Top Games of Week Five

• (8) Stanford @ Washington--Stanford 34-20—Washington is placing quite a lot of emphasis on this contest, so they should come out fired up.  Unfortunately for the Huskies, they simply aren’t as talented as the Cardinal.  The Huskies end the blackout seeing red!
• NC State @ Miami--NC State 31-14—This isn’t exactly a marquee matchup, but both teams are playing reasonably well right now.  This game will separate one of the teams as a legitimate contender while the other is an also ran.  The Wolfpack will run wild on the abysmal Hurricane defense.
• (25) Baylor @ (9) West Virginia—Baylor 42-38—The Bears haven’t missed RG3 so far this season…and I don’t think this is the week where they pay for his graduation.  Both teams have porous defenses, but Baylor has the superior offense at this point.  I’m going out on a limb here, but I’ll call for the upset.
• Tennessee @ (5) Georgia—Georgia 35-24—I’m ignoring my gut on this one.  I still feel like Georgia hasn’t been tested, so the idea of Tennessee getting a shot at them leaves me hopeful.  That said, the Volunteer defense was…well, let’s just say they struggled with Florida and Akron.  Georgia’s prolific offense should be able to take advantage.  That said, don’t forget about 2006 when a more highly thought of Georgia team suffered a blowout loss to the Vols.
• (14) Ohio St. @ (20) Michigan St.—Ohio St. 28-21—Michigan St.’s offense simply isn’t explosive enough to win from behind, and Ohio St. can definitely put you in a hole.  Ohio St. is playing like a team on a mission.  Michigan St. is just the next speed bump, and the Buckeyes will run it over soon enough.
• (12) Texas @ Oklahoma St.—Oklahoma St. 34-31—I genuinely like the Texas defense, but this isn’t likely to be a defensive game.  Texas can’t run to a win against the Cowboys.  OSU is superior on offense and comparable on defense.  That should result in Longhorns fans begging for a reprieve from the “Waving Song”.
• Texas Tech @ Iowa St.—Texas Tech 21-10—The Red Raiders are mighty good this season, but that comes as little surprise to me.  That Iowa St. is sitting at 3-1 is shocking!  The Cyclones won’t be after this weekend, but for now, I give them a hearty pat on the back.  ISU simply doesn’t have the offense to win against the Raiders.
• Wisconsin @ (22) Nebraska—Nebraska 35-17—Wisconsin is winning, but it’s been ugly.  Nebraska is the better overall team.  Maybe Wisconsin needs to cultivate a QB of their own next time…
• Ole Miss @ (1) Alabama—Alabama 38-20—So far the Tide haven’t been tested.  That might change this week.  Ole Miss is the best rushing offense in the conference right now, and they will do their best to test the Bama defense.  Can Ole Miss win?  No, but they can at least lose respectably.
• (18) Oregon St. @ Arizona—Arizona 27-24—This is one of the most interesting games, but I have to pick against the Beavers because of their overall lack of scoring ability.  Arizona does a much better job of finding the end zone, and that’s enough to get the edge.