The fifth weekend of college football in 2017 is a week with few huge games, but a lot of important conference battles as the various league races begin to come into focus. Teams are searching for the right kind of stability, knowing they can compete with their backyard rivals for the next two months. This weekend is meant to establish better habits for teams as they move from September into October.
Clemson at Virginia Tech, Saturday at 8:10 Eastern, ABC
College Football Odds: Clemson -7
This is the biggest game of the week, the true showcase between two teams in the top 12. Clemson is playing like a defending national champion. The Tigers walloped Louisville on the road earlier in the season, also on a Saturday night game. Clemson will not be intimidated by this road trip. The Tigers might not play their best, but they won’t be scared.
The chances that they won’t play well are low. Clemson has established a track record as a team which consistently competes and uses its depth and strength to wear down opponents. Virginia Tech will need to be at its best in order to pull off the upset, mounting the kind of challenge Louisville completely failed to offer a few weeks ago. The big challenge for Virginia Tech is that while Clemson trots out new quarterback Kelly Bryant, the Hokies will also send a first-year quarterback to the field, Josh Jackson. Bryant has a strong defense to lean on, but Jackson probably has to make more plays on his own to give his team a chance. Virginia Tech has to show it can stand tall with Clemson for the first half and set up a close fourth quarter in which just a few plays can put the Hokies over the top.
Northwestern at Wisconsin, Saturday at Noon Eastern, ABC
College Football Odds: Wisconsin -14.5
The Big Ten West comes into focus with this game. Northwestern struggled in September, but the Wildcats now start conference play and have a chance to make a big statement. If they can win on the road in Madison against the Badgers, they would instantly become the favorite to win the Big Ten West and would change the narrative surrounding their season. Wisconsin has looked solid thus far this season, but the Badgers did not get challenged by particularly tough non-conference teams. BYU is a shell of its former self, and Utah State doesn’t seem ready to offer a big challenge in the Mountain West. Northwestern will be the toughest team Wisconsin has faced early in the season, so there is an element of mystery to this game.
Mississippi State at Auburn, Saturday at 6 Eastern, ESPN
College Football Odds: Auburn -9
The Mississippi State Bulldogs season has quickly gone from optimistic to drab in the span of a week. Two weeks ago, they stumped the LSU Tigers in a game that really seemed to change the course of the Bulldogs program. It looked like Dan Mullen had this team on the rise again. However, they completely failed their next test, getting crushed at Georgia last week. Which one of those two performances was the aberration and which is the reality? We’ll find out this week.
Will the Bulldogs show that they have learned anything this week at Auburn? Both teams badly need a win, because they both have to play Alabama later in the season. Therefore, they have very little margin for error if they want to produce a great season and make a big bowl game.
Memphis at UCF, Saturday at 7 Eastern, ESPN2
College Football Odds: Central Florida -4
This game is rescheduled due to the hurricanes in the United States. It was supposed to have been played weeks earlier, but the AAC managed to shuffle around its football schedule and create a slot in the schedule for this game. Both the Tigers and Golden Knights are contenders in the AAC, and also contenders for the Group of Five’s New Year’s Six bowl berth. This is a high-stakes game between teams that look strong but need to show it against each other.
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