Week 5

The Professor is back! I am coming off my second consecutive 3-2 week and feeling good.

My overall record for the season is now 10-9-1, which means...I am back in the black! (no relation to the great AC/DC song Back in Black)

The early season rust is off, and I am all go from here. So here are my Week 5 picks:

Again, the lines come from the Westgate Las Vegas Casino and are posted on ESPN.com: http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/17650637/college-football-full-list-week-5-odds-westgate-las-vegas-superbook

All times are Eastern Time Zone

Rutgers +38 at Ohio State (Saturday at noon)

Despite my hesitancy to pick games with extremely large spreads, Ohio State has been dominant enough for me to warrant taking them this week.

The Buckeyes have looked strong on both offense and defense, blowing out Bowling Green and Tulsa by 67 and 45 points. In their first major test of the season, Ohio State won decisively over Oklahoma. J.T. Barrett is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country and is playing behind an offensive line that has allowed two sacks through three games. In those three games, the Buckeyes have only turned the ball over twice and have forced 11 turnovers for a nation-leading +9 turnover margin.

In their two games against Power-5 Conference teams, the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers have averaged just ten points of offense while giving up an average of 31 points. Rutgers has fewer than 200 passing yards in both of those games. They are facing a defense that has given up an average of 102.3 rush yards per game. Rutgers won't be able to pass or rush the ball and the Buckeyes will score early and often.

The fans at the Horseshoe in Columbus will have a treat. I'll take the Buckeyes and give all of the points. O-H...I-O!

Virginia +3.5 at Duke (Saturday at 12:30 P.M.)

Duke's victory over Notre Dame was quite impressive. After earlier bad losses against Wake Forest and Northwestern, the question is how much can we read into the Blue Devils' victory over the Irish.

I think Duke is a solid team, but this prediction has more to do with the ineptitude that Virginia has shown so far this season. There were high hopes in Charlottesville with the hiring of Bronco Mendenhall, but those hopes were quickly tempered after a Week 1 loss to FCS foe Richmond.

The Cavaliers looked equally inept in their losses against Oregon and Connecticut. They were able to get their first victory this past week over Central Michigan, but UVA is still quite weak and have turned the ball over eight times.

That Virginia team is going up against a Duke team that just got a huge boost of confidence after beating Notre Dame. David Cutcliffe has completely turned around Duke football. The Blue Devils have had games this season where they have struggled either running the ball or passing the ball, but, in those games, the other part of the offense took over and did well. Duke's defense has not been greatly outplayed in any of their games.

A team that can move the ball and score has a distinct advantage (understatement) over a team that cannot do so. I'm taking Duke to give the home fans something to cheer about at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday!

Akron -7 at Kent State (Saturday at 3:30 P.M.)

This week's match-up between two non-Power 5 Conference teams features two teams from the Mid-American Conference, better known as the MAC. Both campuses are in Northeast Ohio. In fact, according to Google Maps, it takes under a half an hour to drive the 16.5 miles between the two campuses.

The Golden Flashes (lightning?) of Kent State lost in quadruple overtime to an FCS team (albeit a strong FCS team) North Carolina A&T. The offense has struggled. They have turned the ball over in all four of their games. They have only put up 300 yards of offense in their one win (in Week 2 over Monmouth); they only put up 275 total yards of offense in a quadruple overtime game against an FCS opponent.

Other than a bad loss against a strong Wisconsin team, the Zips of Akron have looked strong on offense, averaging over 52 points a game. The Zips have three strong running backs. They have looked good the past two weeks with a dominating win over Marshall and a seven point loss against a strong Appalachian State team.

Zippy the Kangaroo is one of my favorite college mascots, and I'm going with Zippy this week!

South Florida (even) at Cincinnati (Saturday at 7 P.M.)

With their top quarterback, running back, and receiver returning this season, USF was poised for a strong offensive season. They are averaging 46 points per game, and put up 35 points this past week against a strong Florida State defense. With an offense that has 10 of 11 starters who are either juniors or seniors, I like their experience and maturity. Plus, the eight turnovers that they have forced has helped them get to 3-1.

Cincinnati has looked good this season also. They have nice wins over Purdue and Miami (Ohio), but there offense has yet to impress me. In their game against the University of Houston, a strong offensive team, the Bearcats got significantly out-earned in every offensive category and got out-possessed by over 16 minutes.

While I don't think South Florida is on the same level as Houston, I do think the Bulls offense will prove too much for the Bearcats, leading the way to a South Florida victory. I'm running with the Bulls this week!

Arizona State +8 at USC (Saturday at 8:30 P.M.)

After opening the 2016 season with high hopes, the Trojans have been a huge disappointment to their fans. They had a nice win over Utah State in Week 2, but, in their other three games (all against Power 5 conference teams), USC is averaging 14.3 points per game and lost by an average margin of 22.3 points. Their fans, players, and coaches are frustrated.

On the other hand, Arizona State has been one of the most (offensively) impressive teams this season. They are 4-0, averaging 48.8 points per game. Their quarterback Manny Wilkins and running back Kalen Ballage have had their way with every defense that they have faced.

USC's slide continues as they are unable to keep up with Arizona State. Sparky lights it up at the Coliseum!

Game I would most like to watch live: #3 Louisville at #5 Clemson

Louisville and Lamar Jackson are the team to watch so far this year. Jackson is a defender-hurdling, touchdown-scoring (both rushing and passing) machine who has gone from relative anonymity to Heisman frontrunner in under a month. Louisville has gained a lot more attention and credibility after their decisive victory over Florida State.

The Cardinals are taking on the Tigers at a stadium known as Death Valley, a place as foreboding for those who venture there as its name implies. Both teams come in undefeated and ranked in the top five and with sky-high expecations. Clemson's only loss last season came in the national championship game to Alabama and their quarterback Deshaun Watson is a Heisman contender.

Two great teams, a great stadium, and enthusiastic fans (I expect a good number of Louisville fans to make the 439 mile journey for this game) should make the environment there off the charts on Saturday evening.

Here we go again!