College Football Week 5 Predictions: Colorado Poised for a Comeback Against USC

Last College Football Week , Oregon revealed the vulnerabilities of the Buffs, but this weekend’s matchup in Boulder promises to be a more evenly balanced contest. Additionally, Alabama’s exceptional talent is expected to shine brightly in their game against Mississippi State.

Last week was pretty good, and now we’re back to five-wide this week as we continue our picks into October.

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Here are the picks for this week’s games:

USC (-21.5) at Colorado Johnson: Colorado

College Football Week

Johnson believes that Colorado will cover the spread against USC. He points out that Oregon exposed CU’s weaknesses last weekend, but he doesn’t think USC’s defense is strong enough to dominate the Buffs like Oregon did. USC’s tackling has been problematic, and Colorado’s offensive coordinator, Sean Lewis, has been effective at exploiting defensive weaknesses, particularly with running back Dylan Edwards. Johnson also mentions the possibility of a backdoor cover for the second week in a row, which he wants to respect.

Please note that these picks are based on the opinions of the individuals making them and may not necessarily reflect the actual outcomes of the games.

Forde’s pick for the USC vs. Colorado game is Colorado. He sees this week’s matchup as the start of the Home ‘Dog Festival in Boulder. Forde attributes Colorado’s struggles in the previous game against Oregon to a series of unfavorable factors, including injuries to key players like Travis Hunter, the challenge of playing a strong opponent on the road after a late-night double-overtime rivalry game the week before, and the Ducks’ determination to assert dominance. However, this week, he believes the circumstances are more balanced. With the game taking place at home, at high altitude, and against a defense known for giving up yards and points, Forde expects Colorado to at least stay competitive. While he doesn’t predict a Colorado victory, he does anticipate that they will cover the spread in what could be a high-scoring contest. He also highlights the fact that the Buffs’ 3-0 start, which some dismissed as a result of weak competition, has seen all three defeated opponents remain undefeated since then, with TCU at 3-0, Nebraska at 2-0, and Colorado State at 1-0.

Johnson’s pick for the Michigan vs. Nebraska game is Michigan. He suggests that Michigan has a consistent formula for these types of games where they take an early lead and maintain control throughout, effectively suffocating the opposition. According to Johnson, they have executed a similar game plan for the past four weeks and are likely to continue doing so.

Forde, on the other hand, chooses Nebraska. He points out that the Wolverines have not yet played an away game and are facing the top rushing defense in the Big Ten. Given Michigan’s reliance on establishing the run, this could pose a challenge. Forde also notes that Nebraska has made a quarterback change, moving from Jeff Sims, who had a tendency to commit errors, to Heinrich Haarberg, which should help them limit turnovers. He recalls a close encounter between the two teams in Lincoln two years ago, where Michigan narrowly escaped with a victory that propelled them toward the playoffs. Forde predicts a Michigan win again but anticipates a hard-fought battle throughout the entire game.

Johnson predicts that Georgia will win against Auburn, expecting Auburn to start the game with some trick plays to move the ball against Georgia’s strong defense. However, he believes that Auburn’s quarterback situation won’t be able to keep up with Georgia over the course of the game.

Forde also chooses Georgia, acknowledging that the Bulldogs have been slow starters in previous games but expects them to be more focused against a rival like Auburn, especially in a challenging road game environment. He anticipates that Auburn may struggle to score more than 10 points in this matchup.

In the LSU vs. Ole Miss game, Johnson picks LSU, believing that the Tigers have improved significantly since their Week 1 performance against Florida State. He suggests that Ole Miss tends to perform well against weaker opponents but struggles when facing more talented teams.

College Football Week  Forde also selects LSU, expressing skepticism about Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and favoring LSU’s serious approach. He mentions that LSU’s Jayden Daniels is likely to exploit weaknesses in Ole Miss’ secondary, and he highlights the impressive performance of Harold Perkins in recent games.

In the Alabama vs. Mississippi State game, Johnson predicts that Alabama will win. He believes that Alabama’s talent, particularly on defense, will be too much for Mississippi State, which is currently undergoing significant changes.

College Football Week  Forde also chooses Alabama, pointing out that Alabama has covered the spread in their previous five matchups against Mississippi State. He mentions that Mississippi State’s defense is ranked 13th out of 14 in the SEC, which could benefit Alabama’s offense. Despite a long way to go in the season, he sees Alabama sweeping and covering against the Mississippi schools as a strong start in their division.