The College Five: Stanford, Alabama, Texas Tech and More

Honorable Mention - Kansas vs. (11) Baylor

Kansas has been something of a gimme win in the past, then they took it to TCU last weekend and almost knocked off the Horned Frogs. Now Kansas heads to Baylor to find out if they can keep up with this electric. Seth Russell and company average 42.6 points a game. While the Kansas defense is better than years past, this is too tall of a task.

Prediction: Baylor wins 35-24

#5 - (20) West Virginia vs. Texas Tech

West Virginia has put together an impressive 4-0 start and have worked into the the top 25. However, they head on the road to face off against the second best offense in college, scoring 55.2 points a game and Patrick Mahomes II, the number one quarterback in college with 2,274 passing yards and 20 touchdowns along with a 73 percent completion rate. Now the Red Raiders are up against a team that only lets up 20 points a game and 419 total yards a game. When push comes to shove, one of the strong parts of these teams will be broken by the other to gain the advantage.

Prediction: Texas Tech wins 40-27

#4 - Stanford vs. Notre Dame

This is one of the oldest, greatest rivalries in college history. It goes back as far as 1925 and Notre Dame leads the series 19-11. However, Stanford is 5-2 over the last seven and looks to build on last seasons win. Both of these teams now face a new level of desperations as they find themselves as both teams are on a disturbingly fast downward trend. The Fighting Irish are 2-4 and the Cardinal are 3-2. The Cardinal are in trouble against DeShone Kizer if Quenton Meeks and Alijah Holder are not fully healthy. In the end the offense of Notre Dame and Christian McCaffrey’s hampering injury will be too much for Stanford.

Prediction: Notre Dame wins 45-21

#3 - (12) Ole’ Miss vs. (22) Arkansas

Chad Kelly and company roll into Arkansas after the Razorbacks were embarrassed by the Crimson Tide. Kelly has passed for over 1,500 and played exceptionally well against Alabama, a team that boasts one of the better defensive lines in college. The Razorbacks defense has forced 13 sacks and scored three touchdowns. That may not be enough against an offense that puts up 41.6 points a game.

Prediction: Ole’ Miss wins 37-30

#2 - (2) Ohio State vs. (8) Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s defense has been truly impressive early this season and they were able to hold Michigan to 14 points. But Ohio State is still the class of the Big 10 and JT Barrett is the best quarterback in the conference. The way he can stretch a defense down the field and burn them with his legs. Braxton Miller destroyed Wisconsin last season and JT Barrett plays the same style of quarterback that Miller did. This will be a lopsided game.

Prediction: Ohio State wins 41-20

#1 - (1) Alabama vs. (9) Tennessee

The defensive line of of Alabama will cause the same problems that Texas A&M’s defensive line caused. Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams, Dakota Ball, Ruben Foster and Da’Ron Payne make an elite pass rushing combinations of edge rushers and linebackers. This is just going to be too much for Joshua Dobbs to handle. Alabama has gotten more efficient on offense every single game, the combination of stifling defense and increasingly dependable offense will give Alabama everything it needs for a win.

Prediction: Alabama wins 44-30

Bonus prediction: Jonathan Allen records three sacks and a forced fumble.