What to Watch – Week 5

Getting into the meat of the season and the conference matchups are getting good. For some teams that is. I’m sure

Cal

isn’t too happy how their battle with

Oregon

turned out. Or Pac-10 counterpart

USC

after they faced

Washington

. But those of us just watching the games, this is the part of the season where things get really interesting and good television is to be had.

Here are the games you should be watching on Saturday:

USF @ Syracuse – 12:00 – This is already being labeled as a trap game, but I don’t see it. Okay, I do. I’m actually a little nervous. The Orange are an improving team. They will catch someone sleeping and it could be the Bulls coming off their biggest win ever. Get up early and keep on the pedal USF. Coming out flat in games like this are the reason you’ve never truly contended for a Big East title.

Michigan @ Michigan State – 12:00 – Nothing like Big Ten rivals squaring off to start your day. Snore… Oh come on Big Ten fans, the rest of us just like to give you a hard time. Conference trash talk is fun! And besides, at least you aren’t the Sun Belt. Or the MAC. Or the WAC. Or the Mountain West. See, things could be worse.

Alabama @ Kentucky – 12:21 – It’s shaping up to be a second consecutive season where Bama and Florida have their sights set on the SEC Championship Game. The Gators got out early against the Wildcats and coasted to an easy victory. Now it’s time to see what the Crimson Tide can do.

LSU @ Georgia – 3:30 – Being a Florida fan, it’s hard to determine who I would want to win this game. If you’re thinking in terms of strength of schedule, you might want Georgia to get the win so both teams are ranked somewhere respectable. If you’re thinking in terms of the SEC Championship Game, you may be cheering for LSU to deliver a conference loss to the Bulldogs. But then I realized it really doesn’t matter. Since the Gators are #1 all they have to do is win. Florida doesn’t need anyone’s help. They just need to keep winning and remain at the top. So cheer for whoever you like more or whoever you hate less. I haven’t decided who that is for me just yet.

Washington @ Notre Dame – 3:30 – The Huskies have a win they shouldn’t (see the final minutes against USC). The Irish have a loss they shouldn’t (see the final minutes against Michigan).

FSU @ Boston College – 3:30 – LSU PLAYS AT GEORGIA!!! Why is Gameday headed to BC???

Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt – 7:00 – I’m calling for an upset here. It might not happen. In fact, it probably won’t happen. But I’m calling for Vandy to win this one if only so that if it comes true I can brag about my superior football knowledge. And if it doesn’t, I can say that I didn’t really think it would happen in the first place, I was just taking a chance. Basically I’ve covered my bases.

South Carolina State @ South Carolina – 7:00 – A real live game on ESPN Classic. South Carolina State is no pushover, but they’ve only scored six points total in their last four games combined against FCS teams. Heavy advantage Gamecocks.

Auburn @ Tennessee – 7:45 – Is Auburn for real? Can Tennessee beat a real opponent? The Vols have Georgia and Alabama in the three weeks following this game so this is a win they need. Maybe more so than the Tigers do. There’s a real chance Tennessee could drop all three and 2-5 (0-4). That can’t happen if Lane Kiffin hopes to be around for the long haul.

USC @ Cal – 8:00 – This matchup was much more exciting before the Trojans dropped a game to Washington and the Bears were embarrassed by Oregon.

Oklahoma @ Miami – 8:00 – This matchup was much more exciting when Sam Bradford was healthy and Miami was back in the top 10.