College Football Preview: Week 5 (Insert Corny Name Here)

“Judgment Day.” “The BIG Day.” “D-Day.” “Really Exciting Day of Football.” You can insert your own name if you like.

This weekend is a BIG one in college football land. Lots of marquee matchups will have major implications in conference and the national title race.

Last week was not so great for the JW Sports Blog team. I decided to go out on a limb and predict two major upsets, Alabama and Boise State losing...didn’t happen.

This week there are numerous games that will hold my attention. Hopefully my TVs can keep up.

Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State

First time appearing on the JWSB this year for both of these teams, and for good reason. The Aggies have faced Stephen F. Austin, FIU (almost lost), and Louisiana Tech, while the Cowboys have put up HUGE numbers against Tulsa, Washington State, and Troy.

While those matchups may not impress you, this game should do just that. Expect a lot of points and virtually no defense in this Big 12 South showdown. While not many people thought these two teams would make an impact in the South division, it appears to be wide open.

My Pick: Oklahoma State 45, Texas A&M 35

Oklahoma vs. Texas (@ Cotton Bowl)

The best rivalry in all of college football. Sure, I may be biased, but if you have never been to a Red River Rivalry game on the state fairgrounds in Dallas, you can’t argue. It is great. This will be the 105th game in the series, one that Texas leads 59-40 (five ties). If the Longhorns want to make it 60, they will have to contain the high-octane OU offense.

Landry Jones has shown flashes of greatness but also inconsistent play. He has one of the best WRs in the Big 12 in Mark Broyles and one of the best playmakers in the nation, DeMarco Murray. The OU defense has struggled, ranking 97th in total D and 65th in scoring D.

Texas is coming off an embarrassing loss to unranked UCLA at home and will look to improve their awful offense output so far this season. While the Texas defense has been great (No. 2 overall, No. 33 scoring), the offense has sputtered with a lot of new parts at WR, QB, and offensive line. Look for a close game throughout, with turnovers making the difference late.

My Pick: Oklahoma 27, Texas 23

Wisconsin @ Michigan State

Another Top 25 matchup, this time in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is once again a powerful running team (go figure) with a stingy defense. RB John Clay is a bruising runner and ranks No. 9 nationally in rushing yards. Michigan State is a bit of an unknown but has an impressive, thrilling victory over Notre Dame under its belt. Look for a physical game, with Wisconsin taking command in the second half.

My Pick: Wisconsin 31, Michigan State 24

Stanford @ Oregon

This could be the best matchup of the day. Oregon features a crazy offense (they score a lot) to go along with their crazy uniforms. It is always more entertaining to see which one they will choose. While the offense has been great for the Ducks, the defense has yet to be truly tested this season.

Stanford comes in with one of the best offensive lines in the country and one of the best QBs in Andrew Luck. Luck is playing his way into Heisman contention and possibly into a top five pick in some NFL GMs' eyes. If the Cardinal defense can slow down the powerful Oregon offense, look for the first real “upset” of the day.

My Pick: Stanford 34, Oregon 33

Florida @ Alabama

Alabama is coming off a VERY close game against a pretty good Arkansas team. As a matter of fact, Arky probably should have won that game but made a few very costly mistakes.

Florida is still trying to iron out some problems on offense but may have found an answer in “little Tim Tebow,” QB/RB/TE Trey Burton. All Burton did last week was score six TDs in Florida’s win. Yeah, I said six. Perhaps that new part of the offense can help out the Gators as they face the No. 1 team in the nation, Alabama.

Alabama didn’t look great last week against Arkansas but did just enough to have a comeback win in front of a hostile crowd. Expect this game to be low-scoring, a little ugly, but with Alabama coming out on top again.

My Pick: Alabama 23, Florida 20

Upset Pick of the Week: East Carolina 30, North Carolina 27

Game Nobody Cares About (except mothers and family members): Edinboro 37, Indiana (PA) 20