Week 5 - The Call Sheet

Coug Country - I failed to touch on this Saturday night, but what an awesome game on Friday night between Wazzu-SJSU. Wazzu converted on a two-point conversion in 2OT to remain undefeated on the year.

If you don’t know, now you know. Wazzu quarterback John Mateer is a freakin’ gamer and extremely high on the fun quarterback scale. He stole the show Friday night too, finishing with 390 yards passing and four touchdowns in the air, plus another 111 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Dude alert!

Tricky trees - Ahh yes, Stanford at Syracuse, a good old-fashioned ACC matchup.

This game got lost in the shuffle on Friday night but what a nice victory for Stanford. Anytime you travel that far away from home and win is a big deal.

Oklahoma State oopsies - So, who is going to play quarterback for the Cowboys this week? On Saturday, seventh-year Alan Bowman stunk, got pulled and then had to go back into the game down the stretch. This is a big concern for Oklahoma State moving forward.

Live Mas - Taco Bell jokes aside, that was a fantastic victory for BYU against Kansas State. There’s just something about Provo at night, man.

Big game Buffalo - He won’t win Coach of the Year but an early nice shout is Buffalo’s Pete Lembo. A former special teams coach at South Carolina, Lembo has left a mark early and notched a nice win over No. 24 NIU on Saturday. Let’s keep an eye on the Bulls in MAC play.

Victory Cigar - Baylor’s defensive play call on the Sheduer Sanders Hail Mary was called Victory Cigar. Ooof.

High five - Northwestern scoring a grand total of five points on Saturday is hilarious. Sometimes the Big 10 jokes write themselves.

No. 16 Louisville vs. No. 15 Notre Dame

Untested versus unproven. Something has got to give.

The big question for me with this matchup is whether Notre Dame and quarterback Riley Leonard can throw the ball enough to give the Irish a fighting chance.

By the numbers, Louisville looks to be much the stronger team, albeit against less than stellar competition through three games. Jeff Brohm’s Louisville offense has been in cruise control in 2024. The Cardinals rank fifth in the country in Net EPA/Play and 14th in Offensive Success Rate. Translation? The Cardinals have moved the ball effectively and have had a relatively easy time finding paydirt.

Can that work against a Notre Dame defense that ranks fifth in Net EPA/Play? I can’t wait to find out.

Notre Dame’s passing game has been so bad it’s just hard to trust this offense against a normal defense. The NIU game was the headliner, but on the year, quarterback Riley Leonard has just a single passing touchdown through four games. That’s simply not good enough.

I suspect Lousiville will load the box on defense and force Leonard to have to make big throws down the field. Conversely, I’m excited to see Notre Dame’s excellent secondary match-up against Louisville’s weapons.

I’m leaning toward Big Game Brohm and the Cardinals in this one.

No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 4 Alabama

Big on big. Behemoth on behemoth. This is the type of matchup that makes you feel something. I can’t wait to watch this one.

The big questions for me entering this matchup are:

So far in 2024, Milroe has been pretty awesome. He has eight touchdowns and zero interceptions to his name, proving that at least so far, he’s done a better job at mitigating turnovers. He’s also been prolific on the ground, adding another excellent element to the offense. The Alabama offense was stuck in the mud a bit through three quarters against a good USF team but has otherwise looked dominant.

Georgia looked fantastic in its dismantling of Clemson in Week 1, but two weeks ago aginst Kentucky, we saw some ugly football. Quarterback Carson Beck and the offense looked woeful and the Bulldogs just narrowly escaped Lexington alive.

I think Milroe’s legs will be the deciding factor in this football game. UGA has a stout defense and formidable secondary, meaning Milroe will likely need to extend plays and use his legs to keep drives alive.

In his first major test as Alabama head coach, it’ll be on Kalen DeBoer to make sure his team is up to the task and that he’s prepared to call a good game. I suspect DeBoer will lean on Milroe’s running ability, and if so, I like the Tide.

No. 19 Illinois vs. No. 9 Penn State

I was really impressed watching Illinois against Nebraska last Friday night. The Fighting Illini seemingly nailed every big play call and schemed open a bunch of guys against a formidable Husker defense. Can Illinois do it again a week later?

This game should prove to be the first big test for the Nittany Lions in 2024, despite struggling a bit against Bowling Green, of all teams. This is the first big one for new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki–and the type of game he was brought in for.

I’m intrigued to see how Penn State quarterback Drew Allar handles going against a Fighting Illini defense that proved it can get after the quarterback when it wants to. Against Nebraska, the defense looked its best when it brought pressure and left its good secondary to fend for itself.

On the flip side, the amount of talent on Penn State’s defense is sure to be a challenge for Illinois’ offensive line. As I mentioned earlier, Illinois seemingly nailed every big play call against Nebraska. How deep is that bag? Can Beliema and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. call another monster game again?

No. 20 Oklahoma State vs. No. 23 Kansas State

Which quarterback wants the bounce-back game?

Last week, OSU’s seven-year senior Alan Bowman struggled mightily against a fiery Utah defense. He was so bad he got benched and later had to reenter the game. It was a long day for the Cowboys’ offense.

Across the field, Kansas State signal-caller Avery Johnson showed flashes of being an unfinished product in the Wildcats’ upset loss at BYU. Johnson is always a great runner (when willing) but his ability to throw in big games is an indicator of how high the Wildcats’ ceiling truly sits.

In this game, my eyes are latched onto the K-State defense. Two weeks ago, the Wildcats looked fantastic against a good Arizona team. The secondary limited the damage from Arizona’s dynamic quarterback-wide receiver tandem and did a good job of creating a lot of pressure. Can this unit do that again against Oklahoma State? I’d like to think so.

I also suspect the front seven will create havoc and make life hard for the Cowboys’ standout running back Ollie Gordon. Gordon’s productivity has fallen below standard this year thanks to a struggling offensive line. I don’t suspect that’ll change much against Kansas State.

I like the Wildcats in a big bounce-back game to keep itself squarely in the Big 12 title race.

Washington State vs. No. 25 Boise State

If you’re looking for pure, unadulterated, Vodka Redbull to the face-level fun, this is the game for you.

Teams aside, I cannot stop watching Washington State quarterback John Mateer and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

Mateer is the Pacific Northwest rowdy cousin archetype and has been a bonafide star through four games in 2024. Last week in a 2OT win over San Jose State, Mateer put on a damn show, finishing with 390 yards passing and four touchdowns in the air, plus another 111 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

Boise State is headlined by running back Ashton Jeanty, a human highlight reel in his own right. Through three games, Jeanty has almost 600 yards and a whopping nine TDs, including a dazzling six-touchdown showing against Georgia Southern. He’s a real-deal, dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate in my book.

Defense is optional for both teams, so I expect a lot of points. I’d strongly consider the over here.

Games I’m Keeping An Eye On 👀

USF vs. Tulane - USF has a big bounce-back opportunity after getting battered by Miami. This should be a fun one.

Colorado vs. UCF - We’re going to find out real quickly if Colorado’s run defense is truly improved or not. Fire up the Gus Bus!

Fresno State vs. UNLV - This is a monster matchup for the Mountain West title race and possibly the G5’s bid for a College Football Playoff spot. And it just got a whole lot more interesting with the news of now former UNLV star quarterback Matthew Sluka leaving the program due to unfulfilled commitments with NIL payments. Yikes.

Overall: -1 units on the season

-13 Army vs. Temple - Good luck stopping this offense, Temple.

-13 Iowa State vs. Houston - I’m starting to believe this is a legit Cyclones team.

+7 Washington State vs. Boise State - In Mateer We Trust.

SID Sports - Don’t forget to subscribe to Griffin Olah’s SID Sports newsletter. As a former Divison I sports information director, Olah has a great grasp of the sport and I really enjoy his work.

2201 Kimball Ave | Cameron Morgan - 2201 Kimball Ave is essential reading for all followers of Kansas State football. As a lifelong K-State fan and former player, Cameron brings a unique and thoughtful approach to the analysis of the Wildcats' football team. His newsletters are rational and insightful and I genuinely learn something new with every newsletter.

Split Zone Duo | Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson and Steven Godfrey - SZD is essential reading and following for CFB ball knowers. Godfrey, Richard and Alex are the Holy Trinity for college football analysis and insight. Each member brings a unique flavor to the conversation, which makes for insightful and downright hilarious banter about the sport we all love. If I had someone ask me where to start for smarter college football coverage, this SZD is where I'd send them.