Week 5 preview: Big tests for some surprising unbeatens

Each of the Power 5 conferences go into Week 5 of the college football season with three or more unbeaten teams. There will be at least one fewer in the Huge 12 after Saturday, when No. 24 Kansas travels to No. 3 Texas.That’s not to say

the rest of the teams without a defeat will leave the weekend unscathed. No. 8 USC is on the roadway at once-beaten Colorado, No. 17 Duke hosts No. 11 Notre Dame, and unranked but unbeaten Syracuse gets a test in the house against Clemson.Our press reporters preview Week 5 with a take a look at groups that will offer us a truth check, receivers to view and some of the week’s finest quotes. Truth check: Are these groups actually that

good? Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader is No. 2 in the ACC in total offense. Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire Syracuse: There are 6 undefeated groups in the ACC, however 2 stay unranked: Syracuse and Louisville. Considering that reality alone, it is fair to question whether both are genuine. But let us concentrate on Syracuse for just a moment, because the Orange host Clemson on Saturday (midday ET, ABC ). Syracuse has offered the Tigers fits over the past few years, with little to show for it.

In 2015, the Orange entered into Clemson undefeated at 6-0 and led 21-10 heading into the 4th quarter. But they lost 27-21, then dropped their next four.In 2021, Syracuse missed a game-tying basket in the last seconds.

4 of the previous 6 conferences were chosen by less than seven points, but Syracuse won just one of them– in 2017. Entering into the match this year, Syracuse is 4-0; Clemson is 2-2.

Garrett Shrader has actually installed big numbers at quarterback, ranking No. 2 in the ACC in total offense behind Drake Maye at North Carolina, and he has actually done it without his leading receiver in Oronde Gadsden II(out for the season ). But there is no going around the nonconference schedule Syracuse just played

to start 4-0: one FCS win, 2 Group of 5 wins, one Power 5 win. The three FBS teams the Orange beat are a combined 4-8. None has a winning record.Clemson is coming off a difficult overtime loss to Florida State and is 0-2 for the first time in ACC play since 2010, so there is opportunity for Syracuse to show Saturday that it is, in truth,”genuine.”Specifically with 2 more games after Clemson that will check their nerve– at No. 14 North Carolina( 4-0)and at No. 5 Florida State(4-0 )– Andrea Adelson Kansas: The tired”Is

Texas back? “debate can wait. Let’s take a look at these Jayhawks.Kansas landed at No. 24 in this week’s AP survey, being ranked in consecutive seasons for the very first time given that 2007-09. They’ve begun 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the very first time since they did it from 1913 to 1915. The Jayhawks’offense is a substantial reason.

They have scored 30 or more points in 5 straight games, also the longest streak because 2009. Quarterback Jalon Daniels had another three-touchdown game recently versus BYU, his sixth given that 2021, second only to former TCU QB Max Duggan in the Huge 12 over that period. Daniels was the preseason Huge 12 offending player of the year and running back Devin Neal was a preseason first-team pick also. The league respects the Jayhawks, and at 37.8 points per game, they should.The defense is holding up well, including two goals last week and 7 turnovers on the season.But the Jayhawks’offense will have its hands complete with the Texas defense, which is first in the nation in red zone touchdown percentage enabled(10% ). Two years back, Daniels managed a 57-56 upset over the Longhorns in Austin. In 2015, however, Texas decreased the boom with a 55-14 repayment.

Kansas coach Lance Leipold knows this Longhorns group is more like the one last year than the one he saw two years ago.”Difficult kids,” Leipold stated this week. “It’s certainly a various team and a substantial obstacle for us and one that we have actually got to have our finest week of preparation yet

.”– Dave Wilson Michigan: The Wolverines are ranked No. 2 the nation, but

the knock on them has actually been the strength of schedule, so it has been tough to evaluate simply how good this group is. Michigan beat Rutgers 31-7, which is the very best win to date this season. The Wolverines play their very first game far from Ann Arbor on Saturday when they play at Nebraska(3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)Yes, it has been a dull schedule thus far, however the Michigan defense has not quit more than

7 points in any of its first four games. The offense has actually been more balanced than we have seen in years past with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback. When the running game isn’t making huge plays, McCarthy and the receivers have actually existed to select the offense up– not something we had actually completely seen from this team last season. So, while it will not really be tested till November, when Michigan plays Penn State and Ohio State, this is still a great group that has actually handled business approximately this point.Opposing defenses can no longer just stack package and try to take the escape, as McCarthy has actually shown accuracy and excellent decision-making this season

. Receiver Roman Wilson has 6 getting touchdowns through 4 games, and McCarthy has actually thrown for 915 backyards and eight goals. The mix of a well balanced offense and limiting defense makes Michigan among the very best teams in the nation.– Tom VanHaaren Utah: Some coaches have actually made the benefit of the doubt; some have not. It’s a basic concept

: If a coach has a performance history of success, there is an anticipation that success will continue until it’s obvious that’s not the case.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated That’s a big part of why I chose Utah to win the Pac-12 in the preseason. Kyle Whittingham made it. Plus, the Utes are

the two-time safeguarding conference champions and the quarterback who led them to those titles, Camera Rising, stated in July he would be ready for the opener.But with brand-new information comes the responsibility to review. After four games, Utah looks more like a group holding on than it does a group that’s a real danger to three-peat. It’s a strange sentiment thinking about the Utes have 3 Power 5 wins– Florida, Baylor and then-No. 22 UCLA– but in a conference that has one of the very best collections of quarterbacks in the history of college football, the offensive battles feel too considerable to conquer. Yes, the Utes have been unbelievable on defense( No. 6 nationally in scoring), however only 3 Power 5 offenses are averaging less lawns per play than the Utes (4.89 ). It’s not a sustainable winning formula.The wild card is Increasing, who has yet to play. If his return– possibly today versus Oregon State on Friday(9 p.m. ET, Fox Sports1)?– changes things, then, sure, Utah stays a player. However if his return keeps getting postponed or the offense doesn’t enhance considerably upon his return, expect Utah to fade.– Kyle Bonagura Kentucky: Had even the most pessimistic of Kentucky football fans surveyed the schedule back in August, they would have confidently

placed the Wildcats right where they are at this point– 4-0. It’s challenging to discover a cushier start to the 2023 season(Michigan would be in the running) than what Kentucky has actually faced in playing Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron and Vanderbilt. And against FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky in Week 2, Kentucky was anything but sharp.None of that matters now, as Kentucky enters into the teeth of its schedule with No. 22 Florida going to Kroger Field on Saturday (midday ET, ESPN). It’s the start of a stretch

where Kentucky plays three of its next 4 games at home.There was a time when the mention of Florida inside the corridors of the Kentucky football complex would have elicited shivers. However not any longer. The Wildcats have won three of the previous five matchups in this series, yet another example of the job Mark Stoops– in his 11th season– has done in constructing the Kentucky program from the ashes.Before this current success, Kentucky had actually lost 31 straight games to Florida. And if the Wildcats can get it done again, it would be just their fourth 5-0 start to the season in the last four-plus years.

Stoops crafted two of them. Kentucky began 6-0 in 2021 on its method to 10 wins and started 5-0 in 2018 en route to winning 10 games.Particularly due to last season’s 7-6 surface, this is a chance for the Wildcats to reveal they belong in the SEC’s upper tier. This team very much has a Stoops feel to it. The defense is fourth in the SEC in scoring(15.5 points per game ), and they’re tied for very first with 8 required turnovers.Each of their leading 2 running backs are balancing more than 6 backyards per bring, and transfer quarterback Devin Leary has among the deepest fleet of explosive receivers UK has had in a while. Tayvion Robinson has actually progressed with Liam Coen back as offensive coordinator.In short, what’s missing out on for Kentucky this season is a complete game against a nationally ranked group. The Wildcats get their shot Saturday.– Chris Low Pass receiver to see in Week 5

ACC: One of the brightest areas at Virginia this season has actually been receiver Malik Washington, who has actually become among the very best players in the ACC. A transfer from Northwestern

, Washington leads all ACC receivers in receptions(28)and receiving backyards(459). Last week versus NC State, Washington had 10 receptions for 170 yards and 2 goals. He now has three straight 100-yard getting games, simply the third Virginia player to ever do that. Nobody in Virginia history has ever taped 4 straight 100-yard getting games, however Washington will get his chance Saturday against Boston College (2 p.m. ET, CW Network ).– Adelson Huge 12: UCF’s Kobe Hudson is off to a hot start in 2023, balancing 115.8 yards per game, and his 463 yards are 60 more than the next-closest Big 12 receiver (Samuel Brown of Houston ). Hudson, a 6-1, 200-pound Georgia native who was Auburn’s leading receiver in 2021 before transferring to UCF, currently has three 100-yard games, consisting of 138 lawns and 2 goals in the Knights’Huge 12 opener, a 44-31 loss at

safeguarding Huge 12 champs Kansas State recently. He’ll be a focus of the offense in the Knights’ very first Big 12 home game, Saturday versus Baylor(3:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports1).– Wilson Huge Ten: Senior wideout Bryce Kirtz was one of the heroes for Northwestern in its come-from-behind 37-34 OT triumph over Minnesota last week, having a profession day with 10 receptions for 215 lawns and two scores. With No. 6 Penn State coming to town Saturday(midday ET, Big 10 Network)and the Wildcats looking for successive Huge Ten wins for the very first time given that 2020, Ben Bryant will certainly include the instructions of Kirtz, who’s 6th in the conference with 274 getting lawns.– Blake Baumgartner Pac-12: Regardless Of Caleb Williams’willingness to spread out the ball around, USC’s Brenden Rice has emerged as Williams ‘leading target, especially when it comes to deep balls and touchdowns. Through four games, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Rice has 4 touchdowns, including among 75 yards and another of 43. The son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is averaging simply over 21 yards a catch up until now this season and looks primed to become the leading scorer for the Trojans on offense

ought to this trend continue.– Paolo Uggetti South Carolina’s Xavier Legette leads the country with 139 receiving yards per game. Todd Kirkland/Getty Images SEC: The bad news for South Carolina is Juice Wells is out for the Tennessee game( 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network ), however Xavier Legette has actually been among the best receivers in

the country through 4 games and just keeps getting better. The 6-3, 227-pound Legette leads the nation with an average of 139 getting lawns per game and is averaging 20.6 yards per catch. He had 2 touchdowns last week in the win over Mississippi State, and while he has terrific size, he likewise has elite speed. On his 76-yard touchdown reception against Mississippi State, Legette peaked at 22.3 miles per hour.– Low Noteworthy quotes Mark Stoops: While some coaches may worry about how a noon ET kickoff impacts the crowd, the Kentucky coach trusts the Wildcats’fans appearing for Saturday’s game against Florida. “I have great confidence in individuals of Kentucky that can get up very early and pound some beers. Why would you disrespect this terrific state and the terrific individuals of it? “Hugh Freeze: Auburn’s coach would just as soon not discuss beating the

Tigers’ oldest

rival, Georgia (it goes back to 1892 ), in a hateful way, however rather in a favorable light.”I’m not huge on hate. I’m truly not. I approve just, male, this indicates something to many people. So we must contend in a way out of love for our individuals, not necessarily for hate for other individuals.” Dabo Swinney: Regardless of Clemson’s 2-2 start, the Tigers coach has been impressed with his team’s play.”

They’re not best, however they are playing properly. We’ll get through this. Honestly, I have actually had a lot of 4-0 teams around here that haven’t played as well as this group.”Mike Elko: The Duke coach understood his Blue Devils would be good, but even he didn’t understand they ‘d be this great, this quick. “I did not take the task with the hope and expectation that we could be a middle-of-the-road program. That’s not who I am. Did I prepare for in Game 5

of Year 2, that we would be on this stage? No, of course not. That is a credit to our kids, and what they purchased into and how hard they’ve worked. What it’s doing is it’s allowing us to speed up the procedure of building the brand name of football to the level that we hope that we might get to. “