Week 5 of the College Football season features the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers squaring off with the Mississippi schools with both the Crimson Tide and Tigers on their home turf. Both want to keep their momentum going as the season progresses. Some compelling conference and national matchups on the slate this week. Here’s a look at week 5 in College Football.

Last week: 15-9

Overall: 74-26, 74%

Ole Miss (2-2) @ No.2 Alabama (4-0)

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jamie

Bama by 37 1/2

Tua Tagovailoa has completed 87-of-112 passes, 78%, for 1,300 yards 17 TDs and 0 interceptions. Those are remarkable numbers. Of course, they’ve come against not the toughest schedule, but Tua has proven he’s for real. Najee Harris rushed for 110 yards in the Tide’s 49-7 victory over Southern Miss last Saturday. The receivers, Jerry Jeudy (30-404, 6 TDs), DeVonta Smith (20-263, 3 TDs), Henry Ruggs III (16-350, 4 TDs) and Jaylen Waddle (11-197) are beyond spectacular. Apparently, it’s debatable as to who would win a 40 yard dash between Ruggs III and Waddle to determine the fastest guy on the team. There are conflicting opinions. Some think Ruggs would win, while Najee Harris and some others like Waddle to win. No matter, both are house calls waiting to happen every time they touch the ball and Jeudy could very well win the Biletnikoff Award for the second straight season as the best wide receiver in college football. Smith just keeps putting up the numbers. Jeudy looks like a top 5 pick and Ruggs and Smith could very well be first rounders, When Waddle goes out (he’s a sophomore) he can also very well be a first rounder. He could be a perfect Devin Hester player who can return kicks and punts for house calls and make explosive plays in the passing game. The defense is still youthful at least on the front 7, but the youthfulness is talented, and you can’t teach that. They just have to keep getting the experience, and staying injury free is of paramount importance for this defense. The back 4 or 5 look very solid led by potential All American Trevon Diggs at corner. Kicker Will Reichard is battling an injury to his leg, so Joseph Bulovas will kick. Reichard’s prognosis is unknown, but Bulovas has the opportunity to be a valuable player on this team for now.

Ole Miss just dropped a game to a pretty good Cal team which features a stout defense and lost on the last play of the game as quarterback Matt Corrall was unable to get in the end zone from a yard out on a sneak. The Rebels would have had to score and convert the 2 point conversion as they ended up losing 28-20. They don’t have their best team this season and this is a juggernaut they’re running into tomorrow. It’ll be a tough day for the Rebs and a big day for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama 55, Ole Miss 10

Mississippi State (3-1) @ No.7 Auburn (4-0)

6 PM CT

ESPN

Sean, Todd, Holly

AU by 10

Bo Nix has completed 56 of 104 passes, 54%, for 645 yards, 5 TDs and 0 interceptions. He’s been solid. Tua said something pretty prophetic after the Southern Miss game last week when asked how to evaluate him and his team’s performance. He said he’d know and say more after game 5. So we should know a lot more about Nix after this game. Ja’Tarvious Whitlow has rushed for 408 yards and 4 TDs. He is second in the SEC in rushing only behind Kylin Hill of Mississippi State, who’s rushed for 551 yards. Derrick Brown was a machine last Saturday at A&M picking up 2 sacks and dominating up front. Brown along with Tagovailoa and Jerry Jeudy are all potential top 5 picks in the 2020 draft. The Auburn defense was pretty spectacular last Saturday in the Tigers tremendous 28-20 road victory over Texas A&M. Excellent victory in a tough place to win. State has a pretty solid team and Joe Moorhead is doing a nice job there so far. This is an important game for Nix to prove he can lead this team to excellence this season. I like him and his talented wide receivers, Whitlow and the defense to make a statement tomorrow night that Auburn is in the mix for greatness this season.

Auburn 31, Mississippi State 17

Georgia, LSU, Missouri and Tennessee are off this week.

The No.3 Dawgs won a hard fought contest over No. 10 Notre Dame 23-17 between the Hedges last Saturday Night. I thought it was more about Notre Dame being a very good team rather than Georgia struggling. Both teams are in the hunt for the playoff. Notre Dame not out of it if more chaos ensues which it will.

The No.4 LSU Bengal Tigers went to Nashville last Saturday and blasted Vanderbilt, 66-38. Joe Burrow was 25-of-34 for 398 yards, with 6 TDs and 0 ints. Ja’Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 229 yards and 4 TDs against the clueless Vanderbilt defense. Burrow has now completed 100-of-124 passes, 81%, for 1,520 yards 17 TDs and 2 ints. He’s only thrown 7 more incompletions than touchdowns in 124 attempts. That’s astounding. Bringing in former New Orleans Saints offensive analyst, Joe Brady, who is 29, to coach Burrow and run the offense along with Steve Ensminger was a spectacular move by O. Defense could be a concern. Linebacker Michael Divinity, one of the best players and key leaders on that side of the ball, is banged up, and receiver Terrance Marshall, who had already caught 6 TDs, is lost for a while with a broken foot. LSU needs to improve on defense if it wants to be elite unless they’re just going to outscore everybody.

Missouri blasted South Carolina at home, 34-14. Kelly Bryant has completed 82-of-126 passes for 1,025 yards, 8 TDs and 3 ints. He’s been a major success and could help the Tigers have a very nice season.

Tennessee is in total disarray. Jeremy Pruitt needs to get it together quickly or there could be U Hauls in his driveway soon.

No. 23 Texas A&M (2-2) @ Arkansas (2-2)

11 AM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Olivia Dekker

A&M by 23 1/2

A&M has one of the toughest schedules in the country and struggled against Clemson and couldn’t get it together quickly enough against Auburn. Kellen Mond is a high quality athlete, who still has a chance to be very good quarterback for the Aggies. He just needs to get started tomorrow. Arkansas might be the exact antidote to get Mond and the Aggies cookin.

A&M 45, Arkansas 17

Kentucky (2-2) @ South Carolina (1-3)

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom, JRodg, Cole

South Carolina by 3

Kentucky lost at State last Saturday 28-13 and can’t seem to get it going since quarterback Terry Wilson got hurt and Troy transfer Sawyer Smith took his spot. South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski played pretty well against the Crimson Tide 2 weeks ago, but struggled at Mizzou last Saturday going 13 for 30 for 166 yards with a TD and an int. I like the Gamecocks to get better this week and outlast the Wildcats.

South Carolina 28, Kentucky 24

Towson (3-1) @ Florida (4-0)

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Alyssa Lang

Florida by 37 1/2

If Alabama-Ole Miss wasn’t on, I might be taking a siesta during this game. Florida was extremely impressive in blasting the Vols last Saturday 34-3. Kyle Trask has filled in admirably at quarterback for the injured Feliepe Franks. Florida needs to keep gaining momentum as they host the No.7 Auburn Tigers next Saturday in a colossally important SEC matchup.

Florida 66, Towson 3

Northern Illinois (1-2) @ Vanderbilt (0-3)

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Dave Neal DJ Shockley, Dawn Davenport

Vandy by 6

Vanderbilt has been embarrassingly bad on defense the last 2 weeks of the season. Purdue’s quarterback threw for over 500 yards against them and Joe wasted them last week. Derek Mason better hope his team can prevail tomorrow. He’s treading on thinner and thinner ice now. He talks a big game, but rarely does he deliver. He’s supposed to be a defensive guru, but his defense is a disaster.

Vanderbilt 34, Northern Illinois 31

No.1 Clemson (4-0) at North Carolina (2-2)

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Dave, Gregory, Luges

Clemson by 27 1/2

Trevor Lawrence is not really lighting it up this season. He’s completed 66 of 106 passes for 925 yards 7 TDs and 5 ints. Too many interceptions for him through 4 games. Too many interceptions for any QB after 4 games. But he’s doing some good things, Travis Etienne has rushed for 305 yards, averages 7.5 yards per carry and 4 TDs. Lyn-J. Dixon is talented too as he’s rushed for 220 yards, 6.7 per carry and 3 TDs. The story for Clemson though is the defense. They are tied for third in the nation in scoring defense giving up just 10 points per game. Wisconsin is first at 4.7, Ohio State is next at 9 and Penn State, Clemson and Georgia are tied for third. Alabama is 8th at 10.5 ppg and Auburn is 21st at 15.8. The Tigers already have 12 1/2 sacks on the season. They’re lockdown. Lawrence should have a better day against the Tar Heels and the Clemson defense should be dominant again.

Clemson 49, North Carolina 17

No.5 Ohio State (4-0) @ Nebraska (3-1)

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Maria

Ohio State by 17

Justin Fields is what the recruiting rankings thought he was as the 2nd best player in the 2018 class just behind Trevor Lawrence. He’s completed 66-of-95 attempts for 880 yards, 13 TDs and 0 ints. He’s also rushed for 6 TDs. Ohio State has played Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, Indiana, and Miami of Ohio and have won handily in all 4 games. Not an impressive schedule but neither is Alabama’s, and they’re getting it done just like the Crimson Tide, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and Auburn are. Nebraska is getting better in Scott Frost’s 2nd year but they’re not an elite team in the Big Ten. I like the Buckeyes to take care of business impressively in Lincoln.

Ohio State 49, Nebraska 28

Texas Tech (2-1) @ No. 6 Oklahoma (3-0)

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

OU by 27

Jalen Hurts has been terrific for the Sooners completing 49 of 61 passes, 80%, for 880 yards, 9 TDs and 0 ints. He’s also rushed for 373 yards and 4 TDs. I don’t really care to talk about the Heisman this early in the season, but there’s a lot of talk about it already as that’s become the norm now, so I’d say Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, Tua, Joe Burrow and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor would go to New York at this point. A lot of football left, but these guys aren’t slowing down.

Oklahoma 52, Texas Tech 24

No. 18 Virginia (4-0) @ No. 10 Notre Dame (2-1)

2:30 PM CT

NBC

Tirico, Flutie, Kathryn Tappen

Notre Dame by 11 1/2

Virginia is having and will have a good season but this is too tall an order for the Cavaliers. After last Saturday Night in Athens, I’m buying the Fighting Irish as a serious contender for the playoff.

Notre Dame 34, Virginia 21

Northwestern (1-2) @ No.8 Wisconsin (3-0)

11 AM CT

ABC

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams

Wisconsin by 24 1/2

After the Badgers wasted Jim and the Wolverines last Saturday, I’m a believer in this team. Clemson transfer and Northwestern quarterback Hunter Johnson has not lived up to his 5 star billing out of high school. Not even close. Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 440 yards and 7 TDs. He’s superb.

Wisconsin 38, Northwestern 13

No. 21 USC (3-1) @ No.17 Washington (3-1)

2:30 PM CT

FOX

Joe Davis, Brock Huard, Burce Feldman

Washington by 10 1/2

Matt Fink will once again start for the Trojans as Kedon Slovis is still injured. Slovis took the place of JT Daniels who was hurt in the first game of the season. Against Utah last Friday Night, a 30-23 victory over what looks like an overrated Utah team, Fink completed 21 of 30 passes for 351 yards, 3 TDs and 1 int. I don’t like him to have as much success against the Huskies. I like the Huskies, who I think are the best team in the PAC 12, though Cal might argue with that so would Oregon, to have their way against the Trojans.

Washington 35, USC 17

UAB (3-0) @ Western Kentucky (1-2)

6 PM CT

ESPN+

UAB by 3

Tyler Johnston has been phenomenal for the Blazers completing 45 of 70 for 746 yards 8 TDs and 2 ints. The defense is lockdown led by 6’2”, 285 defensive end Garrett Marino who has 16 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks on the season. The only knock is the schedule. It’s been extremely weak. Alabama State, @Akron and South Alabama, not impressive. But they are playing well. All you can do is play the teams that are on your schedule. It’s not the players fault. They’re doing their jobs. Maybe Athletics Director Mark Ingram can start showing a little more courage and scheduling more Power 5 opponents for the Blazers.

UAB 34, Western Kentucky 17

Tonight

Duke 34, Virginia Tech 31

6 PM CT

ESPN

Va Tech by 2 1/2

The line started off at 7 for this game. I like David Cutcliffe’s team to pull off the slight upset in Blacksburg.

No. 12 Penn State 31, Maryland 24

Tonight 7 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Penn State by 6 1/2

I like the Nittany Lions to keep bursting Mike Locksley’s bubble at College Park.

No. 15 Cal 27, Arizona State 23

Tonight 9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Cal by 3 1/2

I’m pretty bullish on the PAC 12 this season and Cal is one of its best teams. Stud linebacker Evan Weaver leads the country in tackles with 63 averaging 15.8 per game. He posted 18 at Washington 2 weeks ago in a 20-19 Cal victory, and 22 last Saturday in a 28-20 victory at Ole Miss. The way this team plays defense and the way quarterback Chase Garbers stepped it up last Saturday against the Rebels, this team can compete for the PAC 12 championship. Defense still wins a lot of games and Cal’s got that.

No. 19 Utah 31, Washington State 30

9 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Utah by 6

I was tempted to pick Washington State, and I like it to be a prolific game all the way till the end, but I’ll take Utah to hold serve in Salt Lake. The Cougars had a 32 point lead over UCLA last Saturday Night at home and lost 67-64 committing 6 turnovers. That’s horrendous. Utah couldn’t hack a top 10 ranking when they went to the Coliseum to play SC and lost 30-23.

UCLA 48, Arizona 45

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Zona by 6 1/2

Like the Bruins to go into Tuscon and pull off the upset after last Saturday’s electric 32 point comeback victory over Washington State.

Kansas State 34, Oklahoma State 31

6 PM CT

ESPN+

OK State by 4 1/2

I like the Wildcats under first year coach Chris Klieman to go into Stillwater and pull off the upset. They did it in Starkville 2 weeks ago and I like them to do it again this Saturday.

Iowa State 31, Baylor 30

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Iowa State by 3

I like a really tight contest here.

TCU 34, Kansas 31

11 AM CT

Fox Sports 1

TCU by 15 1/2

I like Les and the Jayhawks to give Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs everything they want, but I’ll take the Frogs to prevail.

Navy (2-0) @ Memphis (3-0)

7 PM CT tonight on ESPN.

Broadcasters: Adam Amin, Matt Hasselbeck, Pat McAfee, Molly McGrath.

Memphis by 10 1/2

I like the Midshipmen to give the Tigers everything they want at the Liberty Bowl. I’ll take the Tigers barely at home, but this should be an electric offensive game that I see coming down to the last possession.

Memphis 35, Navy 31

I’ll have the rest of this weekend’s previews and predictions tomorrow on the blog. Will get it out around 3 tomorrow afternoon and send out a blast with the link. Thanks.

Tremendously important game in College Station Saturday as the Auburn Tigers square off with the Texas A&M Aggies at 2:30 PM CT on CBS. The Tigers are the underdog and College Station is quite a home field advantage. I’ll tell you who I like below and why.

The Crimson Tide has another week off as it faces Southern Miss.

Some other key national matchups on the slate this week.

Here’s a look at the action.

Last Week: 20-4

Overall: 59-17

No.8 Auburn (3-0) @ No.17 Texas A&M (2-1)

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Carter Blackburn, Rick Neuheisel, Aaron Murray, John Schriffen

A&M by 3 1/2

Auburn rushed for 467 yards last Saturday against Kent State. Of course it was Kent State not the Aggies, so it’ll be a little tougher sledding against the A&M defense. I do think Bo Nix is getting better and better as he gets more confidence as a college quarterback. He’s got the tools and the intangibles to be terrific. I’m not a big believer in Kellen Mond. He’s good at times, but not so good at other times. Clemson made him look like a junior high quarterback. Auburn is pretty good on defense. I like the Tigers to do enough to get out of College Station with a major SEC West victory. It’s going to be quite a contest.

Auburn 28, A&M 27

Southern Miss (2-1) @No.2 Alabama (3-0)

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler

Alabama by 38 1/2

Not much to say about this except this non-conference schedule is not too swift.

Alabama 52, Southern Miss 10

No.7 Notre Dame (2-0) @ No. 3 Georgia (3-0)

7 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jamie

Dawgs by 14 1/2

Notre Dame and Brian Kelly are out of their league here.

Georgia 45, Notre Dame 24

No.4 LSU (3-0) @ Vanderbilt (0-2)

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Tom, JRodg, Cole

LSU by 24

Joe Burrow has completed 75-of-90 passes, 83.3%, for 1,122 yards 11 TDs and 2 Ints. He has just 4 less touchdowns than he has incompletions. That’s phenomenal. Vandy is an excellent school and excellent at baseball, but football’s not their thing.

LSU 49, Vanderbilt 17

Tennessee (1-2) @ No.9 Florida (3-0)

11 AM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams

Gators by 14

Tennessee’s been a disaster this season. Florida had a nice come from behind victory at Kentucky last Saturday. The Gators compound the Vols’ misery.

Florida 35, Tennessee 20

Kentucky (2-1) @ Mississippi State (2-1)

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Alyssa Lang

State by 6 1/2

State lost to Kansas State last Saturday at home so that was disappointing. Kentucky let a double digit lead over Florida slip away in the 4th quarte. Both teams are pretty good. I guess give me State with the home field in a close game.

State 27, Kentucky 24

South Carolina (1-2) @ Missouri (2-1)

3 PM CT

SEC Alternate Network

Mike Morgan, Ray Bentley, Tera Talmedge

Missouri by 9 1/2

South Carolina played better last Saturday against Alabama even though they lost fairly handily. It was a competitive game in the first half. I’m going to take the upset here

South Carolina 31, Missouri 28

No. 23 California (3-0) @ Ole Miss (2-1)

11 AM CT

ESPNU

Clay Matvick, Ryan Leaf, Taylor Davis

Ole Miss by 2 1/2

I’m taking Cal in the slight upset.

Cal 24, Ole Miss 21

San Jose State (1-1) @ Arkansas (2-1)

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Dave, D.J., Dawn

Ark by 20 1/2

Arkansas played better last Saturday against Colorado State. Still far from where they want to be if they can ever get to be an upper echelon SEC West team, but they showed some spark on offense last Saturday.

Arkansas 52, San Jose State 24

No. 11 Michigan @ No. 13 Wisconsin

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Wisconsin by 3 1/2

I like the Badgers a lot and not so bullish on Michigan. Wisconsin has a real shot at winning the Big Ten. They’ll have to go through Ohio State but that’s down the road. I like them in Camp Randall.

Wisconsin 30, Michigan 24

Charlotte @ No.1 Clemson

6:30 PM CT

ACC Network

Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Katie George

Clemson by 41 1/2

Clemson gets a week off too.

Clemson 49, Charlotte 14

Miami (Ohio) @ No. 6 Ohio State

2:30 PM CT

Big Ten Network

Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Elise Menaker

OSU by 39 1/2

Justin Fields is looking every bit of the superstar quarterback he was projected to be coming out of high school 2 years ago. The Buckeyes get a blow as well.

Ohio State 56, Miami Ohio 13

Oklahoma State @ No. 12 Texas

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Maria

Texas by 6

Like the Hook’em Horns at home, but in a close shootout.

Texas 42, OK State 41

No. 16 Oregon @ Stanford

6 PM CT

ESPN

Sean, Todd, Holly

Oregon by 10

Oregon is an explosive team offensively that is starting to play better defense this season under Mario Cristobal and is a major contender in a pretty solid PAC 12. Stanford is dysfunctional.

Oregon 42, Stanford 30

Friday

No. 10 Utah @ USC

8 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Joe Davis, Brock Huard, Bruce Feldman

Utah by 4

The Utes are a hard nosed, tough team. They’re just mentally and physically tougher than SC.

Utah 34, USC 27

Friday

Air Force @ No. 20 Boise State

8 PM CT

ESPN 2

Dave Flemming, Jim Mora, Paul Carcaterra

Boise State by 7 1/2

The Academy went into Boulder last Saturday and knocked off a Colorado team that was hot after defeating Nebraska the week before coming back from a 17-0 deficit. The Academy won in overtime. I like the Falcons to pull off the upset at Albertsons Stadium.

Air Force 30, Boise State 28

South Alabama @ UAB

2:30 PM CT

NFL Network

Rhett Lewis, Max Starks, Molly Sullivan

Blazers by 10 1/2

Quarterback Tyler Johnston is playing extremely well for the Blazers and the defense looks physical and athletic. UAB could be 7-0 heading into Knoxville in week 10 with a shot at winning there. They have had a bye already and will have one before they play the Vols.

UAB 35, South Alabama 24

SMU @ No. 25 TCU

2:30 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Tim, Spencer, Coley Harvey

TCU by 9 1/2

My daughter, a sophomore at TCU, is pumped for this one. Kind of a matchup of the more understated versus the Mercedes Convertible types. Like the more blue collar mentality in football and in life.

TCU 37, SMU 24

No. 22 Washington @ BYU

2:30 PM CT

ABC or ESPN2

Steve Levy,. Grease, McShay, Molly

Wash by 6 1/2

BYU has knocked off Tennessee at Knoxville and USC at home in consecutive weeks. I still like Washington a lot. They could very well be the best team in the PAC 12. I’ll take Chris Peterson and the Huskies on the road in Provo.

Washington 34, BYU 27

West Virginia @ Kansas

3:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Dave LaMont, Mike Golic Jr., Lericia Harris

WVU by 4 1/2

I really like what Les Miles and Kansas did last Saturday going to Chestnut Hill and dominating Boston College 48-24. They’re an impressive team. Like Les and the Jayhawks in an upset.

Kansas 35, West Virginia 34

Colorado @ No. 24 Arizona State

9 PM CT

PAC 12 Network

Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage

Zona State by 7 1/2

Even though the Buffaloes lost to Air Force in overtime last Saturday at home, I like what Mel Tucker is doing in Boulder. I’m going to take the Buffs in an upset on the road.

Colorado 31, Zona State 27

UCLA @ No. 19 Washington State

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman

WSU by 18 1/2

Really bullish on MIke Leach and what he does in Corvallis. He’s phenomenal.

Washington State 48, UCLA 28

Michigan State @ Northwestern

11 AM CT

ABC

Dave, Gregory, Lugues

MSU by 9

I’m going to take another upset here. Like Pat Fitzgerald and his team to win at home.

Northwestern 21, Michigan State 17

Tonight

Houston @ Tulane

7 PM CT

ESPN

Adam Amin, Matt Hasselbeck, Pat McAfee, Molly McGrath

Tulane by 5

This line has been jumping from 1 to 5, but I like Dana Holgerson, quarterback D’Eriq King and the Cougars to pull off the upset. Houston is battle tested from playing Oklahoma (which is off this week, lost 49-31) and playing Washington State tough at home last week losing 31-24

Houston 35, Tulane 30

Not a lot of heavyweight matchups this week on the college schedule, but some solid games and there are always some twists and turns every weekend.

The No.2 Crimson Tide, coming off a 62-10 victory last Saturday over New Mexico State, travels to Columbia to face the South Carolina Gamecocks at 2:30 PM CT on CBS. The No.8 Auburn Tigers host Kent State as Auburn tries to rebound from a below average performance last Saturday Night against Tulane. Auburn-Kent State kicks off at 6 PM CT on ESPN2. Florida travels to Kentucky for a Saturday Night matchup at 6 PM on ESPN.

There are some pretty interesting national contests and some others involving SEC versus out of conference teams. Here’s a look at this week’s matchups.

Last week: 21-5

Overall: 39-13, 75%

No.2 Alabama (2-0) @ South Carolina (1-1)

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Bama by 25 1/2

With starting quarterback Jake Bentley now likely out for the season with a broken foot, Gamecocks freshman Ryan HIlinski stepped in last week and completed 24 of 30 passes for 282 yards with 2 TDs and 1 int in a 72-10 Gamecocks victory over Charleston Southern. This isn’t Charleston Southern. Tua and the receivers keep excelling for the Crimson Tide. Tua was 16 of 24 for 227 and 3 TDs last Saturday in the Tide’s 62-10 victory over New Mexico State. Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are the best receiving quartet in the country. The Crimson Tide looks like they’ve found a good kicker as well as Hoover freshman Will Reichard connected on field goals of 48 and 49 yards last Saturday. I like the Crimson Tide to roll here.

Alabama 49, South Carolina 10

Kent State @ No.8 Auburn

6 PM CT

ESPN2

Aubs by 36

For Auburn to even be in the conversation in the SEC, Bo Nix is going to have to get a lot better and JaTarvious Whitlow is going to have to stop fumbling. Nix can’t stay in the pocket. He starts running around and running backwards before there is much pressure. He needs to learn to stay in the pocket. Whitlow rushed for 96 yards last Saturday Night against Tulane but fumbled 3 times losing 2 of them. Auburn has to really clean up things if Gus and company think they have any chance at A&M next Saturday.

Auburn 45, Kent State 7

No.1 Clemson @ Syracuse

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Clemson by 27

The Clemson Tigers may be better on defense this season than they were last year even after losing their top 5 starting defensive lineman, 3 of which got drafted in the first round. Syracuse upset Clemson 2 years ago at the Carrier Dome and took the Tigers to the limit last season in Death Valley. But Trevor Lawrence wasn’t on the field for either of those games, not in the first one and he missed the entire second half of last year’s game with an injury. Clemson showed they’re as good as advertised in thoroughly dominating A&M last Saturday at home, 24-10. Kellen Mond had no clue against the Clemson defense. That’s the story to me right now with Clemson. We know Trevor Lawrence, Justyn Ross, Travis Etienne and Tee Higgins are super players, but now the Clemson defense looks better than ever under Dabo Swinney and Brent Venables. Syracuse got destroyed by Mike Locksley and Maryland last Saturday. I see Clemson having their way after some resistance in the first half.

Clemson 48, Syracuse 20

No. 9 Florida @ Kentucky

6 PM CT

ESPN

Florida by 8 1/2

Florida had defeated Kentucky 31 straight years before last season. Kentucky went into Florida and knocked off the Gators 27-16. Florida has a couple of key injuries with wide receiver and electric playmaker Kadarius Toney and super cornerback C.J. Henderson on the shelf with injuries. Kentucky starting quarterback Terry Wilson is out for the season after an injury last Saturday and Troy transfer Sawyer Smith takes over. That’s not all bad. Smith is a good player. I like the Gators to prevail in a hard fought contest.

Florida 28, Kentucky 24

Georgia 48, Arkansas State 13

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Dawgs by 33

Jake Fromm has found a new target in 5 star freshman George Pickens from Hoover who made a couple of acrobatic receptions last Saturday. Could really help their offense.

Mississippi State 31, Kansas State 28

11 AM CT

ESPN

State by 8

I like a close game here. State better watch themselves in this one. Kansas State has a new coach, Chris Klieman, who just won 2 straight FCS National Championships at North Dakota State and he’s brought in a lot of energy to the Little Apple. State gets by barely.

No.5 Oklahoma @ UCLA

7 PM CT

FOX

OU by 22
‘

Jalen Hurts is thriving under Lincoln Riley and the electric Sooner offense. They keep it up against an abysmal Chip Kelly coached team.

OU 52, UCLA 24

No.19 Iowa @ Iowa State

3 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Iowa by 1 1/2

The Hawkeyes look like a really solid team once again. The Cyclones are a solid team as well and good at home in Ames, but I’ll take the Hawkeyes here.

Iowa 34, Iowa State 31

No.24 USC @ BYU

2:30 PM CT

ABC

USC by 4 1/2

USC freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis completed 28 of 33 passes for 377 yards and 3 TDs in a 45-20 rout of Stanford last Saturday Night. Slovis has taken the place of JT Daniels who was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Slovis looks like he could be spectacular. BYU pulled off a huge upset at Knoxville. Jeremy Pruitt and a disastrous Tennessee team are another story, but that was quite a victory for the Cougars. But I like the Trojans to come out of Provo victorious.

USC 37, BYU 30

Arkansas 35, Colorado State 31

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Arkansas by 10

Chad Morris and the Hogs survive a scare.

LSU 48, Northwestern State 7

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

No Line

Joe Burrow completed 31 of 39 passes for 471 yards 4 TDs and 1 int last Saturday in the Bengal Tigers tremendous 45-38 victory over Texas in Austin. O had been tipped off prior to the game that Texas turns off the air conditioning in the visitors locker room and it was a balmy 110 degrees in the stadium. O brought in fans to cool it off for his team, but a lot of the defensive players were cramping up. Still the Tigers prevailed in a terrific performance by Burrow and his receivers. I’m bullish on this team.

Texas A&M 59, Lamar 3

6 PM CT

ESPNU

A&M by 43 1/2

Kellen Mond couldn’t do anything against the Clemson defense last Saturday. He gets it together this Saturday and Jimbo gets his team prepared to face Auburn in a huge matchup next Saturday at 2:30 PM CT on CBS.

Tennessee 42, Chattanooga 17

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Tennessee by 28

Jeremy Pruitt is having a disastrous season so far. He needs to have a good game here to gain any kind of momentum he can get and not lose this team completely for the rest of the season.

Friday

Wake Forest 37, North Carolina 31

5 PM CT

ESPN

Wake by 3

I like the Demon Deacons to quell the Mack Brown hysteria this week.

Friday

Washington State 45, Houston 35

8:15 PM CT

ESPN

Wash State by 8

MIke Leach is one of the best coaches in the country. He’s a quirky guy, but winning 11 games at Washington State is quite an accomplishment, which he did last season including a 28-26 victory in the Valero Alamo Bowl over Iowa State. He has another stellar quarterback this season in redshirt senior Anthony Gordon who unusually waited his turn to get the start this season without transferring and the redshirt senior is excelling. The Cougars have a legitimate shot at winning the PAC 12.

Saturday

Virginia 38, Florida State 24

6:30 PM CT

ACC Network, 336 Charter, 612 DirecTV

UVA by 7 1/2

I’m pretty high on this UVA squad. Bronco Mendenhall has brought some serious toughness into the Cavaliers program. On the flip side, the Willie Taggert misery index keeps rising for FSU fans.

No.6 Ohio State 48, Indiana 24

11 AM CT

FOX

OSU by 15

I love what Coach Ryan Day and quarterback Justin Fields are doing in Columbus. The Buckeyes got a fresh start from Urb and it’s paying off. Justin Fields is what we thought he was and that’s one sensational quarterback.

No.17 UCF 42, Stanford 21

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

UCF by 7 1/2

The Golden Knights dominate a reeling Stanford team under David Shaw.

No. 13 Penn State 48, Pittsburgh 28

11 AM

ABC

Penn State by 17

Penn State has a good team, but not buying that James Franklin can defeat Ohio State, Wisconsin or Iowa for that matter.

Colorado 38, Air Force 34

12 PM

PAC 12 Network

Colorado by 3

Mel Tucker and his team are coming off a phenomenal 34-31 overtime victory over Nebraska. The Buffs were down 17-0 entering the second half and mounted a heroic, riveting comeback victory. The Falcons are always a tough opponent with their triple option offense and their mental toughness and discipline, but I like the Buffaloes to survive a tough challenge.

No. 18 Michigan State 38, Arizona State 21

3 PM CT

FOX

MSU by 14 1/2

Like Spartans to have a good day in East Lansing.

No. 11 Utah 38, Idaho State 14

3:15 PM CT

PAC 12 Network

Utah by 36 1/2

The Utes are a quality team with a shot at winning the PAC 12.

California 38, North Texas 20

3:15 PM CT

PAC !2 Bay Area

Cal by 14

Cal with an impressive 20-19 victory at No.23 Washington last Saturday. The Golden Bears play excellent defense.

No. 23 Washington 48, Hawaii 24

6:30 PM CT

PAC 12 Network

Washington by 21 1/2

The Huskies are still probably pretty upset that Cal came into Seattle and defeated them. They still have their sights set on winning the PAC 12. They might take it out on the Rainbow Warriors tomorrow night at home.

This week looks pretty spectacular especially in Clemson and Austin. The No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies travel to Memorial Stadium to face No.1 Clemson with a 2:30 PM CT kickoff on ABC. The other major headliner happens in Austin, TX as the No.6 LSU Bengal Tigers lock horns with the No.9 Texas Longhorns. LSU is coming off an impressive 55-3 victory over Georgia Southern, a bowl team last season, while the Horns are coming off a 45-14 victory over LA Tech. The game kicks off at 6:30 PM CT and will also be televised by ABC.

The No. 10 Auburn Tigers, fresh off their riveting 27-21 victory over the then No.10 Oregon Ducks will host a pretty good opponent in the Tulane Green Wave, which is coming off a a 42-14 blasting of last year’s Bahamas Bowl victor Florida International. So the Tigers need to put last week behind them, even though it was quite spectacular, and focus on the business at hand Saturday Night at 6:30 on ESPN2.

The No.2 Crimson Tide hosts New Mexico State. S’s goals are to play well and get as many players as possible reps. That means giving the backups a shot.

Here’s a look at this week’s slate.

Last week: 18-8

Overall: 19-9, 68%

No. 12 Texas A&M (1-0) @ No.1 Clemson

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Sean McDonough, Todd, Holly

Clemson by 17

Clemson smashed Georgia Tech last Thursday Night 52-14 and A&M took care of business at College Station defeating Texas State 41-7. I like this to be a very hard fought, close contest. Kellen Mond has played in high pressure stadiums throughout the SEC and he’s battle tested. The running game looks strong, the perimeter looks good, the line is big and physical and the defense is very hard nosed, and intercepted 4 Texas State passes last week. I’ll take Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne (12 carries 205 yards 2 TDs last week) and Clemson barely, but I’m expecting a really tight, electric game. My man G Logic said before the season that this would be a very good game with A&M having a shot. He was almost leaning towards A&M to win. I’m not going to do that Logic, but I completely agree with your thinking.

Clemson 28, A&M 24

No.6 L-S-U @ No.9 Texas

6:30 PM CT

ABC

ABC Rece Davis, Kirk, Maria. (Chris Fowler is calling the U.S. Open this weekend.)

LSU by 6 1/2

Playing in Austin gives the Longhorns a real chance and so does quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger was 28 for 38 last week for 276 yards and 4 TDs with no Ints. He’ll face a totally different defense this week with only 2 healthy running backs, one a converted quarterback who had minimal carries last Saturday. Linebackers Jacob Phillips and the reinstated Michael Divinity Jr (internal team discipline in week 1) will make it a lot tougher on Ehlinger this week as will possible top 5 pick in the 2020 draft, safety Grant Delpit. Joe Burrow was 23 of 27 for 278 yards, with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions against Georgia Southern last Saturday. Give me O, Joe and the LSU defense. The Tiguhs look for real this year.

LSU 28, Texas 17

Tulane @ No.10 Auburn

6:30 PM CT

ESPN2

Jason Benetti, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich

Auburn by 17

Bo Nix looked locked in and ultra confident last Saturday Night on Auburn’s game winning drive and he fired a dart to Seth Williams from 41 yards for the winning TD. Bo’s going to be outstanding. The Auburn defense is spectacular. When Big Kat Bryant recovered that fumble deep in Auburn territory with Oregon driving in for a TD and raced down the field only to be caught at the 4 yard line by a 4.4 Oregon wide out, it was beyond impressive. That’s a 275 pound defensive end. I like the Tigers to play pretty well this week and for the defense to be lockdown. Bo Nix will get some more growth this week. Tulane is a pretty good team, but I like the Tigers to win comfortably.

Auburn 31, Tulane 7

New Mexico State @ No.2 Alabama

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb (Stinch, does classic Kirby Smart and Todd Blackledge impersonations) Alyssa Lang

Bama by 55

After a little bit of a slow start, the Crimson Tide settled in and played fantastically well in a 42-3 blasting of Duke. The concern with the loss of Dylan Moses and Josh McMillan at inside linebacker was alleviated by the play of freshman linebackers Shane Lee and Christian Harris who both tallied 8 tackles. The Crimson Tide also picked off 2 passes including a beauty by cornerback Trevon Diggs. I’m very bullish on this defense. Tua was 26 of 31 for 336 yards and 4 TDs. The only incompletions he had my wife was calling for PI. She’s in midseason form. Of course, I’m calling holding on every big play against my picks’ defenses, so it’s an active household on Saturdays. What I want to really see Saturday is for No.57 to get in the game. Joe Donald III was an star linebacker at Mountain Brook High School and he pays his dues every week on the scout team. He was scout team player of the week 3 weeks in a row last season. What an awesome young guy as well. Respectful, sharp and fun. If the Tide can get a big lead maybe S will take out Lee and Markail Benton at inside linebacker and give J3 a shot. I know his parents, our great friends Joe (a.k.a. Bama Golf) and Mary would be very pleased and proud. Pulling for my man to get in there. The Tide tunes up for a trip to Columbia next Saturday (2:30 PM CT, CBS) to face the South Carolina Gamecocks, which suffered a highly disappointing loss to North Carolina last Saturday in Charlotte.

Alabama 63, New Mexico State 3

Murray State @ No.3 Georgia

3 PM CT

ESPN2

No Line

What kind of opponent is this? The Dawgs looked OK in handling Vanderbilt 30-6. D’Andre Swift ran for 147 yards and Brian Herrien added 65 yards and a TD. But Jake Fromm looked decent not great. I’m still not convinced he’s a championship quarterback. After watching Justin Fields demolish the Florida Atlantic defense last Saturday, Georgia is probably regretting not giving the former 5 star a chance to fill in for Fromm when he struggled. Fields looked spectacular throwing for 4 touchdowns and running for another. I always thought Kirby Smart should have given him a chance when things were going south at LSU last season and the Dawgs needed a lift. I’m not totally discounting Fromm, but I like Fields better.

Georgia 52, Murray State 3

Arkansas @ Ole Miss

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom Hart, JRodg, Cole

Ole Miss by 6

Both teams struggled out of the gate with the Rebels losing to Memphis at Memphis 15-10 and Arkansas slipping by Portland State, 20-13 (are you kiddin me?). I guess Matt Luke and the Rebels get it kind of together this week. There was such a big deal made out of Rich Rod as offensive coordinator and Mike McIntyre as defensive coordinator, both former head coaches, but what they were leaving out is they’re both Fired head coaches. Not sure they’ll fix the dysfunction that much in Oxford. But they can defeat a more dysfunctional Chad Morris coached team.

Ole Miss 28, Arkansas 21

West Virginia @ Missouri

11 AM CT

ESPN 2

Missouri by 14

Missouri lost last week at Wyoming which looks bad at first glance, but Wyoming is a pretty good team at home. The Cowboys won 37-31. Pretty good performance by Kelly Bryant though he still shows signs of inaccuracy throwing the ball. West Virginia looks to be rebuilding under former Troy coach and first year coach Neal Brown. They defeated James Madison last Saturday 20-13, so it might take Brown a year to get his program in place. He’s an excellent coach though and I see him getting the Mountaineers right in the thick of things for the Big 12 championship with Oklahoma and Texas in the future. But I like the Mizzou Tigers here.

Missouri 35, West Virginia 20

BYU @ Tennessee

6 PM CT

ESPN

Vols by 4

I think, I repeat, think, Jeremy Pruitt is a good coach. I was pretty sure before the Georgia State game last Saturday that he was a good coach, but I’m not totally positive now after his team lost 38-30. Pruitt needs a good performance this week. I like him to get it.

Tennessee 42, BYU 21

Vanderbilt @ Purdue

11 AM CT

Big Ten Network

Purdue by 7

Vanderbilt looked pretty pitiful on offense last Saturday, and Purdue lost to Nevada on the road. So both teams HAVE to have this. I like the Commodores to come back and for Ke’Shawn Vaughn, the Mamba, to take some carries to the house and for the defense to do enough for the Commodores to pull off the upset.

Vanderbilt 31, Purdue 28

No. 11 Florida 55, UT Martin 7

6:30 PM CT

ESPNU

There is no line for this one for obvious reasons. Nice opponent Dan.

Mississippi State 45, Southern Miss 24

2:30 PM CT

Duh U

State by 17

I like Bullies running back Kylin Hill a lot. Tommy Stevens, the Penn State transfer quarterback, has a shot to be good. To be determined.

Kentucky 41, Eastern Michigan 14

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Kentucky by 15

I’m not totally sold on Terry Wilson at quarterback. His accuracy is questionable, but he can be good and he can run. Kentucky has a pretty good team this year. I don’t know if there is as good as last year when they won 10 games, but they look pretty solid. Young on defense.

Charleston Southern @ South Carolina

11 AM CT

SEC Network

No Line

Will Muschamp is firmly on the hot seat after an almost inexplicable loss to UNC last week, a team that went 2-10 last year, like Georgia State I might add. Muschamp has lost starting quarterback Jake Bentley for a while with a broken foot. Muschamp will start true freshman Ryan Hilinski. The good news is Hilinski is a 6.0 4 star according to Rivals. So he’ll have a shot to get ready for the Crimson Tide next week in this game.

South Carolina 35, Charleston Southern 0

No. 4 Oklahoma 59, South Dakota 10

6 PM CT

No line

Jalen Hurts looks to have settled in quite nicely under Lincoln Riley. Hurts played almost the perfect game for the Sooners last Sunday Night in a 49-31 victory over Houston. He went 20-of-23 for 332 yards, 3 TDs and 0 ints. He also ran for 176 yards and 3 more TDs. Wow. Hurts looks ready to take the Sooners to a national championship level, but the big question for OU is will first year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch turns this defense into a serious defense or will it be the same old leaky OU defense. That’s the key to their season.

No. 5 Ohio State 30, Cincinnati 24

11 AM CT

ABC

Buckeyes by 16

Ohio State fans are more than thrilled to have a new coach and a new quarterback though Dwayne Haskins was pretty good last year under center. Ryan Day seems a lot like LIncoln Riley to me in that he can really coach quarterbacks. Justin Fields is the real deal, but I like Luke Fickell and his Bearcats to give the Buckeyes trouble. Fickell was the defensive coordinator in 2016 before getting the Cincy job in 2017. That helps his team and they’re coming off a pretty impressive 24-14 home victory over UCLA. I like the Bearcats to make this a serious ballgame.

No.7 Michigan 28, Army 21

11 AM CT

FOX

Jim by 22

I’m not sure Jim has that great of a team like some are saying. Shea Patterson is not an elite quarterback, at least under Jim. Army won 10 games last season and Jeff Monken said after their Armed Forces Bowl victory over Houston last year, that he had his best team coming back. I give Army a shot to make this a really good game.

Miami 28, North Carolina 17

7 PM CT

ACC Network (336 Charter Spectrum, 612 DirecTV)

Miami by 5

Mack Brown somehow managed to beat South Carolina last week and cried about it afterwards. He struggles this week.

No.18 UCF 48, Florida Atlantic 14

6 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

UCF by 10 1/2

UCF makes life even more miserable for Lane Kiffin and FAU.

No. 23 Stanford 17, USC 14

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

SC by 2 1/2

Both teams’ quarterbacks got knocked out last week. USC’s JT Daniels tore his ACL and his meniscus last Saturday against Fresno State so he’s done this season and Stanford’s K.J. Costello suffered a concussion in Stanford’s 17-7 victory over Northwestern. It was a real cheap shot by the Northwestern defensive player who should have been ejected but nothing was called. USC was victorious over Fresno State 31-23 at the Coliseum. They’re at home here but I like former 5 star junior Davis Mills to lead Stanford to victory over USC’s 5.7, 3 star true freshman Kedon Slovis.

Tonight

No. 24 Boise State 38, Marshall 35

8 CT

ESPN2

Boise State by 12 1/2

Broncos true freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier, the highest rated quarterback to ever sign with Boise State( he’s a 4 star) completed 30 of 51 passes for 407 yards and a TD in a 36-31 amazing come from behind victory over Florida State in Tallahassee. That begs the question, what is Willie Taggert doing down there. Totally dysfunctional team. But Marshall is a quality team as well. They were 9-4 last year and defeated South Florida 38-20 in the Gasparilla Bowl and won last week over VMI, 56-17. So I expect a high quality game here with the Broncos just getting by at Albertson’s Stadium in Boise.

Saturday

No. 14 Washington 31, Cal 14

9:30 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Wash by 13 1/2

I don’t know if Washington has an elite team, but Georgia transfer Jacob Eason looks pretty good at quarterback for them. They do have good talent, so I’m not counting them out to be a contender for the final 4. For sure the Rose Bowl. I like them in the PAC 12.

Colorado 31, No. 25 Nebraska 28

2:30 PM CT

FOX

Nebraska by 4

Like former SEC coach Mel Tucker and his Buffs to knock off slight favorite Scott Frost and the Huskers.

No. 13 Utah 30, Northern Illinois 7

12 PM CT

PAC 12 Network

Utah by 21 1/2

The Utes have another solid team under Kyle Whittingham. They could very well win the south division of the PAC 12 and play Washington for the PAC 12 championship and at least a trip to the Rose Bowl. I’m not buying Oregon to win the PAC 12.

No. 17 Wisconsin 45, Central Michigan 10

2:30 PM CT

Big Ten Network

Whisky by 34

I watched the Badgers dismantle Charlie Strong and South Florida 49-0 at USF and it was impressive. Jonathan Taylor is a high quality back., Certainly one of the top 3 in the country.

Minnesota 31, Fresno State 27

9:30 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Minnesota by 3

I went back and forth on this one but after watching both teams, I give the Golden Gophers a slight victory here.

No. 15 Penn State 52, Buffalo 10

6:30 PM CT

FOX

Penn State ny 30

James Franklin beats up on another opponent classlessly like he did last week when he defeated Idaho, 73-7. Nice work, James. Why don’t you play somebody and we’ll see what kind of team you have. Hope you don’t make a player who has a concussion play like you’re prone to do, per ESPN. ESPN reported that Franklin fired the team doctor because he wouldn’t let players who were injured to get on the practice field.