CFI Week 5

Week 5 // 2023

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I don’t know how to describe it. In the moment, I just felt like doing it, so I just did. Good thing I came down with it.”

TEAM OF THE WEEK

OHIO STATE

TEAM TO WATCH UTAH

The No. 10 Utes, who improved to 4-0, came out on top, 14-7, in their conference opener against thenNo. 22 UCLA. The Pac-12 dominates this week’s rankings with four teams ranked in the Top 10 for the first time in conference history.

Utah’s defense held UCLA’s offense to just nine rushing yards and 11 first downs. On the Bruins’ first snap of the game, Utah linebacker Karene Reid had an interception which he returned for a 21-yard touchdown. Leading the Utes’ defense was defensive end Jonah Elliss with a career-high 10 tackles.

Two-time defending Pac-12 champion Utah is also awaiting the return of quarterback Cam Rising, who is rebounding from a knee injury.

The Utes hit the road for the second time this season with a Friday night showdown at No. 19 Oregon State on September 29, at 6 p.m. PHX on FS1. It will be the first-ever ranked matchup between the two programs.

It was a statement day for Ohio State after it defeated Notre Dame, 17-14, in South Bend with a dramatic game-winning touchdown. In the latest rankings, the No. 4 Buckeyes moved up two spots from No. 6 and the previously-ranked No. 9 Fighting Irish slipped just outside the Top 10 to No. 11.

After a scoreless first 30 minutes of play, Ohio State grabbed a 10-0 lead before Notre Dame scored consecutive touchdowns late in the third quarter and halfway through the fourth. On their final play of the game, the Buckeyes rallied past the Fighting Irish after DeaMonte “Chip” Trayanum scored a 1-yard touchdown with one second left on the clock to overcome a 14-10 fourth quarter deficit.

After their Week 5 bye, conference play is up next for the Buckeyes as they host Maryland in Columbus on Saturday, October 7, at 9 a.m. PHX on FOX.

-Florida WR Ricky Pearsall about his highlight reel one-handed catch against Charlotte

GAMES OF THE WEEK

#10 UTAH AT #19 OREGON STATE

9.29 // 6 PM // FS1

#8 USC AT COLORADO

9.30 // 9 AM // FOX

#22 FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY

9.30 // 9 AM // ESPN

#2 MICHIGAN AT NEBRASKA

9.30 // 12:30 PM // FOX

#13 LSU AT #20 OLE MISS

9.30 // 3 PM // ESPN

#11 NOTRE DAME AT #17 DUKE

9.30 // 4:30 PM // ABC

For a full schedule of Week 5 games, click here. (All times in PHX)

2023 BOWL PREDICTIONS

Vrbo FIESTA BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – USC vs. Penn State

ESPN Schlabach – USC vs. Fresno State

USA Today – Washington vs. Notre Dame

CBS – Washington vs. Tulane

College Football Network – Ohio State vs. USC

Action Network – Florida State vs. Penn State

AP WEEK 5 RANKINGS

a full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.

GAME OF THE WEEK

#24 KANSAS AT #3 TEXAS

With both teams undefeated and coming off their first Big 12 wins, the Jayhawks face a day of reckoning as they go head-to-head with a road game at the Longhorns. Kansas earned a decisive win over BYU last weekend, and the Top 25 matchup against Texas is its most challenging game of the season thus far.

The Longhorns have defeated every team they’ve met this season by at least 10 points and boast the No. 14 ranked defensive unit in the country. They lead the all-time series with Kansas 17-4. It will be a battle of the star quarterbacks between Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels. Ewers has 12 touchdowns and 1,033 passing yards in four games and Daniels has five touchdowns with 705 yards in three games.

Find out if Kansas can prove it is the real deal this Saturday, September 30, at 12:30 pm PHX on ABC.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – Cincinnati vs. Minnesota

USA Today – BYU vs. Nebraska

CBS – Baylor vs. Michigan State

College Football Network – West Virginia vs. Illinois

Athlon Sports – BYU vs. Illinois

Action Network – UCF vs. Rutgers

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Texas

4. Ohio State

5. Florida State

6. Penn State

7. Washington

8. USC

9. Oregon

10. Utah

For

MIKE WILLIAMS

In his sixth NFL season, Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams contributed to his team’s first win of 2023 as they defeated the Vikings, 28-24, on the road. Williams scored one touchdown and recorded 121 yards on seven receptions.

Williams’ 49-yard touchdown from fellow wide receiver Keenan Allen late in the third quarter put the Chargers up 21-10. The Clemson alum was the seventh overall pick in the 2017 Draft after leading the Tigers with 96 yards and six receptions in the 2016 CFP Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in a 31-0 win over Ohio State. The victory earned Clemson a spot in the CFP National Championship.

The Chargers move on to host the Raiders on Sunday, October 1 at 1:05 pm PHX on CBS.

BIG NEWS

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 26 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news from Week 5:

BIG TEN BIG 12

• Three teams represent the Big Ten in the latest AP Top 10: Michigan is at No. 2 for the fifth consecutive week, followed by No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State.

• Four Big Ten teams have maintained a perfect record heading into Week 5, as Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are all 4-0.

• Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy completed 15-of-21 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers, marking his 10th career game over 200 passing yards. McCarthy is now in Michigan’s all-time top 10 for passing touchdowns with 35 for his career, tying Tom Brady at No. 10.

• Penn State shut out Iowa, 31-0, in the secondlargest crowd ever at Beaver Stadium. It was the program’s first shutout against an AP Top 25 opponent since 1999.

• In this week’s AP Poll, Texas kept its No. 3 spot, Oklahoma improved to No. 14 and Kansas makes its first appearance in the Top 25 at No. 24. All three programs are 4-0 and among 27 undefeated teams.

• Big 12 defenses allow just 20.0 points per game across all teams, coming in second among all leagues. Texas is tied for the second-best red zone defense in the NCAA through four games, allowing only one touchdown and four field goals in the zone.

• TCU is riding a 10-game regular season conference win streak and has a seven-game undefeated run in overall road games., tying for second in the country.

• In the first meeting since the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, Baylor and UCF also match up as conference opponents for the first time ever. This will be UCF’s first-ever home Big 12 Conference contest.

MORE THAN A GAME

FOOTBALL FEATURE: 2014 FIESTA BOWL CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

It’s been a decade since No. 15 UCF upset No. 6 Baylor 52-42 in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. The Knights were led by quarterback Blake Bortles who threw for 301 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in what was the highest combined scoring game in Fiesta Bowl history prior to last December’s matchup between TCU and Michigan.

PALO VERDE FIESTA BOWL CHARITIES WISHES FOR TEACHERS

With the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers application period closing in one day, all Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers are encouraged to act now.

Arizona’s largest annual teacher financial support initiative will increase its impact by 25%, as the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program will donate more money than ever to Arizona teachers for use in their classrooms. Now in its eighth year, the program will provide grants to 500 teachers, for a total of $1.25 million in donations.

Applications remain open through tomorrow, September 29, at 5 p.m. Teachers simply fill out the online application at www.WishesForTeachers. org, detailing the teacher’s school or classroom need and how the $2,500 grant would be implemented.

This Saturday, September 30, the two programs will meet for the first time since the 43rd Fiesta Bowl and the first time both as Big 12 opponents, with UCF making its debut in the conference this year. Knights from the 2013-14 team are reuniting in Orlando this weekend to celebrate the10-year anniversary of UCF’s 12-1 season culminating in the Fiesta Bowl.

Read more about the 2014 Fiesta Bowl here including interviews with Players of the Game Blake Bortles and Terrance Plummer.