College Football Week 5 Preview

Michigan @ Michigan State, Saturday 12pm
Ahad: Michigan State hasn’t looked go so far this season. They let a victory against ND slip away with a late interception. Michigan has exceeded last seasons win total and will only add to it this week. Pick: Michigan
Mike: MSU hasn’t looked good? Have you seen Michigan Ahad? Michigan has squeaked by their evenly matched opponents. You know which team is capable of jumping that small gap to a win? MSU. Doesn’t matter the year, they neutralize the Michigan ref factor and enjoy a cozy home clock advantage. Pick: Michigan State
Matt: This is usually around the time when Michigan State starts on its annual win streak following a slow start to the season. Michigan is undefeated, but have won some close games against Notre Dame and Indiana in the Big House. This one is on the road, and Michigan State needs a win. Pick: Michigan State
Evan: I think both of these teams are very bad. I know a lot of people are on the Forcier bandwagon, but it’s easy to look good when you are playing who Michigan is playing. I have zero respect for the Big 10 this year. I will stick with my pattern of picking the home team when they are both bad. Pick: Michigan State

LSU @ Georgia, Saturday 3:30pm
Ahad: Home field usually plays a big role is these types of matchup, yet I don’t think Georgia can keep up with LSU. Pick: LSU
Mike: I don’t have a feel for what I’d like to refer to as the 2nd tier of the SEC. What was LSU doing last week barely holding on against Miss St? And, hey Georgia, Arizona St isn’t very good, especially if they have to travel all the way to your house? Were you just trying to be hospitable to your guests? Georgia need to keep airing it out to keep the ground game going, they should be able to put plenty of points on the board. Oh, and how did I miss LSU being #4 in the AP this week? Really? Pick: Georgia
Matt: LSU has the dreaded #4 ranking this week…at least they are not playing an unranked opponent. I am not sure what to think of this game, other than it being a tough SEC matchup. Both teams are somewhat underwhelming to me. I think LSU wins it, but barely. Pick: LSU
Evan: Don’t let the Miss St game fool you, they are much improved this year thanks to former Gator off. coord Dan Mullen. LSU has more talent than Georgia, but UGA is playing for their season at home. I would much prefer LSU to win this game so they don’t have a loss going into the Gator game this week. Pick: LSU

Florida State @ Boston College, Saturday 3:30pm
Ahad: I will say it again, BC doesn’t impress me. Florida State is looking to bounce back from last week’s debacle against South Florida. Going on the road will help these guys focus on the task at hand. Pick: FSU
Mike: What happened FSU? I was so busy still praising FSU for their BYU blowout I almost missed the USF game. Still, BC? Are they really going to be able to keep up with FSU? And Gameday in BC? Someone just really want to visit Boston? Pick: Florida State
Matt: Boston College is not playing as well this year as years past. Florida State has been up and down this season. Gameday is in BC? That is funny. Why not Miami? That would have made more sense. I think Florida State will rebound this week. Pick: Florida State
Evan: FSU must have had a ridiculous week of practice this week after the embarassment last Saturday. I hope Boby Bowden has an idea of what kind of team BC is, which he admittedly did not against USF. Pick: FSU

Oklahoma @ Miami, Saturday 8pm
Ahad: Is Bradford going to play? Landry has looked comfortable out there, except for the BYU game. OU is starting to click on both sides of the ball and will use this as a statement game. Was the game against VTech a bump in the road for Miami or a sign of things to come? OU is going to show everyone that their season wasn’t over after the BYU loss. Pick: OU
Mike: Oklahoma hasn’t really played anyone of significance since the BYU lost. Still 109-0 in 2 games is pretty solid no matter who you are playing. OU should shut down the Miami offense. What concerns me the most? Oklahoma playing in Miami, it doesn’t sound right. Looks like this is OU’s 4th trip to Miami, the Canes won 2 of the first 3. Pick: Oklahoma
Matt: Can Miami rebound from a sloppy loss last week? It looks like Oklahoma has turned things around since that opening loss to BYU, but they didn’t play strong teams. I think this game really does come down to Bradford playing. If he plays, he gives them a good chance to come out of South Florida with a win. Without him, I think Miami takes advantage. I think Miami will play better back at home and should come out on top in this game. Pick: Miami
Evan: What happened last time OU played in Miami with Sam Bradford – lost the National Championship. Now they return to the stadium without their leader. Obviously Miami is not as good as UF was last year, but they are just as good as BYU, and they are playing at home. Miami kind of stunned me the way they played last weekend, but they will be back. Pick: Miami

USC @ California, Saturday 8pm
Ahad: USC doesn’t lose two conference games in one year. They will show up to play and will rally around the unfortunate accident that Johnson suffered. Look for USC to win big. Pick: USC
Mike: This isn’t the same USC team. Of course Cal got run over by the Ducks, and not just a little. Pick: USC
Matt: California was clearly an overrated team and was absolutely exposed last week. USC got their annual conference road loss out of the way already, so I don’t see them losing this game. Pick: USC
Evan: USC Cal (Evan changed his pick to Cal prior to kickoff.)

Average Games
Wisconsin @ Minnesota – Still not sure where these teams rank in the Big 10.
Washington @ Notre Dame – If Washington could beat USC … They didn’t get up for Stanford but they should be up for this game.
Texas A&M @ Arkansas – Not sure about Arkansas yet since they had to play Georgia and Alabama.

Standings
Matt 10-10 (2-3)
Mike 10-10 (1-4)
Evan 10-10 (1-4)
Ahad 9-11 (1-4)