Week four brought us a thriller in Lubbock and an absolute shocker Oregon. College football is coming full circle.
With many shakeups in the polls and conference play kicking off, here are some of the intriguing week five match-ups around the nation:
No. 13 ALABAMA at No. 8 GEORGIA
For the first time in 72 games, the Crimson Tide will not be the favored team in a college football matchup. The Georgia Bulldogs host Alabama and are a one-point favorites against the Crimson Tide this weekend.
However, the game is played on the field and not in the casinos and Alabama can certainly win this football game. The game will feature two of college football’s elite running backs – Alabama’s Derrick Henry and Georgia’s Nick Chubb.
Chubb has rushed for 599 yards and six touchdowns, leading the Bulldogs to an early 4-0 record.
Meanwhile, Henry has also showcased his dominance by rushing for 422 yards and eight scores, all while sharing carries with Kenyon Drake.
The real point of separation between these teams however lies in the quarterback situation.
While Alabama has shifted between Jake Coker and Cooper Bateman this season, UGA’s Greyson Lambert has been efficient all year, tossing seven touchdowns along with 733 yards and no interceptions.
With Lambert also completing 76.5 percent of his passes, expect Georgia’s balanced, efficient attack to eat up yardage against a spotty Alabama defense.
ALABAMA 31, GEORGIA 35
No. 21 MISSISSIPPI STATE at No. 14 TEXAS A&M
The Bulldogs come to Kyle Field with hope of an upset against an explosive Aggies offense.
While MSU allowed Leonard Fournette to rush for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns against them a couple of weeks ago, it’s the lowest yard total he’s had all year. They also held the Tigers to 71 passing yards, which should be somewhat of a conciliation prize.
However, Aggies quarterback Kyle Allen is no Brandon Harris. The former No. 1 pocket-passing recruit has thrown for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns this year.
442 of those yards have been accounted for by freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk, who has been dominant on the outside all season.
While the Bulldogs do have Dak Prescott at the helm, I don’t believe they will be able to score on the Aggies’ defensive line, which could be the best in the nation.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 20, TEXAS A&M 31
No. 6 NOTRE DAME at No. 12 CLEMSON
In the weekend’s marquee matchup, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to take on the Clemson Tigers.
For Notre Dame, the loss of starting quarterback Malik Zaire to an ankle injury was a huge blow.
Many thought their playoff hopes were over but backup DeShone Kizer has performed very well, throwing for 541 yards and five touchdowns since taking over for Zaire.
Receiver Will Fuller has established himself as arguably the best receiver in the nation, hauling in 22 balls for 454 yards and six scores.
The Irish have accumulated 1139 yards in rushing. They field one of the most balanced attacks in the nation.
For Clemson, they have silently had a very good season defensively, giving up an average 12.3 points per game.
Preseason Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson has been good but not great for Clemson, throwing 641 yards and 7 touchdowns.
The Tigers should have the edge against Notre Dame, especially with the home field advantage at “Death Valley.”
NOTRE DAME 31, CLEMSON 35
