Picks to Click: Week 5

This is one of those quiet weekends across the national landscape where not much jumps off the page when you glance over the schedule of games.

Four nationally-ranked teams are off this week, including No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU. Meanwhile, top-ranked Clemson and No. 5 Ohio State are the only teams in the top 10 that hit the road; they are favored to win by a combined 44 points.

The best matchup of ranked teams again features Notre Dame. The 10^th-ranked Irish host No. 18 Virginia, a very under-the-radar team in the ACC. Otherwise, it’s a ho-hum slate.

However, as September draws to a close, we are entering Week 5 of the season. This is a time where several things begin to set in for teams across the country, including injuries, complacency and the weekly grind of conference play.

Often times promising seasons are derailed before their final destinations. Is it possible the Buckeyes are shocked in Cornhusker land? Could Auburn or Wisconsin – both top 10 squads coming off Top 25 wins – stumble at home to conference foes? Can Penn State and California, ranked No. 12 and No. 15, respectively, take care of business in Friday night conference clashes?

Speaking of the Golden Bears, they are the surprise team in the Pac-12, a conference full of suspense but lacking a bonafide contender. And that’s where we find some of this week’s most intriguing matchups.

It starts Friday with Arizona State traveling to Berkeley. The Sun Devils came crashing back to reality with a home loss to Colorado and now must win on the road in a short week to avoid an 0-2 start. Meanwhile, a win for Cal – which stunned Washington earlier this month – would move Justin Wilcox’s team to 5-0 overall and, just as impressively, 2-0 in the conference.

On Saturday, USC continues its gauntlet of a schedule with a trip to Washington. The Trojans are already 2-0 in conference action, while the Huskies seek to avoid an 0-2 start.

In Salt Lake City, it’s a make-or-break game for two of last week’s favorites. Utah must protect home turf to avoid an 0-2 start, while the Cougars are reeling from an epic second-half collapse at home against UCLA.

The Bruins head to Tucson to face Arizona in a pivotal game for two after-thought teams in the South. The winner will suddenly have much-needed confidence and momentum, plus a 1-0 record in the league, heading into October.

Rounding out the Pac-12 slate, Stanford ventures to Corvallis where the upset-minded Beavers are surely smelling opportunity.

So with that, we take a look at the Week 5 Picks to Click. The record stands at 82-17 overall this season, including 43-39-2 against the spread and 43-40-1 against the total.

AP Top 25 Games

#1 Clemson at North Carolina
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | ABC
Spread: Clemson, -27 | O/U: 60.5
Pick: Clemson, 43-15

Ole Miss at #2 Alabama
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | CBS
Spread: Alabama, -38 | O/U: 61.5
Pick: Alabama, 48-6

#3 Georgia – Idle
Last Game: Won vs. Notre Dame, 23-17
Next Game: Oct. 5 at Tennessee

#4 LSU – Idle
Last Game: Won at Vanderbilt, 66-38
Next Game: Oct. 5 vs. Utah State

#5 Ohio State at Nebraska
Saturday | 4:30 p.m. | ABC
Spread: Ohio State, -17 | O/U: 67
Pick: Ohio State, 37-16

Texas Tech at #6 Oklahoma
Saturday | 9 a.m. | FOX
Spread: Oklahoma, -27 | O/U: 71.5
Pick: Oklahoma, 48-20

Mississippi State at #7 Auburn
Saturday | 4 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Auburn, -10.5 | O/U: 47
Pick: Auburn, 24-20

Northwestern at #8 Wisconsin
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ABC
Spread: Wisconsin, -24.5 | O/U: 46
Pick: Wisconsin, 34-14

Towson at #9 Florida
Saturday | 1 p.m. | SECN
Spread: No Line | O/U: No Line
Pick: Florida, 47-7

#18 Virginia at #10 Notre Dame
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | NBC
Spread: -12.5 | O/U: 48.5
Pick: Notre Dame, 26-23

#11 Texas – Idle
Last Game: Won vs. Oklahoma State, 36-30
Next Game: Oct. 5 at West Virginia

#12 Penn State at Maryland
Friday | 5 p.m. | FS1
Spread: Penn State, -6.5 | O/U: 61.5
Pick: Penn State, 35-27

#13 Oregon – Idle
Last Game: Won at Stanford, 21-6
Next Game: Oct. 5 vs. California

Middle Tennessee at #14 Iowa
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ESPN2
Spread: -23.5 | O/U: 52.5
Pick: Iowa, 31-10

Arizona State at #15 California
Friday | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: California, -4.5 | O/U: 41
Pick: California, 24-20

#16 Boise State – Idle
Last Game: Won vs. Air Force, 30-19
Next Game: Oct. 5 at UNLV

#21 USC at #17 Washington
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | FOX
Spread: Washington, -10 | O/U: 58.5
Pick: Washington, 30-21

Washington State at #19 Utah
Saturday | 7 p.m. | FS1
Spread: Utah, -5.5 | O/U: 55.5
Pick: Utah, 31-24

Rutgers at #20 Michigan
Saturday | 9 a.m. | BTN
Spread: Michigan, -27.5 | O/U: 48.5
Pick: Michigan, 38-14

UConn at #22 UCF
Saturday | 4 p.m. | ESPN2
Spread: UCF, -43 | O/U: 65
Pick: UCF, 52-10

#23 Texas A&M vs. Arkansas
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: Texas A&M, -23 | O/U: 57.5
Pick: Texas A&M, 30-14
Game played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

#24 Kansas State at Oklahoma State
Saturday | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Spread: Oklahoma State, -4.5 | O/U: 60
Pick: Oklahoma State, 35-28

Indiana at #25 Michigan State
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | BTN
Spread: Michigan State, -14 | O/U: 44
Pick: Michigan State, 28-24

Other Pac-12 Games

Stanford at Oregon State
Saturday | 4 p.m. | P12N
Spread: Stanford, -4 | O/U: 58
Pick: Oregon State, 33-27

Notes:

• All times listed are PT
• Rankings from the Associated Press Top 25
• Point spread/game totals from http://www.sportsbetting.ag as of Thursday at 7 a.m.
• Pac-12 games shaded above in gray

2019 Record (Last Week)

All Games Straight Up: 82-17 (13-6)
All Games ATS: 43-39-2 (11-8)
All Games O/U: 43-40-1 (8-11)
Pac-12 Straight Up: 26-11 (2-4)
Pac-12 ATS: 13-16-1 (3-3)
Pac-12 O/U: 17-13 (2-4)

* Arizona games not included

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