It’s a new week and a new set of interesting storylines to watch for in Week 5 of the college football season.
Of course, we all want to see how Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes bounce back after being handled by the Oregon Ducks. But the Buffaloes aren’t alone in needing to rebound from tough losses in Week 4.
No. 11 Notre Dame doesn’t have much time to get over a tough loss to Ohio State with a visit to face the surprising 17th-ranked Duke Blue Devils. The Fighting Irish fell apart in a close loss to the Buckeyes after having only 10 defensive players on the field during a critical scoring drive by Ohio State at the end.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame will have to prove they can put such a tough loss behind them while Penn State and Maryland both have a chance to show they are for real this week in a Big Ten that could clearly have a new narrative this season.
Here is a look at the Top 5 storylines going into Week 5.
Colorado Buffaloes must respond
We now know Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes won’t run the table to become the biggest turnaround story in college football. Oregon made certain of that with a blowout 42-6 blowout win over Colorado (3-1) in their Pac-12 opener last weekend. We will know more about the Buffaloes by the way they respond, but it won’t get any easier with No.8 USC and star quarterback Caleb Williams heading into Folsom Field. The Trojans (4-0) are even more explosive than the ninth-ranked Ducks and Colorado’s defense is still missing two-way standout Travis Hunter and could be without star safety Shilo Sanders. Colorado, which dropped out of the Top 25 this week, enters this Pac-12 matchup as 21 ½-pont underdogs. But this two-week slate will be as tough as it gets for the Buffaloes.
Next Man up in Aggieland
Texas A&M starting quarterback Conner Weigman is done for the season. That means former starter Max Johnson gets another chance at redemption in Week 5 versus Arkansas in a SEC showdown. After the Razorbacks, the schedule gets even tougher with 12-ranked Alabama before visiting No. 21 Tennessee in Week 7. But the good thing for the Aggies is their starting quarterback position is in experienced hands. Johnson, the son of former Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson, was a starter for LSU before transferring and in 2022 was the Texas A&M starter for three games before suffering a season-ending injury.
How about that Orange
For the second consecutive season, Dino Babers has the Syracuse Orange off to a 4-0 start. But just how good the Orange are will be put to the test in Week 5 when a dangerous Clemson team comes into the Dome. Sure, the Tigers are down after suffering a rare two early season losses — 28-7 to Duke in Week 1 and a 31-24 overtime defeat against Florida State — under Dabo Swinney, but they are still a tough opponent. Babers this week acknowledged that Clemson is still a championship quality team. In order for the Orange to show they are indeed for real, they will need a win against Clemson in this ACC showdown.
Kansas Jayhawks could be headed for an upset
The third-ranked Texas Longhorns have traditionally dominated 24th-ranked Kansas during their time in the Big 12. But this matchup – the last time the two will meet as Big 12 opponents – has that upset feel to it. Texas could be more focused on next week’s Red River Rivalry showdown against 14th-ranked Oklahoma than the Jayhawks. The 4-0 Longhorns have been impressive so far this season and off to their best start since 2012 after defeating Alabama on the road earlier in the season and last week stomping Baylor, 38-6, in their Big 12 opener. But the Jayhawks have a talented quarterback in Jalon Daniels, a lethal ground attack with Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw and an opportunistic defense that scored two touchdowns during last week’s win over BYU. This is the first time in the previous 21 meetings that both teams enter ranked in the Top 25. Texas owns a 17-4 all-time series in their Big 12 matchups, but the Jayhawks have been known to stun the Longhorns. Remember 2016 and 2021. What better way to deliver the Longhorns a nice parting gift before they had off to the SEC?
A cloud over Michigan State
This has been a tumultuous few weeks for the Michigan State Spartan, whose coach Mel Tucker has been accused of sexual harassment of a sexual abuse prevention advocate. Tucker was initially suspended, and this week was officially fired, therefore voiding the nearly $79 million dollars he had remaining on his contract. Now Tucker is threatening to file a lawsuit for wrongful termination. The Spartans have suffered back-to-back blowout losses the last two weeks against Washington and Maryland. On Saturday, they travel to Iowa where the Hawkeyes are looking to rebound from a humiliating 31-0 loss at sixth-ranked Penn State. Meanwhile, names like Kansas State’s Chris Klieman and Kentucky coach Mark Stoops are starting to make their rounds as possible replacements for Tucker at Michigan State.
Terrance Harris covers college sports for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.