The fifth week in the college football season marks the official beginning of conference play for most teams around the country. Many teams will slowly realize where they sit in the pecking order in the coming weeks.
In week five, the #15 Tennessee Volunteers travel to Starkvegas to take on a scrappy Mississippi State Bulldogs; the #6 Oregon Ducks get tested in one of the toughest road environments in the nation and #17 Alabama and #5 Georgia face off for an SEC clash.
*All stats and standings are pulled from https://www.espn.com/college-football/stats, https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs.*
Vols look to prove themselves in Starkvegas
After a strong 56-24 win over the UAB Blazers, the Volunteers get their second chance in SEC action after falling to Georgia in a thriller just a couple weeks before. There are not any layups in SEC play, but I think that especially applies here.
Mississippi State sits as one of the few unranked SEC teams in the conference with the likes of Auburn, Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina. However, Mississippi State holds a record of 4-0 (1.000), otherwise known as undefeated while the other unranked teams hold a combined record of 10-9 (0.526).
The Bulldogs also boast one of the most impressive wins in the conference with a win over the reigning Big 12 champions, Arizona State.
Led by senior quarterback Blake Shapen, the Bulldogs have been hard to knock down.
The Volunteers continue to be one of the best offenses in the nation with another game with more than 50-points to put away UAB. That matchup will not be taken much into consideration for this game, though. The Vols were expected to win that one.
What is more intriguing was Tennessee’s challenge to Georgia, who squeaked out of Knoxville with a win in week three.
Previous Volunteer teams hit a wall against the Bulldogs and their head coach Kirby Smart, but that did not appear to be the case this year.
The connection between senior transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar and his receivers continues to grow as the Tennessee offense hopes to have things firing on all cylinders going into conference play. Aguilar ranks third in the SEC in passing yards per game going into a tough road environment against one of the best pass defenses in the SEC.
We will see if Aguilar continues to punch above his weight against the Bulldogs.
Vols hit the jackpot in Starkvegas and win 38-20.
Oregon gets their test in the “White Out”
Third ranked Penn State hold one of the best home field advantages in all of college football—the “White Out.” Like a blizzard, over 100,000 fans scream their lungs out, dressed in all white as they try to disorient and confuse their opponents.
“White Out” is reserved for special moments in the Penn State program. Usually only summoned when a worthy opponent enters Beaver Stadium—this time is no different.
The #6 Oregon Ducks come into Saturday’s game with a limited history against the Nittany Lions, having only played them in the conference last season. In that game, the Ducks outlasted the Lions 45-37 on their way to the college football playoffs.
The Ducks bring with them those same college football championship hopes from last season. This time led by sophomore quarterback Dante Moore, who has taken the college football landscape by storm in his first season as a starter. Moore leads an Oregon offense that has scored more than 40- points in multiple games.
The question with the Ducks lies with their competitors. In other words, they have not played a good team yet. Oregon’s best win is a 34-14 cruise control victory over a 1-2 Northwestern team.
Penn State takes things to another level. Led by fellow NFL Draft hopeful senior quarterback Drew Allar, the Lions face the same dilemma. A top win over Nevada does not exactly scream competition. Especially when your team is brimming with elite talent from all across the country.
Allar will need to show why NFL teams are intrigued by him if he wants the Lions and the crowd to stay in this game.
The Ducks beat the Lions in this world as #6 Oregon improves to 5-0 in a 24-23 win over #3 Penn State.
An SEC classic is changing with the times
#5 Georgia and #17 Alabama meeting in the SEC has become almost expected. Despite not having an annual meeting scheduled by the SEC, both these teams find their way to each other. Whether that is in the SEC championship or the National Championship.
Over the years, the onus has been on Georgia to get over the hump and upset the powerhouse Alabama ran by, the greatest coach ever, Nick Saban.
Now, a new man leads the Tide and as Saban left so did the dominance of Alabama football. After a down year in which they missed the 12-team college football playoff and lost to an up-and-coming Vanderbilt team. The Tide now seem as vulnerable as ever with Georgia not letting off the gas.
It is now Alabama’s turn to play David.
Led by former 5-star quarterback Ty Simpson, the Tide have shifted from a stout defensive nightmare to a well-oiled offensive engine. Under the guise of new head coach Kalen Deboer, Simpson and the Alabama offense definitely have the fire power to upset anybody. We will see if they have the discipline and energy to do the same when the Dawgs come to town.
This Georgia team is everything we have come to expect from Georgia. Aggressive, perfect in their execution and one of the most talented teams in the country. Led by Kirby Smart, who has cemented himself as one of the best coaches of this generation, and has a factory in Athens, Georgia where he pumps out freak athletes that know how to do their job and might drive a little too fast sometimes.
Smart has another well-trained signal caller to lead his offense in junior quarterback Gunnar Stockton, who played excellent in Georgia’s matchup against Tennessee. A game that was won with Stockton’s arm.
With an offensive attack spearheaded by masterful play calling from offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, the Bulldogs will not be put away without perfection.
Georgia turn the Tide with a 38-27 win over Alabama.
