. Doesn’t this seem like the kind of game that Bama always wins and UGA always loses? Undefeated Ole Miss (-6) travels to Gainesville to play undefeated Florida, and Mississippi State travels to Texas A&M (-5.5). The good news here is that two of those four teams will have to lose. The 2nd tier games this week include Arkansas at Tennessee (-7.5) as Beliema’s seat continues to warm up and South Carolina at Missouri (-3.5) in a match-up of teams that are no longer relevant.
Independent / Group of Five watch.
In the AAC, undefeated teams Temple (-23.5 at Charlotte), Memphis (-10.5 at USF), and Houston (-6 at Tusla) all have road games that could get tricky with Navy (-6) gets to host Air Force. Yeah, I am going to be watching that score, too, as well as UCONN at BYU (-18.5). In the MAC, Toledo travels to Ball State (+6.5) in a test to see if they might be New Year’s Six material, but I am also curious to see how Northern Illinois (-2.5) fairs at CMU.
Enjoy!
By nature, the first four weeks of the college football season tend to be a bit slow, but this week, I think the crap just got real. There seem to be lots of great match-ups this week. Which ones should you be on the lookout for? Well, here is my 2 cents:
Big Ten
The big boys of the Big Ten East are easing into thing this week as MSU and OSU are both ~20+ point favorites over the teams from Indiana and Penn State (-23) has a date with Army. Michigan has to travel to Maryland and oddly only opened as an 11.5-point favorite. Perhaps Vegas didn’t get the memo that Team Harbaugh is now destined to run the table, crushing all opponents by 30+ points and not allowing a team to score another point for the rest of the year. I’m not sure why they even released a spread, or why we are even bothering to play any more games, as the outcome of the season is now set. I guess they are just humoring us. However, the Big Ten West does give us some interesting match-ups as undefeated Iowa visits Wisconsin (-9.5) and Minnesota travels to NW (-6.5). The two winners there will likely be the new favorites to get to Indy. Nebraska also travels to Illinois (+7.5) in a game that my gut tells me will be closer than expected.
ACC
The ACC could have a wild week as only one game features a point spread over 10 points (FSU at Wake Forest [+18]). The game I have had circled for a while now is when Notre Dame visits Clemson (-2). If Clemson wins here, the home game on 11/7 against FSU is perhaps all that stands between them and a playoff spot. Then again, Notre Dame is in a similar position, although they still have games left against USC and Stanford. If ND wins big, this could eliminate the ACC from playoff contention. All the other games should prove to be entertaining, but I am not convinced any will have national impact. As for upset picks, I like Pitt over VA Tech (-4.5).
Big 12
The Big 12 nine-game full round robin gauntlet starts this week, which means teams like Baylor and KSU finally have to play a team with a pulse. TX Tech is +12.5 vs. Baylor on a neutral field. Will the football gods reverse the curse this week and give TX Tech the upset? ISU (-14.5) hosts Kansas in a battle for last place, while TCU (-15) will likely add to Texas’ wonderful season. KSU at OK State (-3) is an interesting match-up, as I don’t have a good feel how good either team is. But, for me the game of the week is WVU at Oklahoma (-9). I don’t know why, but I am issuing an upset alert on that one.
Pac 12
It is a bit quiet out West this week, as four teams have the week off. The Arizona schools this week travel to Stanford (-17.5) and UCLA (-13.5) and they are not expected to do any better than last week. Oregon travels to Colorado as only an 8-point favorite. Just as a point of reference, Colorado lost to Hawaii by 8 points in Week 1 and Hawaii failed to score any points at all against both Ohio State and Wisconsin. Sweet.
SEC
Several games pique my interest down south this week, but the headline of them all has got to be Alabama at Georgia (-2). I am not sure if Alabama can absorb another loss this early, but the either case, the winner will get a huge boost towards the play-offs. Doesn’t this seem like the kind of game that Bama always wins and UGA always loses? Undefeated Ole Miss (-6) travels to Gainesville to play undefeated Florida, and Mississippi State travels to Texas A&M (-5.5). The good news here is that two of those four teams will have to lose. The 2nd tier games this week include Arkansas at Tennessee (-7.5) as Beliema’s seat continues to warm up and South Carolina at Missouri (-3.5) in a match-up of teams that are no longer relevant.
Independent / Group of Five watch.
In the AAC, undefeated teams Temple (-23.5 at Charlotte), Memphis (-10.5 at USF), and Houston (-6 at Tusla) all have road games that could get tricky with Navy (-6) gets to host Air Force. Yeah, I am going to be watching that score, too, as well as UCONN at BYU (-18.5). In the MAC, Toledo travels to Ball State (+6.5) in a test to see if they might be New Year’s Six material, but I am also curious to see how Northern Illinois (-2.5) fairs at CMU.
Enjoy!
