College football is back in full swing. There are always things to watch every week of the season. Here are 5 things to watch in college football Week 5.
Ohio State still hasn’t notched a big win this season. It looked like they had one at Texas, but it slipped away. This week, they travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes in a ranked matchup. The Buckeyes have stormed through the rest of their games, with Jeremiah Smith leading the way. He has 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns. More players will need to step up to aid the Heisman contender. The defense allows just 12.3 points per game and should be able to limit Iowa.
The Hawkeyes are coming off a dramatic win over Michigan on the road to keep them undefeated. Iowa will now have their defense tested by a high-powered Ohio State offense. The Hawkeyes allow just eight points per game, ranking first in the country. They will need some explosive plays, which could come from wide receiver Tony Diaz, who has 247 receiving yards on the year. Kinnick Stadium can be a tricky place for opponents to play. Can Iowa pull off the upset?
Alabama has started off the season 4-0 and has put up an average of 48 points per game. They have been led by former heralded recruit Keelon Russell, who is playing great to start the season. He has passed for 1,129 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions on 70.9 percent completion. Russell has also rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Russell will be one half of a great quarterback matchup in Week 5, as the Crimson Tide play Mississippi State.
Kamario Taylor has led Mississippi State this season. He has passed for 1,192 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions on 69.2 percent completion. Taylor has also rushed for 185 yards and one touchdown. He has helped Mississippi State defeat Minnesota, South Carolina and Missouri. Taylor can really see his hype go through the roof if he can lead his team to a win over Alabama in week 5.
Florida got a huge win over Ole Miss in week 4 to build up some hype. The offense looks great as they have averaged 53.6 points per game and that’s with two SEC games already played. Jadan Baugh has been the star with 600 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground to start the year. The defense has given up some points, but has also made some key plays to help Florida get these wins. They’ll have to make sure that an emotional letdown isn’t ahead as they travel to Missouri to take on the Tigers in Week 5.
Missouri lost on the road to Mississippi State, but they battled hard and stayed in the game the whole way. The Tigers have gotten great quarterback play from Austin Simmons, who has passed for 947 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions on 65.4 percent completion. With running back Ahmad Hardy still sidelined, Simmons has led the offense to scoring 35.8 points per game. The defense has allowed 20.8 points per game. They will need to limit Florida’s offense, but the Tigers could pull off an upset.
The ACC has a few notable undefeated teams who will be in action in Week 5. Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech will square off in Blacksburg on Friday. Both teams come into the game unblemished, but largely untested. James Franklin has won the games they should win so far, which is reminiscent of his Penn State tenure. Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt squad has put up more points than usual, which could really help their ceiling, as they allow just 8.5 points per game defensively.
In addition to those two playing, an undefeated Miami team travels to Clemson to take on the Tigers. Miami has played nearly flawlessly to start the year, with quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney showing a real connection. Clemson lost to LSU big in Week 1, but has since reeled off three straight wins. Will Miami stay undefeated or does Dabo Swinney have some magic up his sleeve?
Indiana won three games against non-power conference opponents to start the year. In Week 4, they narrowly escaped with a win over Northwestern, 29-23. The game was at home and the offense just struggled to pull away. It was their first true test of the season, as they don’t schedule tough and it didn’t look great.
This week, Indiana travels to Rutgers, which is a game they should win. This could be a game to get their feet back under them and start improving. It seems like quarterback Josh Hoover has been off on quite a few throws this season and will need to play better to beat great competition. The defense gave up some points to Northwestern, so they will need to lock back in for Indiana to win some of the bigger games on their schedule.
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