It’s Friday, which means that it’s time for me to give you my thoughts, observations, and things to pay attention to for week six. Here’s what’s on my mind heading into this week’s action on the gridiron:
- This week’s schedule might be a candidate for Clunker of the Week. Sure, there are two games between ranked opponents on Saturday, but these will be offset by New Mexico State -Ole Miss and Baylor-Kansas, which will both be over by halftime. In addition, the Red River Rivalry will be uncharacteristically lopsided, as the Longhorns have absolutely no chance to win the game.
- California at Utah will be the most exciting contest of the weekend. The coaching matchup between Utah’s Kyle Whittingham — one of the top minds in college football — and offensive guru Sonny Dykes will be worth the price of admission.
- With that said, keep an eye on the Bear defense, which leads the nation in turnovers gained and ranks sixth in sacks.
- It’ll be interesting to see how the Cal pass rush fares against a Utah offensive line that’s allowed just one sack this year.
- The same is true for the duel between UU quarterback Travis Wilson — who leads the nation in QBR — versus an excellent Cal secondary that’s second in the country in interceptions.
- Whoever prevails in the battle between the Bear offense and the Ute defense will win the game. Given that Jared Goff completes over 70 percent of his passes, throws for 326 yards per game, and averages 9.2 yards per attempt, Cal has to like its chances to remain undefeated.
- On the other hand, Utah’s secondary has seven interceptions in four games, with five of those picks coming against Michigan and Oregon — its toughest two opponents of the season to date.
- It’s also worth noting that Kyle Whittingham hasn’t lost a game coming off a bye week since Utah joined the Pac-12.
- Make no mistake about it: Northwestern at Michigan will have a huge impact on the College Football Playoff picture. At first, this statement seems self-explanatory: a Wildcat win would probably move the team into the top 10 along with Ohio State and Michigan State. However, if the Wolverines should get the “W,” they should also be in the national championship conversation. Sure, Michigan would have to win out in order to make that happen, but with the lone loss coming on the road against a Utah team that is much, much better than most people thought it was, it’s highly unlikely that Harbaugh’s squad would miss the the field if it finishes 12-1.
- This contest will be a low-scoring affair. The teams are ranked 1-2 nationally in scoring defense, and fifth and second, respectively, in total defense.
- Keep an eye on the matchup between Northwestern running back Justin Jackson and the Wolverine front seven throughout the contest. Jackson typically gets tougher as the game progresses, ranking seventh nationally in rushing yards in the second half with 373. That’s more than several of the nation’s top backs, including Derrick Henry, Paul Perkins, and C.J. Prosise.
- Of course, Jackson ran for only 35 yards against Michigan last year, while the entire team netted minus-9 yards on the ground.
- Whether it’s with a healthy De’Veon Smith or a tailback by committee, the Wolverines need to run the football effectively in order to win this game. UM has won only one game in the last two seasons when it ran for under four yards per carry.
- That might be a tall task against a Northwestern defense that allowed just 16 yards over the final three quarters against Minnesota last week.
- Yes, Illinois is good enough to beat Iowa. Although the loss to North Carolina undoubtedly left a bad taste in people’s mouths, it’s worth noting that the Illini defense is one of the best in the nation. Despite the poor showing against the Tar Heels, Illinois ranks in the top 20 in several categories, including interceptions (18th), tackles for a loss (11th), and third-down efficiency (4th) — allowing opponents to convert just 21.79% of the time.
- The Hawkeyes are also solid defensively, ranking 19th nationally in total defense and 11th against the run. That doesn’t bode well for an Illini ground game that will be without Josh Ferguson.
- While the defenses are both very good, quarterback play will decide this contest. The battle between Wes Lunt and C.J. Beathard will be one of the most underrated duels of the season.
- Navy-Notre Dame will be a much better game than people expect. Yes, the Irish have seen the triple option attack this year, but they haven’t seen it executed quite as effectively as the Midshipmen do (sorry, Georgia Tech fans, but you know that’s the truth). Despite the fact that defenses know the option is coming on almost every play (only 28 passes attempted in four games), Navy’s averaging 5.81 yards per carry, including 5.29 ypc against an Air Force defense that faces it every day in practice.
- The real question heading into the game centers around the offense. The Irish beat the Midshipmen last year behind six touchdowns (three rushing, three passing) for Everett Golson. It’ll be interesting to see how resiliently DeShone Kizer bounces back from a tough loss on the road — something Golson did not do last season.
- Shame on Maryland for not handling the Randy Edsall situation better. Whether he’s already been fired or will be at some point in the future, it never should have been made public. How are the players supposed to prepare for a game with the No. 1 team in the country when they might be worried about their future with the team?
- No, Georgia Tech isn’t going to beat Clemson this weekend. Sure, the Jackets have a penchant for upsetting the Tigers during the middle of a successful season. However, Tech held Clemson to 190 yards of total offense in last year’s 28-6 shellacking. After such a dismal performance, every Tiger offensive player circled this game on the calendar as soon as the schedule came out. They’ll come out fired up for this contest and play like the uber-explosive unit we’ve expected to see all season long.
- This week’s upset special is Oklahoma State over West Virginia. Yes, I know that the ‘Pokes are ranked and the Mountaineers aren’t, but the WVU is still listed as a 7-point favorite. Even though the game is being played in Morgantown, I like the Cowboys to pull off a win. While OSU has had a few close calls this year, it did what it needed to in order to win those games. Led by a defense that places an emphasis on turnovers — so much so that it has its own hashtag on Twitter — the Cowboys will run their record to 6-0.
