College Football Bracketology Week Five: Playoff Hopefuls Get Crucial Conference Wins

(Photo Courtesy: Sports Illustrated)

Week four of the college football season is in the books, and the theme of this past weekend was playoff-hopeful teams achieving crucial conference victories. Except for Kansas State, who got pounced on by BYU on the road 38-9. The Wildcats now have a more difficult path to the playoffs, as the BIG 12 favorite Utah went into Oklahoma St and defeated the Cowboys 22-19. The Utes now cement themselves as the team to beat in the conference.

Elsewhere in the nation, defending national champions Michigan defeated Big 10 newcomer USC in the big house. The Wolverines ground game was their key to victory, as running backs Kalel Mullings, Donovan Edwards, and newly named starting quarterback Alex Orji combined for 276 rushing yards. And down in Norman, Oklahoma, the Sooners lost at home to the now championship-hopeful Tennessee Volunteers. Now the Vols establish themselves as a strong contender in the SEC.

As these teams get crucial conference victories, this creates a massive shakeup in the projected playoff bracket. With that being said, here’s my updated bracket entering Week five:

First-round byes:

1)     Texas (SEC Champions)

2)     Ohio St (BIG 10 Champions)

3)     Miami (ACC Champions)

4)     Utah (BIG 12 Champions)

First-round matchups:

12. Boise St VS 5. Tennessee

11. Oklahoma St. VS 6. Ole Miss

10. USC VS 7. Missouri

9. Alabama VS 8. Penn St.

Games to watch this weekend:

20 Oklahoma St AT 23 Kansas St (Saturday NOON EST ESPN)

While both teams are going into this one with a loss, the Cowboys and Wildcats are looking to get a crucial conference victory. Running back Ollie Gordon II, who is considered the best back in the country, has been rather lackluster this season, only rushing for 248 yards through four games. However, this doesn’t take away from his explosive ability, and that will be a massive problem for Kansas St. The Cowboys have only played one game on the road this season, which was against in-state rival Tulsa. The Wildcats will have their hands full with Gordon but will get the home victory after falling to BYU last week.

15 Louisville AT 16 Notre Dame (Saturday 3:30 PM EST Peacock)

Fighting Irish signal-caller Riley Leonard has not lived up to expectations in his first season in South Bend since transferring from Duke. What was a team hoping to contend for a national title is now fighting for a spot in the lower half of the bracket. They face no easy test this week, as they host the 3-0 Louisville Cardinals. Quarterback Tyler Shough has been sensational thus far, throwing for eight touchdowns and averaging 11 yards a throw. Homefield advantage will play a massive role in this one, but we’ve seen Notre Dame lose at home this year. The Cardinals will get the victory on the road and make themselves strong contenders in the ACC.

19 Illinois AT 9 Penn St (Saturday 7:30 PM EST NBC)

While this one may not be as enticing on paper, the Fighting Illini have been on a hot streak, starting the season 4-0 for the first time since 2011. Now they go into Happy Valley at night. In what is arguably the toughest environment in all of college ball, the Nittany Lions are heavily favored. Illinois has been one of the best offenses in the BIG 10, as they rank in the top half in total offensive yards this season. But Drew Allar and Penn St. are thirds in points per game, only behind Indiana and Ohio St. The Nittany Lions will get the home victory, but not without a fight from the Fighting Illini.

2 Georgia AT 4 Alabama (Saturday 7:30 PM EST ABC/ESPN+)

This has game-of-the-year potential, with this being a rematch of last year’s SEC title game. Tuscaloosa will be electric as Heisman contender Jalen Milroe leads his explosive offense against the Bulldogs of Georgia. While Georgia is favored on the road, the Crimson Tide have the edge on offense, as they’ve averaged 49 points per game, compared to Georgia’s 31. The Bulldogs narrowly beat Kentucky last week 13-12, and while they can come out of the gate swinging, the Tide have as much, if not more offensive firepower, headlined by freshman wide receiver phenom Ryan Williams. So, while the Bulldogs will give Alabama’s toughest test of the year, the Tide will be rolling in victory.

Have an opposing viewpoint to this opinion?  Let us know.  All views are welcome.  Send your thoughts to our Editorial Staff – Editor Thomas Szot tszot@student.dean.edu or Dean Daily Faculty Advisor, Professor John Rooke jrooke@dean.edu