#6 Georgia at Tennessee – Saturday, 10/5 3:30 pm EST, CBS
Georgia travels to face Tennessee in a rivalry that has remained fairly competitive despite the different directions the programs have taken this century. That said, Georgia is looking to take their forth straight in the series and shouldn’t have much trouble doing it. The Bulldogs have been playing very good football against the toughest early season schedule in the nation. After dropping the opener against then #8 Clemson, Georgia has victories over then #6 South Carolina and then #6 LSU. Georgia’s offense has been the catalyst as they rank in the Top 10 in total yards and passing yards behind the excellent play of Aaron Murray. The Tennessee offense could be just the cure for a Georgia defense that hasn’t played as well as the offense. The Volunteers rank 94th in total offense and an especially unimpressive 115th in passing yards. Tennessee can only hope that Neyland Stadium provides some magic for an overmatched squad.
Georgia Tech at #14 Miami – Saturday, 10/5 3:30 pm EST, ESPNU
Miami has gotten off to an excellent start in 2013. They come into their first conference game after finishing 4-0 in their out of conference games including a signature win over Florida. The Hurricane offense has been impressive against over matched opponents, but struggled mightily in the contest against the Gators, perhaps the best defense in the country, managing just over 200 yards of total offense on 4 yards per play. Defensively is where Miami has made the most important strides this season. After ranking near the bottom in most defensive statistics in 2012 the Canes rank in the Top 15 in total defense and yards per play so far in 2013. They really haven’t been tested yet this season, however. They have yet to face an offense ranked higher than 73 in yards per play. Georgia Tech should test that defense a little, at least the Miami rushing defense. The Yellow Jacket option offense hasn’t been as impressive in the early part of this season and really struggled in last weeks loss to Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech can’t afford to lose this one if they want their Coastal division goals to survive in October.
#22 Arizona State at Notre Dame (Arlington) – Saturday, 10/5 7:30 pm EST, NBC
Arizona State entered the Top 25 this week after a three touchdown win over USC in a high scoring affair. Led by quarterback Taylor Kelly the Arizona State offense has been very good, but the Arizona State defense makes sure that every opponent has been in the game. The Sun Devil defense ranks 104th in yards per play and 80th in scoring defense allowing just over 4 TDs a game. That could be just what the doctor ordered for a inept Notre Dame offense that ranks in the bottom half of virtually every major offensive statistic. The Irish did find some semblance of a running game last week against Oklahoma as they rushed for 220 yards on an impressive 7.6 yards per carry. If Arizona State can’t contain the Irish run game, this one could be another shootout with the Sun Devils on upset alert. An interesting historical note, if ASU can get the victory over the Irish, they will become the first team in college football history to defeat USC and Notre Dame in consecutive weeks.
#4 Ohio State at #16 Northwestern – Saturday, 10/5 8:00 pm EST, ABC
This week Ohio State faces what could possibly be the highest ranked team they play in 2013. The Northwestern Wildcats come into the matchup 4-0 with victories over an assortment of average teams, but winning each by double digits. The Wildcats rely on a balanced offense featuring a strong running game that averages 5.31 yards per carry. Treyvon Green has averaged over 100 yards per game at 7.0 yards per carry and the Northwestern rushing game should get an even bigger boost with starter Venric Mark coming back after missing the past 3 games due to injury. The Northwestern defense, however, has been extremely average giving up 5.22 yards per play and 23.8 points per game. Ohio State had been rolling through opponents until last week’s matchup with Wisconsin. Ohio State has been impressive offensively led by a strong running game that averages 6.27 yards per rush, good for 5th best in the nation. Braxton Miller returned last week and should improve the Ohio State passing game. Ohio State has dominated this series for quite a while now, winning 28 of the last 29 meetings.
#15 Washington at #5 Stanford – Saturday, 10/5 10:30 pm EST, ESPN
In the late night cap of the day, Stanford looks to avenge a critical loss from last season when they were upset by Washington 17-13. Stanford is a solid overall team that that does everything well, but nothing spectacular. Both offensively and defensively they rank amongst the Top 30 in virtually every meaningful statistical category and have solid wins, including a dominant performance over Arizona State. Quarterback Kevin Hogan has carried over his good play from last season and managed the Stanford offense well. Washington has been a bit of a surprise team this year led by a defense that has been simply dominating. The Huskies rank 3rd in the nation giving up just 3.8 yards per play and have held teams to 10.8 points a game, 4th best in the nation. That includes shutting down the Boise State offense in the opener and a good Arizona team last week. Washington also boasts a Top 20 offense at this point in the season averaging a very balanced 574 yards per game and 6.81 yards per play, good for 16th best. This is the beginning of a brutal stretch for Washington who faces #5 Stanford, #2 Oregon, and #22 Arizona State on consecutive weeks starting Saturday.