The college football season moves to Week 5. This is one of those weekends in which the schedule does not seem like a particularly special slate of games. That’s often when surprises happen. College football has a way of striking when fans least expect it. The possibilities for big upsets don’t seem that great this weekend, but that’s exactly why ranked teams can’t be overconfident on the final day of September.
No. 18 South Florida Bulls at East Carolina Pirates
College Football Odds: South Florida -21.5
The East Carolina Pirates have played poorly this season, yet they are coming off a road victory last Sunday against Connecticut in a game rescheduled because of Hurricane Irma. South Florida is unbeaten, but the Bulls have not played well this season. Blocked kicks allowed, penalties committed, turnovers given away, red zone possessions resulting in field goals instead of touchdowns, dropped passes – these and other miscues have constantly dogged USF, which has had the good fortune of playing mediocre or bad teams. East Carolina is another bad team, but this game is a road game for USF, which has played its last three contests at home. If East Carolina finally improves and plays with more precision, South Florida will have to raise its own level of play. There is a certain degree of danger in this game for the Bulls if they don’t eliminate the mistakes they have been making.
No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers
College Football Odds: Georgia -8
The Bulldogs should blast the Volunteers based on talent and coaching and defensive ability. Yet, this is a game in which the underdog is at home and desperate. Everyone knows that Tennessee coach Butch Jones is on the hot seat and that a decisive loss in this game will almost certainly mean the end of his tenure as the Volunteers’ sideline boss. This has a “rally the troops feel” to it. Tennessee won’t be a very good team throughout the season, but the Vols might play an inspired game for one day. Georgia has to squeeze the life out of the Vols and their home crowd early. If it does, this game will be easy. However, if Tennessee gets off to a good start, Georgia could fight an uphill battle all afternoon.
No. 2 Clemson Tigers at No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies
College Football Odds: Clemson -7
The featured game of the day is also an upset possibility. Clemson is the better team – no one will argue that – but Virginia Tech will be playing before a thunderously vocal crowd at night. This is also a rematch of the ACC Championship Game from last December, in which Virginia Tech found holes in Clemson’s defense, which is not easy to do. If Virginia Tech can again score a large number of points, Clemson’s offense – with new and less tested quarterback Kelly Bryant – might not be able to keep pace. Clemson needs to dominate on defense to feel secure about its chances here.
No. 15 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Tech Red Raiders
College Football Odds: Cowboys -10.5
The Cowboys just gave up 44 points to TCU in a loss. They might be depressed, but there is no time to sulk. They have to go on the road and face a Texas Tech team which gave up just 24 points to Houston. Texas Tech usually has one of the three or four worst defenses in college football, but there are signs that the Red Raiders are improving to the point that they might have merely the 80th-best defense. That seems bad, but relative to past Texas Tech defenses, that would actually be good. If Texas Tech really does have a better defense than it used to, the Red Raiders – with 45 points scored – could win a 45-40 game against a Cowboy defense which got dominated at the line of scrimmage by TCU. This game could become tricky for OSU. The Cowboys are expected to win, but it’s easy to imagine how this game could get away from them.
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