Curator & Coach - Week 5

Curator Sam Burnham

Game of the Week
​Southern Cal @ Washington

With the four team format for the CFB Playoff there’s a guarantee that at least one Power 5 conference champion will be left out in the cold. Add the trend of two SEC playoff teams and that makes two champs left out.

The Pac 12 has to step up if they want a say in New Orleans. Stepping up starts with this game. Each team already has a loss and neither can afford another. But this is inevitable for one of them. Two teams in a must-win situation, a 3:30 kickoff, and a relatively slow week for big games make this a good pick.

​Upset Alert
Mississippi State @ Auburn

This game promises to be a slobber knocker. This is where I’ll drag out an old Pat Dye quote to use out of context. “...man enough to beat Auburn.” The Tigers have beaten Oregon and Texas A&M already this season. That might qualify for the nation’s toughest schedule so far. What I like about them is that they’re scrappy. They don’t quit. They’re tough.

Clanga comes to Jordan-Hare looking for respect. And beating Auburn in the plains will give them exactly that. They have a chance here because I think they can scrap with Auburn. I expect a physical game, one the Tigers will have to fight their way out of. Don’t overlook the Bulldogs.

Coach Drew Burnham

​Game of the Week
VIRGINIA @ NOTRE DAME
​
Bronco Mendenhall has the Cavs off to a hot 4-0 start. There is plenty to be admired about the beginning to their campaign, however, this is their first major test. The Irish are fresh off a heartbreaker against UGA last weekend and if any hope of a playoff birth remains, they cannot afford any slips the remainder of the season. It’ll be the desire of Virginia to prove themselves worthy against a top-tier opponent vs the historic pride of the Irish doing their best to keep hold of their playoff dreams. This should make for an exciting afternoon in South Bend.

Upset Alert
OKLAHOMA STATE VS KANSAS STATE
This one barely counts as an upset as the Wildcats have just snuck into the top 25 this week. K-State has looked good in the first 3 weeks, but against far lesser competition except for a solid win at Mississippi State last week. I firmly believe that so far this season Oklahoma State is potentially the most under-rated team in the country. They are extremely explosive offensively and managed to give Texas all they wanted on the road last week. Gundy isn’t one to take moral victories, but the Pokes have looked good. I’m curious to see how the Cowboy front handles the power running attack of K-State as it is not something they get much of in the Big 12. If Oklahoma State can get off the field and not allow long, sustained drives, I believe they will handle this game with little issue.

Curator’s Picks (20-20)
​Oklahoma over Texas Tech
Wisconsin over Northwestern
Notre Dame over Virginia
Washington over Southern Cal
Clemson over North Carolina
Auburn over Mississippi State
Ohio St. over Nebraska
Kentucky over South Carolina
FSU over N.C. State
Utah over Washington St.

Coach’s Picks (22-18)
​Oklahoma over Texas Tech
Wisconsin over Northwestern
Notre Dame over Virginia
Washington over Southern Cal
Clemson over North Carolina
Auburn over Mississippi State
Ohio St. over Nebraska
Kentucky @ South Carolina
NC State over FSU
Washington St. over Utah