Guest Post: College Football Marquee Matchups Week 5

Week five of the college football season is upon us and the action is starting to heat up. Most of the teams that have not started their conference season yet will do so this week, providing us with some very compelling matchups in week five. Tennessee Volunteers at #5 Georgia Bulldogs – The marquee matchup in the SEC this weekend will feature the Tennessee Volunteers traveling to Athens, Georgia to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia is expected to see two star defensive players, Bacarri Rambo and Alec Ogletree, return from suspension this week. However, this has not been confirmed by head coach Mark Richt who maintains the decision will be a game time one this Saturday like it was last week. In the absence of these star defensive players, Georgia has relied on its offense to lead the way. Quarterback Aaron Murray and running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall have helped the Bulldogs put up over 40 points in four consecutive games for the first time in school history. Tennessee will have its hands full on defense trying to stop Murray and his running backs on Saturday afternoon. The Tennessee Volunteers will try to test the Georgia defense through the air with quarterback Tyler Bray leading an impressive aerial attack. Through four games this season, Tennessee has averaged 341.3 yards per game through the air, which ranks them eighth in the country. The Volunteers will try to continue their passing success to help open up the run game against a stout Georgia defense. #25 Baylor Bears at #9 West Virginia Mountaineers – The West Virginia Mountaineers will play their first Big 12 conference game when they host the Baylor Bears on Saturday. This game will feature two of the highest scoring teams in the country as Baylor averages 51.3 points per game while West Virginia scores an average of 47.3 points per game. West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith is garnering some Heisman trophy consideration after his performances early in the season. The fewest amount of yards Smith has passed for in a game is 323 back in week one against Marshall. With head coach Dana Holgorsen familiar with Big 12 teams after serving as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, there is no reason to believe the high octane Mountaineer offense will struggle once conference play begins. #14 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State – The Big Ten is in desperate need of a team to step up and put forth a solid effort in week five after several disappointing games last weekend. Both Ohio State and Michigan State will have an opportunity to make a statement Saturday afternoon and show the country that the Big Ten is not as abysmal of a conference everyone believes it is. Michigan State will rely on running back Le’Veon Bell to continue to carry the workload as quarterback Andrew Maxwell continues to work on his timing with his receivers. Bell ran the ball 36 times for 253 yards last week against Eastern Michigan as Maxwell and the passing game struggled to move the ball through the air. If the Spartans do not find someone else to step up and help Bell out on offense, it could be a long season in East Lansing. Ohio State has similar offensive woes in that they rely heavily on one player to make things happen. Without quarterback Braxton Miller, the Ohio State Buckeyes would not be 4-0 on the season, and could have lost last weekend to Alabama-Birmingham. Miller threw for 143 yards while adding an additional 64 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Look for an above average Michigan State defense to focus on stopping Miller on the ground and forcing him to beat them through the air. Wisconsin Badgers at #22 Nebraska Cornhuskers – The Nebraska Cornhuskers will be out for revenge this weekend when they host the Wisconsin Badgers. Nebraska lost its inaugural Big Ten matchup last year to Wisconsin by a final score of 48-17, and would love nothing more than to return the favor Saturday night. While Wisconsin’s offense showed signs of improvement last weekend against UTEP, the Badgers may not have star running back Montee Ball at full strength, which obviously would be a huge blow to a team that has struggled on offense so far this season. Ball sat out the second half of last week’s game after taking a big shot in the first quarter against UTEP. If Ball is unable to play, James White and Melvin Gordon will step up to take his place. Nebraska Quarterback Taylor Martinez is looking for his own personal redemption in this game after throwing a career high three interceptions last season against Wisconsin. Through the first four games of the season, Martinez appears to be an improved passer as he leads the conference in passing efficiency and has completed 70.7% of his passes. If Martinez can limit the turnovers in this game, Nebraska should be able to utilize its home field advantage and start the Big Ten season off with a victory. By Don Phan - Just another sports enthusiast.