P6 Pick’em: G5 Game of the Year is here

Game of the Week

FAU (2-1) at #16 UCF (2-0)— UCF -14, Friday 6:00pm CT

It’s been talked about all year, but the game of the G5 season is finally here. So much hype was fed to both of these programs in the offseason, which only made this matchup more anticipated. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the gravity of this game, but did it lose some hype?

UCF was trying to prove it could make a College Football Playoff run, but it seems that the teams on their schedule (especially non-conference teams) aren’t doing their part. Last week’s game against North Carolina was cancelled, so it seems nearly impossible for the Knights to reach their goal. FAU began the season with an absolute beatdown thanks to Oklahoma. That took a lot of wind out of their sails in the eyes of fans across the country. It may not be what it was pegged preseason, but this will be one of the more entertaining games in college football this year.

Lane Kiffin and Devin Singletary lead the Owls to take on McKenzie Milton and the Knights. Both offenses are electric, and each team’s defense could be in for a long night.

Michael: UCF 49 FAU 43

Joe B: UCF 56 FAU 49

Eric: UCF 42 FAU 39

Joe S: UCF 45 FAU 31

Rest of the AAC

Tulsa (1-2) at Temple (1-2)— Temple -7, Thursday, 6:30pm CT

Could anyone have guessed that these two teams would have the same record at this point in the season? Tulsa appears to be better than last year, and Temple looks worse. The Owls get this one at home though. That could be the difference.

Michael: Temple 27 Tulsa 24

Joe B: Tulsa 24 Temple 23

Eric: Temple 24 Tulsa 20

Joe S: Temple 31 Tulsa 21

Ohio (1-1) at Cincinnati (3-0)— Cincinnati -8.5, Saturday 11:00am CT

The Bearcats surprising 3-0 start is put to the test against the Bobcats, who have an offense that is tough to stop. We will find out just how good this defense will be this year Saturday morning.

Michael: Cincinnati 24 Ohio 13

Joe B: Cincinnati 27 Ohio 17

Eric: Cincinnati 24 Ohio 17

Joe S: Cincinnati 28 Ohio 23

Navy (2-1) at SMU (0-3)— Navy -6.5, Saturday 11:00am CT

A game that takes on new meaning with the Mustangs going winless through three weeks. If SMU’s offense can get going, they have a shot. Navy’s offense is humming along as expected behind Malcolm Perry.

Michael: Navy 35 SMU 21

Joe B: Navy 31 SMU 28

Eric: Navy 28 SMU 21

Joe S: Navy 35 SMU 17

Tulane (1-2) at #4 Ohio State (3-0)— Ohio State -38, Saturday 2:30pm CT

O-H-I-O. The Buckeyes get their head coach back....if he remembers. Let’s just say many people will be more interested to see how the postgame press conference goes more than the game itself. Everyone outside of Columbus is cheering for the Green Wave.

Michael: Ohio State 52 Tulane 17

Joe B: Ohio State 56 Tulane 14

Eric: Ohio State 62 Tulane 10

Joe S: Ohio State 60 Tulane 13

UConn (1-2) at Syracuse (3-0)— Syracuse -27.5, Saturday 3:00pm CT

Dino Babers might have his team on the verge of a breakout season. UConn’s defense will have to find a way to make a stop, though highly unlikely after watching what Rhode Island’s offense did to them. At least the Huskies got to showcase what they could do with their own offense last week.

Michael: Syracuse 62 UConn 24

Joe B: Syracuse 66 UConn 31

Eric: Syracuse 50 UConn 20

Joe S: Syracuse 49 UConn 21

ECU (1-1) at USF (3-0)— USF -22, Saturday 7:00pm CT

USF struggled against Illinois last week, but pulled out the win. Blake Barnett has been fun to watch, and could have a career game against the Pirates. ECU’s already surprised us once, but can they do it again?

Michael: USF 34 ECU 24

Joe B: USF 30 ECU 27

Eric: USF 42 ECU 21

Joe S: USF 42 ECU 21

Texas Southern (1-2) at Houston (2-1)— No line, Saturday 7:00pm CT

Houston looks to rebound from their disappointing defensive performance against Texas Tech last week. Playing Texas Southern should help.

Michael: Houston 52 Texas Southern 13

Joe B: Houston 44 Texas Southern 10

Eric: Houston 44 Texas Southern 7

Joe S: Houston 56 Texas Southern 6

South Alabama (1-2) at Memphis (2-1)— Memphis -31, Saturday 7:00pm CT

South Alabama should avoid watching the tape from Memphis’ game against Georgia State. That formula didn’t work. Expect Memphis to score a lot.

Michael: Memphis 45 South Alabama 13

Joe B: Memphis 49 South Alabama 17

Eric: Memphis 42 South Alabama 10

Joe S: Memphis 52 South Alabama 17