2019 Week 5 Preview

Aloha! I am writing this on the plane from Hawaii back to the mainland (before any Friday games have kicked off, I promise). I didn’t see much of last week’s games but I’m hoping to be back at my house by halftime of this Saturday’s morning games. There are a couple good games this weekend, but I’m not worried about catching up on some sleep while I’m watching.

My Record: 5-1 last week, 18-6 overall

Notable Games
5Ohio State at Nebraska
Honestly, Ohio State should win this game comfortably. The Buckeyes throttled Miami of Ohio last weekend and seems to be doing fine without Urban Meyer. Nebraska barely survived on the road against Illinois last week. College GameDay will be at this game so I think the atmosphere will be good, but not enough to offset the skill and talent that Ohio State will bring. Maybe we will get lucky and I will be wrong with this pick.
I am picking Ohio State

18Virginia at 10Notre Dame
Four weeks in, Virginia is making me look pretty smart. They are the second best team in the ACC. I think their lack-luster performance last week has a lot to do with looking ahead to Notre Dame this week. The Fighting Irish will be coming into this game a little banged up after playing Georgia last weekend. They fought hard to come back in that game after giving up 16 unanswered points in the second half. I think Notre Dame will with this game, pulling away in the fourth quarter, but that the final score will not reflect just how close the game was.
I am picking Notre Dame

Arizona State at 15California (Friday)
How strange to see California ranked 15th in the country. I think they are over-ranked because of their weird win over Washington and their road win over Ole Miss last week. That game came down to awful clock management by the Rebels, so I’m not sure how much strength I put in that win. Also, Ole Miss isn’t good, so that close of a win isn’t a huge accomplishment. The Sun Devils came up short in their game against Colorado last week but have a win over Michigan State on their resume. It is hard to be sure exactly what these teams will do. Cal seems to be on a lucky streak, so I’ll give them the edge in this game.
I am picking California

21USC at 17Washington
USC is just unlucky. They will be starting their third string QB when they take on Washington this weekend. Though he did see action in the Trojans’ win over Utah, I think this will be a bit much to overcome. Washington bounced back with a big win over BYU. They look like they are back on the right track. I think they will just be the better team in this game. USC is sneaky and scrappy, so don’t count them out of this game until there are zeros on the clock.
I am picking Washington

Washington State at 19Utah
Since I was in Hawaii, I was able to watch and keep up with the Washington State UCLA game all the way through. I still cannot believe that the Bruins were able to come back from being down 49-17 with 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. Somehow the Pac 12 continues to be the craziest conference once the lights come on. The WSU QB threw NINE TOUCHDOWNS and lost. I don’t know how they will respond in this game. Utah needs a good game after their poor showing last week. The Utes committed 16 penalties in their loss to USC. I think the Utah defense is much better than they showed last week and I think they will be angry in this game and that will be the difference.
I am picking Utah

24Kansas State at Oklahoma State
I am interested in this game. Oklahoma State put up a good fight against Texas last week. Kansas State is coming off a bye week and before that a win over Mississippi State. I think the Cowboys are the better team, given my limited viewing of both. I expect this one to be close-ish, but who knows? Possibly nteresting viewing during an average slate of games.
I am picking Oklahoma State

23Texas A&M vs Arkansas (Arlington)
Don’t have too much to say here. The Hogs should get beat by at least 30 if they play anything like they did against San Jose State. A&M isn’t great, but they hung with Auburn. This is usually a weird game, but I doubt this one will be close long.

Top 25
1Clemson at North Carolina
Ole Miss at 2Alabama
3Georgia BYE
4LSU BYE
5Ohio State at Nebraska
Texas Tech at 6Oklahoma
Mississippi State at 7Auburn
Northwestern at 8Wisconsin
Towson at 9Florida
18Virginia at 10Notre Dame
11Texas BYE
12Penn State at Maryland (Friday)
13Oregon BYE
Middle Tennessee at 14Iowa
Arizona State at 15California (Friday)
16Boise State BYE
21USC at 17Washington
Washington State at 19Utah
Rutgers at 20Michigan
Connecticut at 22UCF
23Texas A&M vs Arkansas (Arlington)
24Kansas State at Oklahoma State
Indiana at 25Michigan State