College Football’s Biggest Storylines Heading Into Week 5

Week 5 of the college football season has arrived, and we’re getting into the meat of the schedule. Here are the biggest storylines heading into the final weekend of september.

The month of September has flown by, and we are already into week 5 of the college football season. While this week’s slate isn’t as good as last week’s that featured six ranked matchup, there are storylines aplenty that you should be following along with starting Friday night into Saturday’s full day of action.

Can Utah beat another good team in Oregon State without quarterback Cam Rising?

#10 Utah has been playing arguably the best complimentary football in the country through the first four weeks of the season. And, they’ve needed to, as the offense is still awaiting the return of star quarterback Cam Rising. Rising suffered an ACL tear in last year’s Rose Bowl loss to Penn State. He seems to be close to a return, but that’s been the feeling for a month. In their three power 5 wins, they’ve scored just over 19 points a game.

For the first time this year, they’re playing an offense in #19 Oregon State where 19 points is not going to get it done. Clemson transfer DJ Uiagaleilei leads an Oregon State offense that just scored 35 points on the road in a loss to Washington State. Meanwhile, Utah scored just 14 in a 14-7 win against UCLA.

Can Utah grind out another win, or will their lack of offensive firepower be their demise in Friday night’s matchup?

Can Colorado Keep It Competitive Against Caleb Williiams and USC?

The hype around head coach Deion Sanders and Colorado had reached a fever pitch heading into last week’s matchup at Oregon. The 3-0 Buffaloes were by far the biggest story in college football, pulling in massive viewership each week as they tripled their win total from 2021 before the calendar turned to fall. And then, they were dominated as much as a team can be dominated in a 42-6 loss to Oregon last week.

Colorado was significantly outclassed in the trenches on both guys, and it looked more like an FCS vs FBS game than it did two ranked and undefeated teams.

The good news is, USC is not nearly as good as Oregon on the lines, and surely they won’t be as fired up for the game as Dan Lanning had his Ducks. The bad news is that USC quarterback Caleb Williams is a cyborg, and if Colorado can’t pressure him, he is going to put up huge numbers on the Buffaloes defense.

I’m sure Coach Prime isn’t into moral victories, but keeping it competitive without two-way star Travis Hunter heading into a bye week would lend more credibility to this Colorado team.

Texas A&M and Arkansas meet as two programs on the crossroads

Texas A&M and Arkansas continue their annual series at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, and it’s a huge game for both programs.

After Arkansas coach Sam Pittman led Arkansas to a nine-win season in year two following the disastrous tenure of Chad Morris, Hog fans thought they had the right hire. Since, they’re just 9-8 and 3-6 in the SEC. His seat is starting to get hot, and the result on Saturday could turn the tides for him either way.

Meanwhile, arguably no coach in the country is under more scrutiny than Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher. After bringing in one of the great recruiting classes of all-time coming off a ten-win season in 2021, preseason playoff buzz turned into a 5-7 disaster in Aggieland. And, the team got blown out at Miami in week 2. A win over Auburn last week helped, but the team lost impressive sophomore quarterback Connor Weigman for the season due to injury.

If the Aggies were to lose on Saturday, the situation may become so untenable that Texas A&M would be forced to pay what would be the biggest contract buyout in college football history.

Can Notre Dame rebound from a soul-crushing loss and beat a tough Duke team?

Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman were so close to a program-defining win last weekend against Ohio State. One more first down on offense or a stop on a 4th and 7 situation and a 3rd and 19 situation would have got it done and given the program its biggest win in decades. Instead, Ohio State rallied to stun the Irish on a last-second touchdown, 17-14.

As much as Freeman would deny it, a lot of wind came out of Notre Dame’s sails last week. And, this week’s challenge is one that could effectively end Notre Dame’s playoff hopes.

Mike Elko has ushered in quite the turnaround in Durham. After winning three games in 2021, he immediately won nine in his first year, and has the #17 Blue Devils undefeated with an opening-week road win against Clemson. Quarterback Riley Leonard has first-round buzz and can beat you with his legs and arm, and the team held up in the trenches against Clemson.

If the Irish have come out with a hangover from the Ohio State loss, they could be in deep trouble.

Can Nebraska stun A Michigan team that hasn't clicked yet?

You may scoff at this notion, and the most likely scenario is the Wolverines win comfortably. But, there are reasons to believe that this game could be more competitive than many think.

Yes, Nebraska did open the season 0-2 with losses to Minnesota and Colorado. The same issues of simply not being able to make the important plays when needed that plagued the Huskers under Scott Frost were still there. But, this team is much-improved in the trenches. Their run defense is giving up just 46 yards a game, second-best in the country. And, they’re running the ball at a high level as well, as they are the eighth-best rush offense in the nation. Sophomore Heinrich Haarberg got the nod last week with turnover-machine Jeff Sims sidelined, and he played turnover-free footbal. That’s what Nebraska needs at quarterback right now.

And, against a Michigan team that hasn’t played their best football yet, and who hasn’t needed to, that could be the formula to keep this game close for a while. If they can make the Wolverines, who want to run the ball and run it often, one-dimensional, look out. It’s also Michigan’s first road game after three cupcakes and Rutgers at home, and I suspect there’s a chance this could still be up for grabs in the fourth quarter.

That being said, Nebraska could also turn it over seven times and lose 41-7. That’s Husker football, folks.