The Week 5 slate in college football features two clear headliners, one that everybody saw coming and one that had potential if everything fell into place as it has for its participants.
Beyond that prime time pair of marquee contests, there are a few other matchups that could provide telling takeaways as the quest for the ultimate prize continues. Here are Saturday’s top five impact games in the hunt for the College Football Playoff.
No. 4 Ohio State at No. 9 Penn State
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
It might seem premature to declare this the Big Ten East championship game, but most signs point to it being just that. With both challengers from Michigan already tagged with a non-league loss along with West Division favorite Wisconsin, these are also the conference’s most likely playoff candidates. Ohio State prevailed with a late rally in Columbus a year ago en route to the Big Ten crown. Will the change of venue with an amped-up crowd in State College reverse that outcome this time.
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After surviving an opening-day scare against Appalachian State in overtime, the Nittany Lions have used big second halves to put away their next three opponents. A slow start would not be advisable against the Buckeyes, who have looked as explosive as any team in the country not named Alabama with QB Dwayne Haskins emerging as an early Heisman contender. The RB duo of J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber give Haskins plenty of ground support, and WR Parris Campbell provides the breakaway threat. Those are a lot of concerns for LB Jan Johnson and the Nittany Lions’ defenders. Penn State QB Trace McSorley has been around the block himself, of course, and he appears to have found his go-to ball carrier in RB Miles Sanders. Ohio State will still be without standout DE Nick Bosa, who sustained a lower abdominal injury in the TCU win, but DT Dre’Mont Jones and DE Chase Young can also apply pressure.
No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
After somehow getting out of Oregon with a win, the Cardinal have to tap into the reserve tank for another rough road assignment. The Fighting Irish, who found a spark with a new starting signal caller, return home with their playoff aspirations very much alive.
Notre Dame’s offense found another gear with the switch to QB Ian Book. His success is in part attributable to facing Wake Forest’s leaky secondary, but his superior accuracy to that of Brandon Wimbush can’t be overlooked. Cardinal CBs Alameen Murphy and Paulson Adebo should provide a bigger challenge. In addition to getting some fortuitous breaks in Eugene, Stanford did show it could move the ball quickly when necessary. The combination of QB K.J. Costello and WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside is usually the most effective mode of transport. They might have to connect often again with Irish LBs Drue Tranquill and Te’von Coney clogging up the rushing lanes.
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Syracuse at No. 2 Clemson
Saturday, noon ET, ABC
Early returns indicate there aren’t many viable challengers for the Tigers in the ACC. The Orange, who managed to trip up Clemson in the Carrier Dome a season ago who are now off to a 4-0 start themselves, could be among the few remaining. That setback ultimately didn’t derail the Tigers’ path to the playoff, but they certainly haven’t forgotten.
Last season’s upset was made possible in part by the in-game injury to Clemson QB Kelly Bryant. He didn’t have a ready replacement then. Now he does, and he has chosen to transfer mid-season as a result of freshman Trevor Lawrence being named the new starter by coach Dabo Swinney. The bad news for the Tigers is Lawrence now has no safety net should he falter or get hurt. The Syracuse pass defense hasn’t been airtight, but the Orange have recorded 13 sacks through four games, led by DE Kendall Coleman’s four, so Lawrence could face some heat. Syracuse has dynamic veteran QB Eric Dungey directing its attack. He has accounted for 13 touchdowns, nine by air and four by land, though he has yet to encounter a defense approaching Clemson’s talent level in his senior campaign. But if he can avoid DE Clelin Ferrell and his friends on Clemson’s fierce front line, Orange WRs Jamal Custis and Sean Riley could make things happen downfield.
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No. 12 West Virginia at Texas Tech
Saturday, noon ET, ESPN2
Though the Big 12 race is still young, West Virginia continues to look the part of favorite Oklahoma’s primary threat. But all the Mountaineers’ road trips in this league are long, and this likely track meet with the red-hot Red Raiders could pose an early test to their stamina.
Texas Tech has reversed its fortunes since an opening-day setback against Ole Miss. This is due in part to coach Kliff Kingsbury’s decision to turn his high-octane offense over to freshman QB Alan Bowman, but some improvements on the defensive side have also helped TTU upend unbeaten opponents Houston and Oklahoma State, the latter on the road, in back-to-back weeks. WVU QB Will Grier, however, has been just as impressive, leading a romp past Kansas State in last week’s conference opener despite a few early mistakes. Prolific pass catchers who figure to post lofty stats in this one include Red Raiders’ WRs Antoine Wesley and Ja’Deion High and WVU WRs Marcus Simms and David Sills V.
BYU at No. 11 Washington
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox
The Huskies have handled every test since a tough opening loss to Auburn. Nothing has come easily, however, and this date with a resurgent BYU squad could be another grind. The Cougars, who have already put a dent in one playoff contender’s resume, will try for another huge road upset.
The veteran tandem of QB Jake Browning and RB Myles Gaskin continue to make the timely plays for Washington. The attack as a whole has been efficient if not explosive, and the same bend-but-don’t-break formula that helped LB Zayne Anderson and the BYU defense stay close at Wisconsin could serve the Cougars well again. BYU figures to be better rested than the Huskies after a relatively easy clash with McNeese last week, and its backfield duo of QB Tanner Mangum and RB Squally Canada is also battle tested. But they’ll have a difficult time avoiding hard-hitting Huskies’ LB Ben Burr-Kirven, who is seemingly around the ball on every play.
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