College football scores, picks, Top 25 analysis and Clemson’s great escape

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6:56 PM ET

  • ESPN staff

Welcome to college football’s Week 5. We have an old-school blue-blood matchup, Ohio State-Nebraska, and an intriguing Pac-12 game in Washington State-Utah. And there’s a little history being made: Oklahoma became the sixth team to join the 900-win mark, joining Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama and Nebraska. Hours later, Notre Dame became the seventh.

Jump to: Top 25 games | Best of Week 5

Honoring a Huskers family

After she was selected to appear on GameDay, Union asked her Twitter followers whose jersey she should wear. Nebraska senior offensive lineman Christian Gaylord responded with a special request. To honor his father, Scott, who died in a car accident last week in Nebraska, he offered the jersey his dad wore in the stands during Christian’s games.

Union said she’d be honored, and Nebraska helped get the jersey to her. After Saturday’s show, Union offered her condolences to the Gaylord family.

Week 5’s best

Fastest punter ever

Western Carolina’s Caleb Ferguson has punted 12 times for the Catamounts the past two seasons, but he’s listed on the roster as a running back. When his number was called on a fake punt, he showed why, scoring on a 69-yard run.

Polar bears have to like this atmosphere
Up in Havre, Montana (about 35 miles south of the Canadian border), the Montana Tech Orediggers took on the Montana State-Northern Lights. While the Diggers have beaten the Lights by a 147-28 margin the past two seasons, you gotta play the game. Even if it looks like this on the field.

Our new celebration overlords
Cheerleaders and mascots of the world, take notice. Virginia Tech already has a robot ready to take your place in the world of post-score celebratory pushups.

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Virginia Tech shows off its pushup robot during its loss vs. Duke.

That’s a spicy nugget
Spotted on Union Bay outside Husky Stadium in Seattle: what appears to be a floating fast-food establishment. Wendy’s replied, confirming it is operational and does have a “sail-thru.”

Everything old is new again
For its Sun Belt opener against Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State wore helmets featuring its mascot, Yosef, which is a caricature that dates to 1942. According to App State: “Yosef is mountain talk for ‘yourself,’ with the idea being that if you are an Appalachian alumnus, fan or friend and have a heart filled with black and gold, you are Yosef.”

Charlotte, meanwhile, featured its own pipe-smoking mascot, a throwback depiction of Norm the Niner, on its helmets for its homecoming game against Florida Atlantic.

Texas Tech wore all-white throwback uniforms for its trip to Oklahoma.

An unnatural selection
Clemson’s social media folks received a lot of attention with this, uh, interesting teaser for the North Carolina game featuring the Tigers’ captains acting as shepherds leading sheep to their assumed demise. See, the North Carolina mascot is Ramses, a Horned Dorset sheep. And Clemson is the Tigers. Tigers would probably eat sheep. Especially if Tigers (the football guys) were guiding them toward Tigers (the animal kind). Pretty normal stuff, really, if you think about it.

Bully won’t be bullied
Mississippi State might have given up three unanswered touchdowns to Auburn to start the game, but the Bulldogs — especially Jak (Bully XXI) — will not give up without a fight. JaTarvious Whitlow scored a 30-yard touchdown rush on Auburn’s first play from scrimmage, ending his run by sliding out of the end zone and directly into Jak.

But the Mississippi State mascot bounced right up and made sure to tell everyone he is OK.

Top 25 games

All lines courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

Mississippi State at No. 7 Auburn
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Line: Auburn -10
And our best line: Auburn is averaging 259.5 rush yards per game, most in the SEC. Mississippi State is allowing 4.5 yards per rush, third-most in the SEC.

UConn at No. 22 UCF
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN2 and ESPN App
Line: UCF -42.5
And our best line: UConn has lost 18 straight against FBS opponents, most recently winning against Tulsa in 2017. That’s the longest active streak in FBS and nine games longer than any other active streak.

No. 24 Kansas State at Oklahoma State
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch: ESPN+
Line: Oklahoma State -4.5
And our best line: Oklahoma State has won its past four home games as an unranked team against a ranked one. That’s tied for the longest active winning streak with Mississippi State.

No. 5 Ohio State at Nebraska
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: ABC and ESPN App
Line: Ohio State -17
And our best line: Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, Ohio State is 4-1 with four straight wins against the Huskers by an average of 24.8 points.

Washington State at No. 19 Utah
Time: 10 p.m. ET
How to watch: Fox Sports 1
Line: Utah -6
And our best line: Washington State is averaging 52.8 points and more than 605 yards, both in the top five in FBS. Utah’s defense gives up 14.8 points and 275 yards per game, both in the top three of the Pac-12.

What the results mean

No. 1 Clemson 21, North Carolina 20
If the Tigers learned one thing in their closer-than-expected victory over North Carolina, it is this: The ACC might be the weakest among the Power 5 conferences but they cannot afford to take anyone for granted. For vast stretches of the game, Clemson looked completely out of sorts on offense, and its usually strong offensive line looked lost — with six pre-snap penalties often killing drives. The line had a major impact on the ground game, too, as the only effective running plays involved quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Meanwhile, the offense failed to produce many explosive plays and Lawrence — who has been up and down all season long — did not make the case that he is gaining more consistency. Failing to generate much of anything with their playmakers has to be a concern headed into the open week. Opposing teams now have a blueprint from North Carolina defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who outmaneuvered Clemson and had a better day than Brent Venables. — Andrea Adelson

No. 2 Alabama 59, Ole Miss 31
Alabama: Oh, you thought it was just Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs starring at receiver for Alabama? Think again. DeVonta Smith, who caught the winning pass in the national championship game following the 2017 season only to go under the radar in 2018, is back with a vengeance. Against Ole Miss on Saturday, Smith was unstoppable, setting school records with 274 yards and five touchdowns, reminding everyone how ridiculously deep this receiver corps goes. — Alex Scarborough

No. 6 Oklahoma 55, Texas Tech 16
The Sooners weren’t challenged on Saturday by Texas Tech, and from the looks of it, they won’t be until they meet Texas in the Red River Showdown on Oct. 12. That will be the true test for where this Oklahoma team is. Until then, Jalen Hurts will continue to rack up Heisman-like statistics and the defense will continue to look improved under new coordinator Alex Grinch. — Sam Khan Jr.

No. 8 Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 15
Nothing came easily for the Badgers, who needed two defensive touchdowns, but Wisconsin is undefeated heading into October. Heisman hopeful running back Jonathan Taylor had another 100-yard game, but the defense was what stood out. The Badgers finished the month ranking in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They have to take advantage of home field against Kent State and Michigan State, as four of their final six games are on the road. — Heather Dinich

No. 9 Florida 38, Towson 0
Towson wasn’t going to provide much challenge for Florida on Saturday, but it was another data point suggesting the Gators are in good hands with QB Kyle Trask, who opened the game 15-of-15 passing, extending his two-game streak to 18, breaking a school record. With Auburn, LSU and Georgia coming up in Florida’s next four, however, the job is about to get much tougher for Trask. — David Hale

No. 10 Notre Dame 35, No. 18 Virginia 20
Notre Dame’s playoff chances are still alive after a victory against Virginia. The Irish defense gave up 235 passing yards in the first half, but came up big with two fumble recoveries — one returned for a touchdown — and one interception in the second half to help seal the victory. Notre Dame was looking to establish the run and got four touchdowns on the ground in an improved performance. Despite that production, there is still some work to be done in the rushing attack if Notre Dame wants to make another run at the playoff.

Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins had an excellent first half through the air, but the Irish defense stifled the Cavaliers’ offense in the second half. Virginia put up a good fight, but isn’t quite ready to put away a top-10 team on the road. Luckily for UVa, this was not a conference game, and its hopes for an ACC championship-game berth are still very much intact and realistic. — Tom VanHaaren

No. 12 Penn State 59, Maryland 0
The Nittany Lions thoroughly embarrassed host Maryland in front of a sold-out crowd Friday night, showing the Big Ten East could run deeper than Ohio State. Could. Penn State’s status as a contender won’t be revealed until October, when the Nittany Lions play three consecutive ranked opponents: No. 14 Iowa, No. 20 Michigan and No. 25 Michigan State. The only game left they’re not favored to win? Nov. 23 at Ohio State. — Heather Dinich

No. 14 Iowa 48, Middle Tennessee 3
Iowa had too many athletes for Middle Tennessee’s defense to handle, and the Hawkeyes spread the ball to a lot of them. Nate Stanley averaged more than 16 yards per completion, a trio of Iowa running backs averaged 8.6 yards per carry, and if you’re into the transitive property, the Hawkeyes handled the Blue Raiders far better than next week’s opponent, Michigan, did. Now comes a trip to Ann Arbor that could define both teams’ respective seasons. — Bill Connelly

Arizona State 24, No. 15 Cal 17
Cal was the last remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12 before losing at home Friday to Arizona State, but the Bears’ biggest concern now is the status of starting quarterback Chase Garbers, who left in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury. The Bears have as good a defense as there is in the conference but were already offensively challenged before Garbers went down. If his injury costs him more time, backup Devon Modster will have to be much more effective than he was against Arizona State (5-of-14, 23 yards, interception). — Kyle Bonagura

No. 17 Washington 28, No. 21 USC 14
At this point, the Trojans should be a considered a wild card from week to week. Because of how much talent is on the roster, they’ll be a threat to win every game left on the schedule, but there’s also not a game remaining where it would be too surprising if they lost. That inconsistency, perhaps more than anything, has been the trademark of coach Clay Helton’s tenure. The reality is, this team is still good enough to win its division. Asking for anything more is a stretch.

It’s not too early to start looking forward to Oct. 19, when Washington will host Oregon in a matchup that could decide the Pac-12 North. The Huskies have road trips to Stanford and Arizona before then, but neither figures to be much of a hurdle based on what we’ve seen so far. Since a shaky performance against Cal in the middle of the night following a lightning storm, quarterback Jacob Eason has been an efficient, calming presence. — Kyle Bonagura

No. 20 Michigan 52, Rutgers 0
The Wolverines got exactly what they needed: a convincing victory without further disaster. Michigan had faced criticism since its sound defeat at Wisconsin last weekend, but was able to get its stagnant offense moving — albeit against a team that has now lost 14 straight conference games — though not without another turnover. Wisconsin, Ohio State and Notre Dame can all benefit from Michigan improving and staying ranked, as it can affect all of their schedule strengths. — Heather Dinich

No. 23 Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 27
Here are two things we know about A&M-Arkansas games: They’re going to be really close, and A&M’s going to win. With 10 fourth-quarter points, the Aggies won their eighth straight in the series, but this was the fifth meeting in six years to be decided by one score. But hey, whatever — survive and advance. Now 3-2, Texas A&M gets a bye week before hosting Alabama, its third top-10 opponent of the season. — Bill Connelly

No. 25 Michigan State 40, Indiana 31
You wouldn’t be too surprised to see a Michigan State game end with 33 total points, maybe far fewer. Far more surprising: 33 total points in the fourth quarter, 16 in the final two minutes. Sparty won a wild one, and the MSU offense, invisible for most of the third quarter, came up big late. Safe to say, that’s a happy data point to have with trips to Ohio State and Wisconsin coming up next. — Bill Connelly

Satuday’s inspiration

Casey O’Brien has defeated osteosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, four times and is defying the odds again by playing football for the Golden Gophers.

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Casey O’Brien has defeated cancer four times and is defying the odds again by playing football for the Golden Gophers.

This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.
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