FAVORITE TEAMS

My college football takeaways from Week 5:

Blowouts, just…so many blowouts! But not many upsets.

Ranks 21 through 25 continue bringing in new teams that were unranked since Week 2. Cal was the highest ranked team to be removed from the Top 25 after their loss. Michigan State (Week 5) and Arizona State (Week 6) both reappear after being out of the Top 25.

SMU and Wake Forest make their Top 25 debut as they dive into the meat of their schedule.

Oklahoma State could threaten the Big 12 for a spot in the conference championship, but they must focus on their next target after losing to them last season: Texas Tech.

Where are we with Penn State, Iowa, and Florida? I guess we’ll find out with at least Iowa and Florida this weekend. If Iowa succeeds, then we’ll find out with Penn State when the Hawkeyes host them next weekend.

The Top 7 teams impressed, but Clemson looked shaky at UNC while Alabama’s defense allowed 20+ points for the 2nd time in a five week span.

5) USF (1-3 OVERALL; 0-1 AAC) AT UCONN (1-3 OVERALL; 0-1 AAC) – 9AM PT / 12PM ET

Originally, this matchup was the bottom two of the conference, but East Carolina is 0-2 after their loss on Thursday. I could’ve posted something better than this game too, but I couldn’t avoid this matchup and I can explain this one. UConn has been consistently bad in the AAC, but they’re playing at home with an opportunity to end their 12-game losing streak in the AAC, including their 7-game losing streak to USF. UConn running back Kevin Mensah should have a field day against the Bulls’ run defense. He rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns against them last season. This matchup has been close and competitive since 2007 and there has only been two games that ended in double-digits within that span. USF is favored by about 11 points, but due to injuries (including quarterback Blake Barnett being inactive) and USF’s defense failing to slow down the run, the Bulls could be in for another dreading on Saturday unless the offense overall resolves their issues.

4) ILLINOIS (2-2 OVERALL; 0-1 BIG TEN) AT MINNESOTA (4-0 OVERALL; 1-0 BIG TEN) – 12:30PM PT / 3:30PM ET [BIG TEN NETWORK]

Illinois outran and outplayed Minnesota and won 55-31. This was their first double-digit win against the Gophers since 2007. In the last eight meetings, every three straight Gophers’ wins against Illinois resulted in a loss, and it happened twice. Finally, the last time Illinois won at Minneapolis was a decade ago. Illinois returns a good amount of players on both sides and has Michigan-transfer quarterback Brandon Peters leading the way, so this team can play. This is Illinois’s first season scoring over 35 points per game since 2010. They also scored over 30 points in their first four games for the first time since 1914 (that team finished the season undefeated at 7-0 that year). This would be a meaningful win if they can end the Gophers “in-a-pinch” moments they endured for the first four games of the season. This should be another close, yet high-scoring game to watch despite Minnesota being favored by two touchdowns. It’s a potential upset game that Illinois could accomplish this weekend.

3) TULANE (3-1 OVERALL) AT ARMY (3-1 OVERALL) – 9AM PT / 12PM ET [CBS SPORTS NETWORK]

This is another interesting matchup to tune into. I put this game in my Top 5 because Tulane looks better this season, especially on offense led by quarterback Justin McMillan and special teams led by running back Amare Jones. Army has one of the better defenses in college football that not many talk about. They play as physical as their offensive run game and their pass defense looks a tad better than their run defense. This is an underrated game that Army must be cautious of because Tulane won the last two meetings against them. Army’s run defense must prepare to slow down Tulane’s rushing attack that’s currently 9th in the country. The Green Wave look relevant for competition in a wide-open AAC West division, but a big road win against Army makes them dangerous alongside SMU.

2) #7 AUBURN (5-0 OVERALL; 2-0 SEC) AT #10 FLORIDA (5-0 OVERALL; 2-0 SEC) – 12:30PM PT / 3:30PM ET [CBS]

So there’s three Top 25 matchups this weekend, and out of those three is this Top 10 matchup. There’s questions that will hopefully be answered after this game. How good will both of these quarterbacks be with Auburn’s Bo Nix playing at Gainesville and Florida’s Kyle Trask handling himself against Auburn’s defense? Will both offenses go in the right direction after this game or will one of them progress while the other returns to the drawing board? Florida snuck their way into the Top 10 and maintained their spot. Auburn did too, but they played a couple of key games (Oregon and Texas A&M). Auburn won the last three meetings against Florida, and this is Auburn’s third matchup against a ranked opponent and hopes to go 3-0 against them. Florida’s key situation is pressuring Bo Nix and Kyle Trask playing well and controlling the field. Out of the three Top 25 matchups, this is the game to watch this weekend.

1) #14 IOWA (4-0 OVERALL; 1-0 BIG TEN) AT #19 MICHIGAN (3-1 OVERALL; 1-1 BIG TEN) – 9AM PT / 12PM ET [FOX]

Michigan’s game against Iowa is one of very importance. While Iowa won their only supposed quality game against Iowa State and quietly climbs the rankings, Michigan was lackadaisical in their early games. The beatdown over Rutgers was the rebound that Michigan needed to boost their confidence again. Now they must figure out how to end their 2-game losing skid against Iowa, including a game-winning field goal that upset Harbaugh’s Wolverines in the past. They seemingly have an offense, but lets see if they’ve solved their issues. Iowa’s defense has yet to allow 20 points this season and is #3 in the nation in points allowed per game. Speaking of that, guess who Iowa’s alongside the Top 4 in points allowed per game? (#1 Wisconsin, #2 Penn State, and #4 Ohio State. The Big Ten Top 4 defense in the nation). It’s still early, but Iowa’s offense is statistically better than in previous seasons. Receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s already closing in on his 2018 season mark and quarterback Nate Stanley’s passing percentage is better than his last two seasons combined so far, and he has yet to throw an interception. If Michigan’s offense hasn’t resolved itself, expect this game to be low-scoring and struggling to surpass 40 total points. Iowa has a tough road ahead after Michigan, so it’s their game to lose a tad more than Michigan. Although, Michigan’s trying to hold on to the Top 25, a Big Ten title race, and a potential chance for a playoff spot.

*red indicates my Underrated Team