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In today’s article, we will be covering the best games of the week for weeks five through nine. This is where the season starts to get real for numerous teams and most teams start to play within their conference.
Week 5: Georgia at Alabama
A game that has provided fans with instant classics the past couple years, and a game that usually holds a lot of weight to it. This season will be interesting though as the Alabama Crimson Tide won’t be led by legendary head coach Nick Saban for the first time since 2006. Georgia, on the other hand, has been a college football powerhouse the past couple of years, but just missed the college football playoffs last year due largely to a loss at the hands of Alabama in early December. The Bulldogs are going to be out for revenge in this game while new head coach Kalen DeBoer is going to be looking to make a statement in his first year at the helm of the Crimson Tide football team.
Week 6: Clemson at Florida State
Florida State is coming off a year where they feel as if they got snubbed of a college football playoff bid. Clemson is coming off yet another down year, as they went 9-4 overall and 4-4 in a below-average ACC conference. It feels as if this is Dabo Swinney’s chance to turn everything around, they were champions just a few eight years ago, and since then, have been back four times. But the last playoff appearance the Tigers had was in 2020. Both teams have something to prove this season, and this game could significantly impact who ultimately wins the ACC.
Week 7: Ohio State at Oregon
Wow, what a week for college football. When people say “say no to fall weddings”, this week may be the reason why. A lot of high-intensity conference matchups come this week, Ole Miss at LSU, Texas vs Oklahoma (Dallas, Texas), and Penn State at USC. All of these games are going to play a large part in deciding conference championships, but Ohio State at Oregon might just have the biggest implications out of every game this year. This high-powered Ohio State offense and veteran defense traveling to Eugene, Oregon to get revenge from the 2021 season against an Oregon Ducks team who have a loaded quarterback room made up of Dillion Gabriel and Dante Moore. The Ducks’ defense is going to have its work cut out for them when they welcome this Buckeyes team to their house on October 12. Dan Lanning is going to be looking to send a message to the rest of the Big Ten that just because it’s their first year there, doesn’t mean they can’t hang.
Week 8: Georgia at Texas
Another big time game with college football playoffs written all over it. This game will consist of two teams who very easily could be competing for the Big Ten near the end of the season and could both get a playoff bid into the new 12-team format. Texas is the newcomer in the SEC and Georgia is a team who is very familiar with the SEC championship game. Quinn Ewers, the Texas quarterback, is headed into his third year as a Longhorn after throwing for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, don’t be surprised if his name is brought up in the Heisman consideration this upcoming season. As for Georgia, Carson Beck is also headed into his real third season (got very limited time in 2021 as a backup) as the Bulldogs quarterback. Beck threw for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns last season and could very well also be in that Heisman consideration come next season.
Week 9: Missouri at Alabama
Missouri is most definitely on their high-horse after last season’s dominant bowl game performance out of their team against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Tigers will most definitely be looking to continue that momentum into this upcoming season, especially week nine when they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. Missouri has lost to Alabama the last five times these two teams have played, the most recent game being in 2020 where the Crimson Tide took home a 38-19 victory. But If you’re Missouri, you have to feel like this is your chance, you’re highly rated to start the year, coming off a great bowl win, don’t have many real tests leading up to this game, and finally, Nick Saban is not on the other sideline. As for Saban’s replacement, this game falls the week after you have to travel to Neyland Stadium to take on the Volunteers of Tennessee in what could be a tight matchup. This is going to be a real test of DeBoer and his squad’s strength and toughness.
For MORE college football content, check out the following links:
-The Tennessee Volunteers Are a Dark Horse SEC Contender for 2024
-Ohio State vs Oregon Will Be the College Football Game of the Year
-Deion Sanders Will Be the Florida Gators’ Head Coach in 2025
