College football picks: Week five

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Eric Bakke/ESPN

The Crew dropping knowledge on y’all

If you were too busy celebrating Elder’s triumphant victory (which is understandable), you may have missed the games Saturday night. Florida State held on to defeat Clemson in OT without famous Jameis, Oregon survived a scare against Washington State thanks to Mariota’s five touchdown passes. Auburn beat Kansas State by six, and finally the eighth ranked Tigers of Louisiana State fell to Mississippi State at home in the weekend’s biggest upset, how ‘bout dem bulldogs? Week five has a plethora of games that should be fun to watch, so let’s get started.

Prime time game: (11) UCLA at (15) Arizona State (Line: UCLA -5)

DH: It’s uncertain whether UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley will play Thursday night, but the Sun Devils are preparing to face the superstar, who has a lot to prove with the slow start UCLA has gotten off too. Arizona State’s quarterback Kelly is conformed out, and they will rely on back up Mike Bercovici. Beating the Sun Devils in Sun Devil Stadium is no easy task for any team, and the Bruins will be pushed to their breaking point in this game. In the end, I see the Devils coming out victorious by 7.

JG: I see UCLA winning this game coach Jim Mora has expressed faith in his backup quarterback Jerry Neuheisel. Who has led them to a win before, against Texas. I like UCLA, they are a very talented team and I think they will win this game whether or not they have Hundley. Neuheisel has already had to come in and play in a pressure situation. He went 23 for 30 for 178 and two TD’s. He will be more ready than Arizona State’s backup. I like UCLA by 7.

Cincinnati at (23) Ohio State: (Line: OSU -16)

DH: Oh boy, have I been waiting for this one. The Ohio State Buckeyes haven’t lost to an in-state opponent since 1921, and when they’re not paying millions of dollars to get out of playing the Bearcats, they’ve dominated the series, beating the Cats 13 of the 15 times they’ve played. However, with all this said, this Bearcat led by Tommy Tuberville is hungry, and they want nothing more than to go into Ohio Stadium and upset the Buckeyes. It’s going to take every piece of everything the Bearcats have, but it is possible. If Virginia Tech can go in to Columbus and beat the Buckeyes, why can’t the Bearcats? This oppurtunuty to take back the state of Ohio is big, and I see the Bearcats taking advantage, coming out and shocking the Buckeyes in a barn burner.

JG: I like Cincinnati. I know you will think that because I’m an “ignorant UC fan”, but it is possible. Ohio State has not dominated anyone other than wimpy Kent State. JT Barrett has been shaky in his other two outings against teams that aren’t in the MAC conference. He played average against Navy, a few big plays made by the wide receivers made him look good. He looked awful against Virginia Tech only completing 9 passes against a Virginia Tech team that is terrible. Ohio State’s weak secondary will be a problem because this UC offense is ranked ninth in the nation in passing offense. Gunner Kiel will have a breakout game. People will realize Kiel is the real deal. Ohio State’s reign of terror since 1921 will end this weekend. Bearcats win by 7.

Missouri at (13) South Carolina (Line: USC -6)

DH: After getting embarrassed at home against Texas A&M, the Gamecocks appear to have found their stride. With the SEC conference play beginning, South Carolina must keep rolling if they want to be a contender in nation’s toughest conference. South Carolina prevails by 7.

JG: Missouri picked a wrong time to face the Gamecocks because they are on a roll. They have bounced back nicely since that loss to Texas A&M. South Carolina is still fighting to possibly make it into the playoff, I like Dylan Thompson to lead the Gamecocks to a victory by 14 or more.