Trent's Touchdown: Six Games to Watch in Week Five

I think it's official: If you don’t get pumped up watching SEC games, there is something seriously wrong. Even the Duchess was sitting on the edge of her seat for the end of the LSU/Auburn game, and she only has a passing interest in football. I may suffer a heart attack if we get week in and week out of this.

Anyway, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 8 Alabama at No. 3 Georgia—7:45 PM on ESPN

Don’t let the score fool you (as much as 27-10 can fool anyone): Georgia completely manhandled Arizona State. A.J. Green was channeling Randy Moss (you know, when Moss tries), and I think Knowshon Moreno was wearing Superman’s cape when he made that dive into the end zone.

If you look at it, Georgia and Alabama have a lot in common. They both have great running backs, dynamic freshman receivers, and good quarterbacks (though I believe Stafford is better than Wilson).

However, this won’t be a barnburner. Both have very tough defenses, and this one will come down to the last play. I expect Georgia to prevail.

2) No. 22 Illinois at No. 12 Penn State—8:00 PM on ABC

Penn State’s biggest question coming into this game is going to be where Joe Paterno coaches from—the field or the press box. That’s a good problem to have.

If I were a Penn State fan, I would be more concerned about Juice Williams. He can take off when the pressure gets to him and can throw it downfield when needed. This isn’t the same guy from last year.

However, Penn State has a quick defense that will try to contain and pressure him. It should be interesting, but Penn State will pound the ball and win this one.

3) No. 24 TCU at No. 2 Oklahoma—7:00 PM on local channels

This game makes me physically ill, if only because Oklahoma fans will point to it and say, “See, a quality opponent, we deserve to be No. 2.” Yeah, sure.

Listen, Oklahoma is going to win this one, and there is one reason why: You can’t win a shootout with Oklahoma. You just can’t. You need a good defense to beat them. You harass Sam Bradford, and he’ll buckle like a belt. TCU won’t be able to do it.

4) No. 1 USC at Oregon State—9:00 PM on ESPN (Sept. 25)

USC rolls into Oregon State with everyone wondering if they can be beat. Truth be told, I’m wondering the same thing. Dismantling Virginia and Ohio State has that effect on people.

As for this game, USC is going to do what they always do: run, pass, tackle, and beat you into submission. The only question about this game is when we see backup Aaron Corp taking snaps from center.

5) Tennessee at No. 15 Auburn—3:30 PM on CBS

I would not want to be Tennessee this week. First you get beat down by Florida last week, and now you have to face an Auburn team that wants to take out their frustrations on someone due to their loss to LSU.

I’m not saying Auburn is great. They have some issues at quarterback, but their running game is superb, and their defense is nasty. Get the whirlpool ready for Jonathan Crompton because he’s going to get knocked around by Auburn.

6) Minnesota at No. 14 Ohio State—12:00 PM on Big Ten Network

Hey, Beanie Wells should be back this week. As we all know, that makes all the difference. As a side note, I almost typed that all out without laughing.

Extra Point

7) I’m saying it right now, the rankings system in college football makes no sense. I can’t provide a better solution, so don’t expect this rant to have any mind-altering equation to figure it all out. How about just using common sense?

A few weeks ago Georgia was ranked No. 2 and Oklahoma was at No. 3. Oklahoma completely thrashed Washington 55-14 while Georgia beat South Carolina 14-7. Oklahoma then jumped Georgia in the rankings.

Does that make sense? Who do you think is a tougher opponent? The only question is, “How many touchdowns would South Carolina be favored by over Washington?”

If both of these teams go undefeated and Georgia is on the outside looking in, well, there is no justice. If it’s Oklahoma on the outside, I’ll cackle with delight.