The easy wins are officially done for college football’s Power Four, because Week 5 is here to throw some serious curveballs. That “going-through-the-motions” part of the schedule is over, and now it’s all about tough conference matchups that could completely flip the College Football Playoff picture. Forget cruising, because the margin for error just vanished, especially for unbeaten top-10 SEC teams going on the road as narrow favorites.
Rocco Becht’s Nightmare Before The Ryan Field Debut
Penn State is facing a massive test on Friday night as they hit the road for the opening of the new Ryan Field against Northwestern. This should have been a nationally-ranked Nittany Lions squad rolling into Evanston, Illinois, but they choked a second-half lead against Wisconsin last week. That loss highlighted a huge problem: Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht just had his absolute worst performance in four seasons as a starting Power Four quarterback. He went a miserable 12-of-29 for only 114 yards, threw an interception, and failed to toss a single touchdown pass against the Badgers.
Meanwhile, Northwestern is riding high. They played a competitive 29-23 game against Indiana and are packed with extreme confidence. Why? New offensive schematic revisions this fall from Chip Kelly and quarterback Aidan Chiles have them buzzing. Northwestern coach David Braun even talked up Becht this week, saying, “He is a competitor, he’s tough, he processes really well. He throws a really good ball, and ultimately he is a winner. I’m excited to continue to go through our process and identify a limitation or a weakness, but it’s really hard to find one right now. I think it’s the ultimate compliment, the guy is a winner.” It’s high praise, sure, but after last week, you gotta wonder if Becht can live up to it under intense road pressure.
Unbeaten Alabama’s Defense Is Giving Up Chunks, And The SEC Is Ready
Get ready for what could be the best quarterback duel of the weekend: No. 7 Alabama hits the road to face No. 16 Mississippi State, where the Bulldogs are getting 5.5 points at home. It wouldn’t shock anyone if Keelon Russell and Kamario Taylor combine for eight touchdowns in this one. That’s because despite coming in unbeaten, Alabama’s defense is straight up giving up yards in chunks this season. You read that right: a Nick Saban-coached team, unbeaten, but their defense is looking vulnerable. Mississippi State, on the other hand, is feeling good, fresh off their first top-25 win. If Alabama’s defense doesn’t tighten up, this could be where their unbeaten run hits a wall.
The Nation’s Top Teams Are Already Stumbling
It’s clear that these road tests are no joke. Ohio State, despite being a 13.5-point favorite at Iowa, isn’t immune from the chaos. The Buckeyes already took a loss in Week 2 against Texas. Iowa, though, is unbeaten after beating Michigan last week. Speaking of last week, both Michigan and Louisville were on upset alert at home, and both got knocked off by Iowa and Wake Forest respectively. The message is loud and clear: nobody’s safe, especially away from home, and getting out of Week 5 with a win is the only assignment that matters for those College Football Playoff dreams.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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