It’s time for the fifth week in the 2019 college football season. In this weekly series I point out games I feel college football fans should keep an eye on every weekend. At the end I also highlight the games that our regional (Charlotte) college football fans should watch out for. Unfortunately, this week doesn’t provide us with near the schedule that last week did. It has been very disappointing to see a lot of the big-time teams play cupcakes so far this season. ESPN’s College Gameday will be at Nebraska tomorrow for the Nebraska-Ohio State game, so that tells you everything you need to know about this week’s schedule. But let’s take a look at some of the games worth noting:

#18 Virginia at #10 Notre Dame

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

I was getting ready to call this a big-time ACC matchup, but I often forget that Notre Dame is independent in football. Still, this is a big matchup for both schools. In a very down year for the ACC, Virginia is the only other ranked team after Clemson and this will be a big test for them to see just how good they are. Notre Dame played a very good Georgia team tough last week at Georgia, which was pretty impressive. With Notre Dame at home, and Virginia probably being overrated, I think it’s Notre Dame’s game to lose.

Prediction: Notre Dame over Virginia

#21 USC at #17 Washington

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Believe it or not, there’s a Pac-12 game to watch out for this weekend. Like the ACC, the Pac-12 has fallen on hard times, with the difference being the ACC actually has a national title contender. I’m interested to see how USC hangs in this one because they beat #10 Utah last week, but lost the week before to BYU. So I don’t know what kind of team they have yet. Washington is solid, and has been for several years now, but this year’s team isn’t last year’s Huskies team and that showed with their awful loss to California three weeks ago. Still I think Washington is better than USC and they’re at home so…

Prediction: Washington over USC

#12 Penn State at Maryland

Friday, 8:00 p.m.

This game might not be on very many people’s radar, but I think it will be a close one. I’m interested to see how Maryland bounces back after a strong start but a loss to Temple. They were lighting up the scoreboard the first two games. Penn State will come in 3-0 on the year, but only won by a touchdown last week against a weak Pittsburgh team. Like my first two picks, I’m sticking with the home team and going with the Terrapins in this one for the upset because I just don’t think Penn State is that good.

Prediction: Maryland over Penn State

#24 Kansas State at Oklahoma State

Saturday, 7:00 p.m.

This is a fairly intriguing Big-12 matchup with Kansas State at 3-0 and Oklahoma State at 3-1 (with the only loss to Texas). Both offenses have the capability to put up some points and they both average 44 points per game. Like basically all Big-12 games, this one should be a shootout and will put the winner in a good spot within the conference standings. According to ESPN’s Power Index, Oklahoma State has a 57.8% chance to win, but I have a feeling about Kansas State on the road here.

Prediction: Kansas State over Oklahoma State

Regional Games of Interest

Wake Forest at Boston College

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Wake Forest and Boston College have both had surprisingly good starts to the season this year. Wake is 4-0 and Boston College is 3-1. A couple of years ago this might have been one of the most intriguing matchups in the country. Neither team has really been challenged, however, as Wake’s biggest win was over North Carolina and Boston College’s over Virginia Tech. In a pitiful conference, this game could have some implications on one of its top teams.

Prediction: Wake Forest over Boston College

Garett

College Football Games to Keep an Eye On: Week 5