College Football Predictions for Week 5

After the likes of Michigan and Notre Dame fell in Week 4 of the college football season, Week 5 promises more of the same chaos with conference play starting to heat up and several ranked teams facing off against one another.

Hawaii vs Nevada

The best Group of 5 matchup on the docket this week, two high-octane offenses meet up as Jay Norvell's surprising Nevada squad welcomes Cole McDonald and Hawaii. Neither team is going to play great defense, so this will come down to whichever offense makes the fewest amount of mistakes. McDonald has a future in the pros, so he gives Hawaii the quarterback and edge and should lead the Rainbow Warriors to a win in Reno.

Hawaii 49, Nevada 42

Wake Forest vs Boston College

Dave Clawson's Demon Deacons are the talk of the ACC this year, as their decision to opt for Jamie Newman over Sam Hartman at quarterback has made Wake Forest one of the most effective offenses in the country. While facing AJ Dillon could be problematic for the defense, the offense should have no problems humming along, as Newman and breakout wide receiver Sage Surratt could beat up on an Eagles team that lost to Kansas earlier this year.

Wake Forest 34, Boston College 20

No. 24 Kansas State vs Oklahoma State

Chris Klieman has brought the Wildcats back into the Top 25 with the same formula that made him unstoppable at North Dakota State. Run the hell out of the ball, and counter those with short, play-action throws for the quarterback. While tough to beat when they have a lead, the quick-strike offense Oklahoma State features will give them the advantage in a shootout. With Spencer Sanders at quarterback, the nation's leading rusher in Chuba Hubbard, and a top receiver in the country in Tylan Wallace, the Cowboys have the firepower to knock off Skylar Thompson and K-State.

Oklahoma State 38, Kansas State 24

Washington State vs No. 19 Utah

Cougars quarterback Anthony Gordon earned national attention when he lost to a lackluster UCLA team despite having thrown for nine touchdowns. His next challenge is a much more difficult defense in Utah on the road in Salt Lake City. Kyle Whittingham's bunch was exposed during a loss against USC, and Tyler Huntley might not have the arm to keep up with the frantic pace at which Mike Leach and Washington State play. As long as the defense can hold on and keep Huntley in the pocket, Gordon should get Wazzu back on the right track.

Washington State 42, Utah 31

No. 12 Penn State vs Maryland

Sean Clifford and Penn State might be undefeated, but two of their wins came against creampuffs in Idaho and Buffalo and their third win was a narrow victory over Pitt at home. James Franklin now has to face Mike Locksley and the Terrapins, who tore Howard and Syracuse apart, but couldn't move the ball against Temple. Josh Jackson and Maryland have all the weapons to take Penn State down in a game that could go either way, but Yetur Gross-Matos and the defense should give the Nittany Lions the slimmest of victories.

Penn State 24, Maryland 23

No. 15 Cal vs Arizona State

Justin Wilcox has turned an Air Raid Cal team into a ferocious defensive machine, as evidenced in their wins over Washington and Ole Miss. With maybe the best duo of safeties in the country in Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins, and Evan Weaver in the middle, the Golden Bears make for a rough 60 minutes of football. Jayden Daniels has been impressive for Herm Edwards and Arizona State, but a freshman against this defense could be problematic. Cal should get the win unless Chase Garbers struggles with a road game in Tempe.

Cal 27, Arizona State 14

Northwestern vs No. 8 Wisconsin

Paul Chryst's Badgers curb-stomped Michigan last week, and have an easier matchup this week against Pat Fitzgerald and a Northwestern offense that has been struggling to move the ball with any kind of consistency. Hunter Johnson looks more like a walk-on than a 5-star, and facing the vaunted Wisconsin defense isn't exactly the best remedy. The formula remains the same for Wisconsin. Pound Jonathan Taylor right up the middle until the defense says uncle and then walk away with a win over a Big Ten West foe.

Wisconsin 41, Northwestern 10

Mississippi State vs No. 7 Auburn

As impressive as Auburn has been this year, having beaten Oregon at a neutral site and Texas A&M on the road, quarterback Bo Nix hasn't been lighting up the scoreboard and has had some accuracy problems. Nix could be in for a rough day against a swarming Mississippi State unit, but the Bulldogs have some quarterback uncertainty of their own. While freshman Garrett Shrader played well in relief of the injured Tommy Stevens, it's hard to think of a more hostile environment than Jordan-Hare against a Top-10 Auburn team to make your second start in. Shrader should keep it close, but Auburn will take home the win.

Auburn 21, Mississippi State 17

Texas Tech vs No. 6 Oklahoma

Red Raiders quarterback Alan Bowman was poised to be in the middle of a shootout with Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma's doomsday offense, but an injury will knock him out of this game. This leaves either Jett Duffey, a better runner than passer who struggled last year to help get Kliff Kingsbury fired, or Jackson Tyner, a transfer from Rice. While the Sooners still have a rough defense, it's hard to imagine either Duffey or Tyner being able to match Hurts, Lincoln Riley, and the offense blow for blow, especially in Norman.

Oklahoma 59, Texas Tech 28

No. 5 Ohio State vs Nebraska

Justin Fields will get his second taste of Big Ten action, as he will face Adrian Martinez and Nebraska in Lincoln, which will present a much greater challenge than Indiana. Scott Frost has the Cornhuskers at 3-1 so far, but blew a game against Colorado and needed a late rally to beat lowly Illinois. That defense isn't exactly the vaunted "Blackshirts" of the Tom Osborne days, and Fields should be in for another extremely productive day as Ryan Day and the Buckeyes march into Memorial Stadium and leave with another win in tow.

Ohio State 45, Nebraska 28

No. 1 Clemson vs North Carolina

Trevor Lawrence hasn't been the mercurial phenom we saw last year, but he has led Clemson to wins over three Power 5 teams to this point, including a W over a tough Texas A&M team. After starting the season off with two straight wins, Mack Brown's Tar Heels are in danger of falling to 2-3 on the season. Unless a freshman in Sam Howell can stand up to Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and Tee Higgins and keep matching them touchdown for touchdown, North Carolina could be on the wrong end of a blowout in this one.

Clemson 48, North Carolina 17

No. 21 USC vs No. 17 Washington

With freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis already ruled out for USC this week, the Trojans will turn to third string QB Matt Fink, who led them to an upset of Utah. Fink and his iffy arm strength will have a much different task against a Washington defense loaded with NFL talent on the road. The Huskies will have their own star QB in Jacob Eason who can throw a ball through a barn door with impeccable accuracy. Graham Harrell is quite the offensive mind, but Fink likely won't be able to keep up with Eason for 90 minutes.

Washington 34, USC 20

No. 18 Virginia vs No. 10 Notre Dame

Bryce Perkins, Bronco Mendenhall, and the Cavaliers have no time to dwell on their struggles against Old Dominion, as they have a matchup against Notre Dame in South Bend. While Ian Book and the Irish showed they can more than hold their own with the big dogs in college football in the Georgia loss, there are still some questions on the back end of things, and with consistency on offense. On any given day, Perkins and the offense can break out and produce an electric show that give even the best defenses fits. We've seen stranger this season, why couldn't Virginia go on the road and shock the world?

Virginia 35, Notre Dame 34

Ole Miss vs No. 2 Alabama

The Rebels still believe they were robbed late last week against Cal, and now have to reckon with Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama's destructive offense. With quarterback Matt Corral, who needs to play the game of his life for Ole Miss to have a shot, still hampered by injury, this one could get ugly fast if backup John Rhys Plumlee is forced to see any extended action. Ole Miss might be better than their record, but this could be over after one quarter if their secondary isn't up to snuff.

Alabama 48, Ole Miss 9