How to watch Michigan vs Wisconsin, other top games in Week 5

Week 4 of the college football season was set up to be kind of a dud. Michigan barely survived a second-half collapse against Rutgers. And the rest of the action throughout college football didn’t seem appetizing. There were only two top 25 matchups as conference play began for some of the nation’s top programs. Then, No. 9 Clemson was upset by unranked NC State for its second loss of the season. Baylor stayed undefeated and beat No. 14 Iowa State. No. 4 Oklahoma struggled again and barely beat West Virginia. And Arkansas catapulted itself into the top 10 after beating No. 7 Texas A&M for the Razorbacks second win over a top 15 opponent this year.

This is part of what makes college football so great. The unpredictable nature of every game, every week. Now, Week 5 brings some more exciting matchups that could flip conferences and the college football playoff picture on their head. Let’s dive into another fascinating week.

No. 14 Michigan Wolverines at the Wisconsin Badgers

• Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 2, 12 p.m. ET
• Channel: Fox
• Location: Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin
• Weather: 73 degrees and raining
• Betting Line: Wisconsin -1.0, O/U: 44

Experts are predicting a barnburner in a matchup between two of the most historic programs in the Big Ten. You may look at the line and be stunned a Wisconsin team that has losses in two of its three games is favored to beat Michigan. But it’s not as outlandish as you may think.

Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have been able to move the ball consistently only with their rushing attack this season. In the win over Rutgers, we saw just how fluky the passing attack can be if Cade McNamara and Josh Gattis have to move the ball through the air. It took the Wolverines into the 4th quarter to convert their first first down of the second half.

That can’t happen this week against the Badgers. The Wisconsin defense is the strong suit of the team. Boasting the No. 1 rush defense in the nation, Michigan will have to get creative on moving the ball down the field. Especially in the slippery and rainy conditions projected for Saturday afternoon’s game.

To make matters worse, Michigan has struggled mightily on the road against quality opponents in the Jim Harbaugh era. But it extends even further than that for the Wolverines for games in Madison. 2001 was the last time Michigan left Camp Randall Stadium with a win. Wisconsin has also won five of the last seven meetings dating back to 2009.

The good news for Michigan is this Wisconsin team is at an all-time low and the offense has been the cause of it. Former highly-touted quarterback prospect Graham Mertz has struggled mightily, throwing more than three times as many interceptions (11) as touchdowns (3) since their win over Michigan a season ago. He has also had a fumbling problem to boot. The Wolverines will need to keep forcing mistakes against this Wisconsin team to earn a win on Saturday.

No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks vs No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs

• Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 2, 12 p.m. ET
• Channel: ESPN
• Location: Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA
• Weather: 87 degrees and partly cloudy
• Betting Line: Georgia -18.5, O/U: 48.5

If you don’t have a two-television set up yet in your house, get one this week. The hottest team in the country, No. 8 Arkansas, heads to Athens to face maybe the best defense in the country and the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.

So far this season, the Razorbacks have averaged 480 yards per game with wins coming over No. 15 Texas and No. 7 Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Georgia has put up similar offensive stats with a defense allowing only 181.8 yards per game including a win over Clemson. This is where we will find out if Arkansas is for real and if Georgia really should be pushing Alabama as the top dog in the country. It’s probably the top game of the Week 5 schedule.

No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats vs No. 9 Notre Dame

• Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: NBC
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana
• Weather: 75 degrees and mostly cloudy
• Betting Line: Cincinatti -2.0, O/U: 51

Fans have been clamoring for a non-Power 5 team to make the College Football Playoff, and this season may be their best chance. Cincinnati has gone 23-4 in their last three seasons. All of those losses came at the hands of formidable opponents. The committee is well aware of their success, putting them at No. 7 in the land. Last season’s bowl game was a 24-21 loss to Georgia in the Peach Bowl, but it showed the Bearcats can hang with some of the nation’s best.

Obviously, the competition in the American Athletic Conference is far inferior to that of the Power 5 teams. But a convincing win over a well-respected Notre Dame team a week after the Irish destroyed Wisconsin would certainly make a strong case for the Bearcats to maybe sneak into a playoff spot this season.

No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels vs No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

• Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 2, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: CBS
• Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Weather: 87 degrees and partly cloudy
• Betting Line: Alabama -14.5, O/U: 80

A matchup between two of the top teams in the SEC and two early Heisman Trophy candidates? Say less.

The over/under of 80 seems insurmountable, but when you look at the numbers, you may reconsider. The Rebels have the top offense in all of college football averaging 635.3 yards per game so far this season. Matt Corral, their starting quarterback, has risen to the Heisman scene with 997 yards and nine touchdowns in their first three games.

But he hasn’t faced a defense, nor a team, like Nick Saban’s. The Alabama defense has been strong yet again this season and are off to an early 4-0 start with wins over No. 14 Miami and No. 11 Florida. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has outperformed what Corral has done this season, too. The second-year quarterback has 15 touchdowns and just one interception while throwing for 1,124 yards this season.

If you love offense, you will want to tune in to this one!