No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No 4. Michigan
In this hyped Big 10 battle, we have two undefeated teams that are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Wisconsin has already beat two top 10 teams while Michigan hasn’t been tested quite yet.
The Badgers have two great wins on their resume, beating No. 5 LSU at a neutral site and then No. 8 Michigan State last weekend. Freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook appears to have taken the starting quarterback role, getting all the snaps last week. Since the season’s start, Hornibrook has 378 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior running back Corey Clement has been leading the Badger offense and has five touchdowns this season thus far. Clement is also just one of the three running backs on the team who have more than 100 rushing yards at this point in the season.
For the Michigan Wolverines, the closest game they have had was a 17-point win at home over Colorado. The next closest game? A 37-point win over UCF. The Wolverines will have to bring their best game against one of the nation’s top teams. Junior quarterback Wilton Speight has been nothing short of great this year, throwing for 875 yards and nine touchdowns.
Another thing Michigan has done exceptional this year is running the football. Four players have rushed for more than 100 yards, and two of those four have rushed for more than 200. As a team, Michigan has rushed for 15 touchdowns. And none of these stats have anything to do with junior linebacker Jabrill Peppers, who is capable of impacting games on both sides of the ball.
This Big 10 game is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Oklahoma vs. No 21. TCU
This may not appear like a big game, but for Oklahoma, it’s one of the most crucial games in recent memory as the Sooners look to avoid dropping to 1-3.
As one of the most hyped teams in the preseason, the Sooners have failed to live up to the national title expectations that were set for them, though both of their losses came against good teams.
Junior quarterback Baker Mayfield has been stellar, throwing for 793 yards and seven touchdowns against defenses like Houston and Ohio State. Sophomore wide receiver Mark Andrews has stood out from the rest, with 211 yards on nine catches, including four touchdown grabs. Oklahoma will need the running back duo of sophomore Joe Mixon and junior Samaje Perine to pick up their games, as both have combined for just three touchdowns so far this year.
TCU has started the season 3-1, but could easily be 4-0. The lone loss was to the hands of Arkansas, 41-38, in double overtime. Junior quarterback Kenny Hill has been a big playmaker in the Horned Frogs’ offense, as he has already threw for 1,487 yards and six touchdowns. Hill also has 166 yards and six more touchdowns on the ground.
Junior running back Kyle Hicks has also been a spark plug for the offense, running for 314 yards and five scores. TCU has three receivers with more than 200 receiving yards and sophomore KaVontae Turpin is close to making that four with 196 yards this season.
The two Big 12 teams will clash at 4 p.m. Saturday.
No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 5 Clemson
Folks, this is only week five, but this might be one of the best games of the year. Two teams with national title hopes square off in a game that, with a loss, could push them out of the playoff picture.
Louisville’s offense isn’t good; it’s scary good. The Cardinals have played four games this year and the least amount of points they’ve scored is 59. There are a lot of FBS teams who won’t score 40 in a game and Louisville has scored over 59 in its first four.
The man leading the country’s most dangerous offense is sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Heisman front-runner right now has thrown for 1,330 and 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Jackson has also rushed for 526 yards and 12 touchdowns, which are insane numbers for a quarterback.
Louisville’s secret weapon on offense might be senior running back Brandon Radcliff. Radcliff is averaging 9.3 yards per carry this year on 46 carries, finding the end zone three times. The Cardinals also have two receivers with more than 300 yards, senior wide receivers James Quick and Jamari Staples.
Louisville will by far be the biggest test for Clemson this year and could easily be the best team the Tigers face all season. Junior quarterback Deshaun Watson leads the Tigers’ offense, throwing for 996 yards and nine touchdowns so far this season. Watson also has provided a spark with his legs, rushing for 120 yards.
Junior running back Wayne Gallman leads Clemson with 256 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers have depth at the wide receiver position, with sophomore Ray-Ray McCloud having 21 catches and juniors Mike Williams and Artavis Scott having 20 and 16 catches, respectively. Clemson also has eight different players who have caught a touchdown pass this year.
Arguably the biggest game of the year so far is set to kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday.
