Welcome to Week Five of The Lowe Down. Well, last week’s slate of games was about as entertaining as watching paint dry. I mean Ohio State vs. Florida A&M? Florida State vs. Bethune-Cookman? Come on man? That’s just borderline ridiculous. With that being said, we don’t have to worry about an M1 Abrams battle tank (arguably the best of its type in the world) going up against a guy on a donkey this week. Great games fill all the time slots on the docket, and upsets should play a role in Sunday headlines (cough … watch out Stanford). Last week’s record was 16-4, bringing the yearly record to 63-17. To the games we go…
Friday, September 27
Utah State 38, San Jose State 34
Middle Tennessee 23, BYU 30
Saturday, September 28
No. 15 Miami (3-0) at USF (0-3) 11:00 p.m. CT
Although USF has yet to get a win, rest assured the Bulls will play hard in this game. A lot of the South Florida players have former high school teammates that play for The U and it would make their season to upset the heavily favored Hurricanes. Will it happen? Negative. Quarterback Stephen Morris and tailback Duke Johnson on offense and a much improved defense (11 sacks, three interceptions through three games) will be too much for the rebuilding Bulls to handle.
The Lowe Down: Miami 37, South Florida 13
No. 12 South Carolina (2-1) at UCF (3-0) 11:00 p.m. CT
This is a dangerous spot for South Carolina. This is arguably the biggest game in the history of the UCF program and the fact that it is being aired on national television (ABC) only helps the Knights David vs. Goliath cause. Talented quarterback Blake Bortles leads a balanced — and explosive — UCF offense, but the Knights will have to play well on defense to upend the powerful Gamecocks. That’s a tall order, but UCF should play well enough to keep this game tight until the end. Also keep an eye on Jadeveon Clowney vs. UCF’s offensive tackles in this matchup. If Clowney goes nuts, South Carolina could roll. But I don’t think that happens here.
The Lowe Down: South Carolina 27, UCF 26
No. 14 Oklahoma (3-0) at No. 22 Notre Dame (3-1) 2:30 p.m. CT
Last year the Sooners were embarrassed by the Irish in Norman. But Notre Dame isn’t the same team it was a year ago and you can rest assured that Oklahoma wants a little payback. The key for Oklahoma in this game will be establishing a running game. Last year it was unable to do so and it put the Sooners in a lot of unmanageable passing situations. If OU can get the ground game going, it will open up a lot of opportunities in the passing game for Blake Bell, who is fresh off a 413-yard, four touchdown passing performance in his first start a week ago against Tulsa.
The Lowe Down: Oklahoma 31, Notre Dame 23
No. 6 LSU (4-0) at No. 9 Georgia (2-1) 2:30 p.m. CT
Although LSU is riding high after an impressive win over Auburn in the pouring rain, this is basically a national title elimination game for Georgia. And that’s why the Bulldogs will come out victorious. Offensively, both teams should be able to move the ball, and move it effectively, but the home-field advantage and a key turnover or two will be the deciding factor for Mark Richt’s team. Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray is a key battle to watch no doubt, but so is the Todd Gurley/Jeremy Hill matchup. Right now, Gurley and Hill look like the two best tailbacks in the country. Expect offense and a lot of yards on what should be a beautiful day in Athens.
The Lowe Down: LSU31, Georgia 38
No. 21 Ole Miss (3-0) at No. 1 Alabama (3-0) 5:30 p.m. CT
Bo Wallace has been talking it up to the media this week about how Ole Miss is going to score and this and that. But talk is cheap when you play Alabama in T-Town. The Crimson Tide’s home-field dominance under Nick Saban is well-documented (uh um, 62-7) and that should rear its head here. Look, Ole Miss has athletes and has advanced light years from where it was under Hugh Freeze, but I’m not sold on this Rebels team being elite just yet. Yes it can score and yes it has played the run well this season (29th nationally in rushing defense entering Saturday), but I think AJ McCarron, Amari Cooper, T.J. Yeldon and the Alabama offensive line will outshine the Rebel O when all is said and done.
The Lowe Down: Ole Miss 23, Alabama 42
No. 10 Texas A&M (3-1) at Arkansas (3-1) 6:00 p.m. CT
Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen’s status for this week’s game against Texas A&M is still up in the air, but does it really matter? Allen’s a good player no doubt, but I have a hard time seeing the Razorbacks being able to knock off Johnny Manziel and the high-powered Aggies regardless if this game is being played at home or not, or with Allen or not. Arkansas has improved under first-year head coach Bret Bielema, but it doesn’t have the defensive talent to keep up with Kevin Sumlin’s bunch.
The Lowe Down: Texas A&M 45, Arkansas 20
No. 20 Florida (2-1) at Kentucky (1-2) 6:00 p.m. CT
Props to Florida backup quarterback Tyler Murphy in last week’s win over Tennessee. After veteran Jeff Driskel went down with a season-ending leg injury, Murphy took over the offense and played well in his first live collegiate action behind center. Now Murphy gets his first taste at playing QB on the road when the offensively-challenged Gators head to Lexington to take on Kentucky. Like the Gators, the Wildcats have struggled on offense all season long, but UK’s defense has steadily improved with each passing game. End Za’Darius Smith is a difference-maker and linebacker Avery Williamson is one of the SEC’s best. Those two should play a key role in Kentucky giving the Gators all they want.
The Lowe Down: Florida 23, Kentucky 20
No. 23 Wisconsin (3-1) at No. 4 Ohio State (4-0) 7:00 p.m. CT
We will finally get a chance to see how good Ohio State is when the Buckeyes host the Badgers in a Big Ten showdown. As expected, quarterback Braxton Miller is set to return to the lineup after missing two weeks with a sprained knee. Now just how healthy that knee is remains to be seen, but Miller’s presence should give Ohio State a confidence boost. Miller’s counterpart, Wisconsin QB Joel Stave, is a good leader and an underrated passer, but he’ll need to be on his game against a tough Buckeyes defense if the visitors have any shot at the upset. Wisconsin will also need a big day from its secondary if it hopes to throw a wrench into Urban Meyer’s plans for a championship season.
The Lowe Down: Wisconsin 23, Ohio State 28
No. 5 Stanford (3-0) at Washington State (3-1) 9:00 p.m. CT
This is it: the game that the Pirate (Mike Leach) officially makes his return to college football relevance as the head coach at Washington State. That’s right, I said it. Stanford is a good team no doubt. But don’t sleep on this experienced group of Cougars. Quarterback Connor Halliday leads a potent passing attack, and tailback Teondray Caldwell is a tough runner due to his low center of gravity. Cornerback Damante Horton and safety Deone Bucannon are also two fine football players who will likely play on Sundays. Upset city, here we come. “Ahoy, Matey!”
The Lowe Down: Stanford 24, Washington State 27
In other Saturday games:
No. 11 Oklahoma State 38, West Virginia 17
South Alabama 17, Tennessee 34
Wake Forest 10 at No. 3 Clemson 45
Iowa 23, Minnesota 32
UAB 23, Vanderbilt 45
Arizona 35 at No. 16 Washington 48
Southern Miss 14, Boise State 45
USC 17, Arizona State 28
Cal 20, No. 2 Oregon 55
Sunday, September 29
No. 25 Fresno State 44, Hawaii 23