NCAA Football Week 5 Preview

As the Upsets Pour in, Will the Trend Continue on October 3rd?

Sep 28, 2009

Another overhaul in the AP 25 looms as Oklahoma visits a Miami team who look to weather a storm against the Sooners, and USC visits Cal in a major Pac-10 throwdown.

One month is in the college football books, and it's safe to say that there's no such thing as a sure bet.

Week 4 saw six teams in the AP 25 fall to unranked opponents; four of which were ranked in the top 10.

Thursday night started the week of upsets off when South Carolina stunned fourth-ranked Mississippi, followed by Oregon putting the boots to sixth-ranked Cal Golden Bears, and finally, Iowa capped the upset weekend off by stunning fifth-ranked Penn State for the second year in a row.

So, can week 5 provide the same caliber of upsets college football fans have been accustomed to in this 2009 season?

College Football Games of the Week for October 3rd

Upset of the Week Triple Feature

Bronze Pick: No.8 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No.17 Miami Hurricanes

Miami is coming off of a beat down at the hands of ACC Coastal division rivals Virginia Tech in week 4, so this could be a bad time for the Bradford-less Sooners to visit the Hurricanes.

The Sooners have been rolling over opponents in the past couple weeks, but then again, they haven't played a ranked team since BYU in the opening week; a game in which Oklahoma was shutdown and upset by the Cougars.

Without their star QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma will have their hands full against this Hurricane team who are looking to avenge their week 4 loss against Virginia Tech.

Bob Stoops' Sooners are in a must win situation if they plan on keeping their BCS National Championship hopes alive. If they lose this game, Oklahoma could end up in a lower tier bowl.

Miami is 3-3 all-time against Oklahoma, and the last time these two teams met, the Sooners thumped the Hurricanes 51-13 in Norman.

Count on Miami to explode early offensively, and their suffocating defense will return against the banged up Sooners.

This is the big game young Hurricanes' quarterback Jacory Harris must step up in. He let Miami down in Blacksburg with a poor outing, so it is expected that he will bounce back against this suspect Sooners defense.

LSU barely survived their game against Mississippi State last week, and their schedule doesn't get any easier with a slew of tough SEC opponents ahead.

The Bulldogs themselves avoided a potential upset at the hands of Arizona State last week, and it's becoming more apparent that they are still searching for an identity since the departures of QB Matt Staford, and RB Knowshon Moreno.

If there's any game to get their "identity" back, it's going to be this one against LSU.

Georgia quarterback Joe Cox must have patience in the pocket, and avoid throwing the ball to players wearing purple jerseys come Saturday. Cox has thrown five interceptions, two have been returned for touchdowns.

LSU thrives on interceptions as they've picked up six so far this season, and returned two for touchdowns. This Tigers defense is hungry, but it will come down to stability.

Georgia won last year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 52-38, and are also sporting a three-game win streak against the Tigers.

If you're looking for the fall of another top 10 team, this is definitely where you'll get it.

This is a gift wrapped game for Georgia because LSU's mind frame isn't really focused on the Bulldogs, but moreso on their October 10th game against SEC rivals Florida.

Joe Cox may struggle in the first half, but his composure will kick in, and the Bulldogs will give the Tigers a run for their money.

Georgia treats this as a must win, SEC Championship style game, and pulls out the upset.

Gold Pick: No. 7 USC Trojans vs. No. 24 Cal Golden Bears

So, it's now up to UCLA and Oregon to duke it out for the Pac-10 crown as USC and Cal have both stumbled early.

USC began their downward spiral in week 3 when they were embarrassed by the Washington Huskies (0-12 in 2008) and then last week, the mighty Trojans, a 45-point favorite, were slowed down by Washington State. Even though USC escaped with a win, they did not impress.

Cal received their lumps last weekend at the hands of a surging Oregon team. The Ducks completely manhandled the Golden Bears all afternoon at Autzen Stadium and managed to shutdown Heisman candidate RB Jahvid Best, and outstanding quarterback Kevin Riley.

Let's be honest here. In a conference where UCLA is riding high, and Oregon have found their wings again, Cal and USC's losses seriously crippled any chances at the crown. So, it's now safe to say these two are playing for third place in the Pac-10.

Jahvid Best will have a breakout game this Saturday to make up for his lackluster performance in week 4. Cal overall is just too talented, and speedy for a spotty USC team.

Barkley is not Mark Sanchez or Matt Lienhart. This is not the USC of old, and the dynasty era is over for the Trojans. Pete Carroll should take this as a rebuilding year, and hope for a better season next year.

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