Week 5 is here with plenty of exciting matchups between ranked opponents. There's the SEC championship rematch from last season between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama, there's a critical Big 12 showdown between No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Kansas State, and there's an intriguing meeting in the Big Ten when No. 19 Illinois visits No. 9 Penn State.
This is the last weekend of September, which means that the season is really only just heating up. And we're going to learn a lot more about which teams are legitimate College Football Playoff contenders as October approaches.
Here are the top five games to watch this weekend:
Minnesota at No. 12 Michigan ( Noon ET on FOX )
There won't be any surprises here. Michigan is going to run the ball, so Minnesota needs to shut it down to have any hope of leaving Ann Arbor with a win.
As we learned last week, first-year Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore is going to ride with QB Alex Orji over Davis Warren for the foreseeable future. Orji doesn't throw the ball very much, but he and Michigan's running backs can move the chains with their legs. Last week, Kalel Mullings got hot and had 17 carries for 159 yards with two touchdowns in a huge win over USC. That seems to be Moore's offensive game plan, and he's sticking to it.
The Gophers have the nation's No. 2 passing defense, but that's not going to matter much here. They're giving up nearly 125 ypg on the ground and allowed four rushing touchdowns in last week's 31-14 loss to Iowa. Transfer QB Max Brosmer gives Minnesota an edge in the passing game, but it might not be enough to overcome the talent Michigan has on its defense.
No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State (12 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Both teams are still very much
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