The Farrell Forecast isn’t only about predicting where high school football players will end up in college - it’s also about picking the winners and losers from each college football weekend.
Last week I was a dismal 7-5 overall, highlighted by calling the exact score in the Arizona State win over Cal. But lowlights included picking the Gators to beat the Vols and Michigan State over Wisconsin.
Here’s my take on the weekend games that interest me the most in week five of the college football season…
All times Eastern. All games Saturday, Oct. 1 unless noted otherwise.
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STANFORD AT WASHINGTON, 9:00 P.M., ESPN (FRIDAY)
The rundown: Washington could be the best team no one has seen yet, but Friday night could change all of that. With Stanford missing its top two cornerbacks, its starting fullback and a starting receiver, I don’t think Christian McCaffrey alone will be enough to deal with the balance of the Huskies. And you can expect the crowd to be the 12th man like they used to be in the old days when Washington was a title contender.
Prediction: Washington 27, Stanford 20
LOUISVILLE AT CLEMSON, 8:00 P.M., ABC
The rundown: This is the game of the weekend, and it should be an interesting one. Can the Clemson defense and elite coordinator Brent Venables keep Lamar Jackson from going crazy? Can the Clemson offense, loaded everywhere but struggling in the running game, keep Jackson off the field? Clemson wins this one because they are just deeper and more talented. But isn’t that what I said about Florida State?
Prediction: Clemson 34, Louisville 31
WISCONSIN AT MICHIGAN, 3:30 P.M., ABC
The rundown: The Badgers have taken down two top-10 teams so far this season, but can they make it a trifecta? If they do, I’ll be surprised, but of course I picked LSU to beat them and had the Spartans winning at home against the Badgers last week as well. However, this Michigan team can handle the physical play of Wisconsin and the Michigan defense is loaded with playmakers who also play with discipline.
Prediction: Michigan 27, Wisconsin 20
TENNESSEE AT GEORGIA, 3:30 P.M., CBS
The rundown: The Vols have to avoid a big letdown from their win over Florida last week, but they will. Georgia is never an easy place to play, and the Dawgs are coming off an embarrassing loss to Ole Miss last week and will be angry. But the way the Vols played in the second half last weekend showed what they can do when they believe in themselves, and that belief is finally growing.
Prediction: Tennessee 34, Georgia 17
NORTH CAROLINA AT FLORIDA STATE, 3:30 P.M., ESPN
The rundown: UNC’s offense is coming around and the comeback against Pitt last weekend was epic. Meanwhile the ‘Noles defense still has some issues to iron out, so this could be a high-scoring affair. I’ll take a re-focused FSU team in a close one.
Prediction: Florida State 41, North Carolina 35
TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE, 12:00 P.M., ABC
The rundown: Oklahoma State’s offense has been tough to contain and we saw how Cal exposed the Longhorns' secondary in that shootout loss a couple of weeks ago. You can bet Texas will try to power through the Cowboys and rely much more on the running game than they did at Cal, but can they stop a high-powered offense?
Prediction: Oklahoma State 37, Texas 28
OKLAHOMA AT TCU, 5:00 P.M., FOX
The rundown: A very interesting game not enough people are talking about. Oklahoma needs a bounce back performance because a 1-3 start for Bob Stoops would cause even more of a meltdown among the fans and alumni. TCU has some talent and they are at home, but OU will show some pride and nastiness in the trenches we haven’t seen yet and pull this one out. If not, watch out.
Prediction: Oklahoma 40, TCU 30
MIAMI AT GEORGIA TECH, 12:00 P.M., ESPN2
The rundown: The ‘Canes have played no one so far and Georgia Tech’s triple option can be tough to handle. Is Miami for real? This will be the first test, albeit not a great one, and they come through with flying colors.
Prediction: Miami 41, Georgia Tech 17
UTAH AT CAL, 6:00 P.M., PAC-12 NETWORK
The rundown: Utah is in the top 25 and coming off a win over USC while Cal can put up points but can’t stop anyone either. Utah’s more physical brand of football and ball control wins the day here and wears down a weak defense. David Webb has a day like Jared Goff did last year against Utah.
Prediction: Utah 30, Cal 21
KANSAS STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA, 3:30 P.M., ESPNU
The rundown: This will be a good one. Kansas State could have the best defense in the Big 12 and West Virginia has a potent offense. With the Mountaineers at home, they remain undefeated in a tight one and push into the top 25.
Prediction: West Virginia 28, Kansas State 20
ARIZONA STATE AT USC, 8:30 P.M., FOX
The rundown: A must-win for the Trojans against a potent offense and a terrible defense. Is this the game they get a bit healthier? I have no idea if we will see the true talent of USC at all this season, but being at home and playing against a team that can’t tackle has to help, right?
Prediction: USC 44, Arizona State 33
MINNESOTA AT PENN STATE, 3:30 P.M., BIG TEN NETWORK
The rundown: Minnesota is sneaky good. They play physical and they have a very underrated quarterback. Penn State needs to bounce back after getting throttled by Michigan and this is a tough game. The home field advantage gets them over the hump here.
Prediction: Penn State 24, Minnesota 10
MISSOURI AT LSU, 7:30 P.M., SEC NETWORK
The rundown: The Ed Orgeron interim era begins, and Missouri at home is a good place to start. Mizzou runs into a buzzsaw of angry LSU players this week.
Prediction: LSU 30, Missouri 13
