It seems like the 2015 college football season just kicked off, yet here we are, already nearing the halfway mark — I guess time flies when you’re having fun.
Conference battles are the featured attraction this weekend, and there are some doozies on the schedule. These following storylines should get you prepared for the biggest contests of Week 5.
1. Will West Virginia’s vaunted defense be able to shut down the Sooners?
This upcoming contest will be a true litmus test for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia (No. 23) enters Week 5 with the nation’s top defense in terms of scoring allowed (7.7 points per game). Part of the recipe for success stems from an opportunistic, aggressive approach on defense that has garnered the Mountaineers a plus-three turnover rate, which also leads the nation.
These are certainly impressive numbers, but they may not really be a good indicator of what to expect this Saturday when they hit the field against Oklahoma (No. 15).
The Sooners feature an offense unlike anything West Virginia has faced this year. Led by junior quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has already passed for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns, Oklahoma features a balanced offense that can punish teams with the run or go big over the top in the passing game.
This contest can be viewed nationally for those who have FOX Sports 1 starting at 12 p.m. ET.
2. Is Northwestern for real?
Nobody thought the Wildcats (No. 16) would be sitting here with a 4-0 record as we approach Week 5. That said, hot starts aren’t exactly uncommon with this program, but the month of October has been its Kryptonite since 2010 (6-14 record).
Dual-threat freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson has performed admirably with the running game leading the way, and the team’s defense has been stellar, ranking No. 3 in the nation in points allowed (8.8 per game).
An underrated Minnesota team comes into town this weekend, and the Golden Gophers won’t easily go down, as we all saw in the opening weekend against TCU. This contest will be won and lost in the trenches. Whichever team can dominate the other up front will walk away with a victory.
Unfortunately this isn’t a nationally televised contest. Fans with subscriptions to the Big Ten Network can watch beginning at 12 p.m. ET.
3. Can Texas possibly keep up with TCU?
Led by the dynamic duo of quarterback Trevone Boykin and wide receiver Josh Doctson — who caught an astounding 18 passes in last weekend’s epic shootout against Texas Tech — TCU (No. 4) hosts Texas in Week 5. If the Longhorns don’t score early and often, this one could get out of hand.
It’s not crazy to think Texas might actually be able to do it, however.
As we witnessed when TCU took on Texas Tech, the Horned Frogs don’t exactly feature a stellar defensive unit. This could be another game in which Longhorns quarterback Jerrod Heard has a field day, much like what we saw during the Cal game, when he threw for 364 yards and ran for 163.
Likely, TCU will romp at home, but there’s a chance — albeit a slight one — that Charlie Strong’s team might be able to avoid losing three in a row.
Fans can watch this game nationally on ABC starting at 12 p.m. ET.
4. Can Texas Tech somehow recover from last weekend’s emotional roller coaster against Baylor?
The Red Raiders almost beat TCU (No. 4) in Week 4. They had the game in their hands until fate stepped in and took the victory away in the cruelest possible way when Doctson — on fourth down — failed to catch a touchdown only to tip it to Aaron Green, who made a tremendous play to win the game. There were 107 points scored in the game, which was a see-saw affair.
Things don’t get any easier this weekend for Texas Tech, either — out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. Baylor (No. 5) features the top scoring offense in the nation, averaging an astounding 64 points per game.
It’s going to take razor-sharp focus from Kliff Kingsbury and his players to recover from such an emotional loss. Baylor won’t stop scoring — especially against Texas Tech’s porous defense at home — meaning quarterback Patrick Mahomes must be on point and his receivers need to have their track shoes on.
This contest will be televised nationally either on ABC or ESPN2 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.
5. How will Alabama respond to being the underdog this weekend against Georgia?
It’s been 72 games since Alabama (No. 13) has entered a contest as the underdog, but that streak came to an end this week. Oddsmakers are favoring Georgia (No. 8) to win at home by a small margin, and it’s going to be fascinating to see which team comes out on top in this SEC slugfest.
Alabama has been the top dog in the SEC for a while now, but after losing to Ole Miss in Week 3 it seems this team is vulnerable. Don’t tell that to Georgia head coach Mark Richt, though, who isn’t letting himself or his team fall into a sense of superiority.
“I think Alabama’s a great football team,” Richt said, via David Ching of ESPN.com. “They’re as good or better than they’ve ever been, in my opinion. So I don’t know what the talk might be out there, but they’re as good or better than anybody in our league and as good or better than anybody in the country.”
Both programs feature excellent rushing attacks, so the contest will likely come down to quarterback play and, obviously, turnovers.
Fans can watch this game nationally on CBS beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.
6. Does Florida stand a chance against Ole Miss?
It’s no secret the Rebels (No. 3) have some outrageous firepower on both sides of the ball — as was evidenced in Week 3 when they took down the mighty Crimson Tide on the road. Florida (No. 25) is next on the menu, and the Gators are riding an emotional high after beating Tennessee in dramatic fashion last weekend.
Florida must not allow Ole Miss to jump out to an early lead, or this could be over before halftime. This is easier said than done, however, as the Rebels rank No. 2 in the nation scoring 54.8 points per game. Making matters worse, the Gators don’t feature a strong offensive line, meaning Robert Nkemdiche and the rest of his pals on the defensive line could have a field day.
The Gators must find a way to control the clock and keep quarterback Will Grier out of harm’s way. Otherwise the Rebels are going to win easily.
This SEC battle will be nationally televised on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. ET.
7. What’s next for Leonard Fournette ?
Unbelievably, Fournette is only 44 yards away from owning the nation’s top rushing mark — and he missed a game when LSU (No. 9) had Mother Nature intervene in Week 1 with a crazy lightning storm. That said, if you’ve been paying attention the past three weekends, then you already know Fournette is not of this world.
The lead dog of LSU’s offensive attack has been absolutely abusing opposing defenses, running folks over like they were feeble stalks of grain instead of phenomenal athletes in their own right.
Here’s a quick look at his unbelievable streak of dominance, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info.
After dominating Mississippi State and Auburn, Fournette and the Tigers are hosting Eastern Michigan, which isn’t exactly a threatening program, coming in with a 1-3 record. The Eagles rank dead last (No. 127) in the nation against the run, allowing 6.7 yards per carry, 18 rushing scores and 373.3 yards per game.
Seriously, if Les Miles decides to let Fournette play most of the game, he could easily top 300 yards.
This contest will air on ESPNU starting at 7 p.m. ET.
8. Huge SEC battle between Mississippi State and Texas A&M
Texas A&M (No. 14) entered the season without much national respect, but sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen has been superb and the defense has been solid. The Aggies haven’t really had much of a test since Week 1, however, and Mississippi State (No. 21) will give them all they can handle.
The Bulldogs nearly took down LSU in Week 3 but ultimately couldn’t finish the job, losing 21-19 at home. Quarterback Dak Prescott has been very sharp this season so far, throwing no interceptions while completing 66.9 percent of his passes and throwing seven touchdowns.
Watching Allen and Prescott duel this Saturday night should be high on your to-do list. These two signal-callers should put on quite a show, and the winner will gain a significant advantage in the SEC West.
This game will be televised on ESPN’s SEC Network beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
9. Notre Dame’s mettle will be tested in Death Valley against Clemson
This is the game of the week — bar none.
Notre Dame (No. 6) barely survived its only road contest this year, beating Virginia on a final-seconds heave by DeShone Kizer, who came into the game after the Irish lost Malik Zaire for the season with an ankle injury.
Let’s just say this upcoming contest against Clemson (No. 12) will be slightly more intimidating.
The environment at Memorial Stadium is always lights-out amazing. Things are going to be cranked up another notch, however, on Saturday night in a prime-time matchup against the unbeaten Irish. Clemson is also undefeated, and the eyes of the nation will be watching.
As intimidating as it might be, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is confident in his players.
“I think our team was well prepared for Florida State,” Kelly said, via ndinsider.com. “Most of these kids played in that game, so we’ll have a lot of carryover.”
Clemson is a formidable opponent in any environment. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is coming into his own for the Tigers, and the team’s defense is the No. 4 unit in the land. At home, in front of over 80,000 screaming fans, they’re incredibly tough to defeat.
This game will be featured in prime time starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
10. Harbaugh’s Woverines back on the road again
There isn’t any doubt Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines (No. 22) are on a roll, winning their last three and crushing the life out of a pretty darn good BYU team last weekend with a shocking shutout. That said, all three victories were claimed in front of the home crowd at The Big House.
Now it’s time to hit the road again, and while nobody would say Maryland is a powerhouse, this team shouldn’t be taken lightly at home. One of the things Harbaugh is worried about is the Terrapins’ special teams — specifically their return units.
“Jim Harbaugh says he’s on ‘high alert’ for Maryland’s return units this year. He said its one of the best return games he’s ever seen in college football,” wrote Dan Murphy of ESPN.
Michigan showed plenty of moxie in Week 1 against Utah (No. 10), losing by just one touchdown. As long as the Wolverines maintain discipline and continue to dominate the line of scrimmage, there’s a good chance Maryland is toast in this upcoming battle.
Another win would likely result in another bump in the rankings. It’s safe to say at this point Harbaugh’s influence in Ann Arbor is prompting a quicker turnaround than anyone thought possible, given the level of talent he inherited.
This Big Ten battle can be seen on the Big Ten Network beginning at 8 p.m. ET.