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What to Watch, Week 5: Let consistent conference play begin

Graham Watson

The Pac-12 started us off right last week with some pretty great conference contests and now the rest of the FBS joins the fray.

This is when we start to weed out the contenders from the pretenders and inch ever so close to the first release of the College Football Playoff rankings.

Here’s what to what heading into Week 5:

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Game of the week:
No. 13 Alabama at No. 8 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET
There are a lot of storylines to this game. Has Alabama fallen from its perch? Is the Georgia offense the best in the SEC? But the one that most will be eyeing on Saturday will be whether Georgia running back Nick Chubb can match Herschel Walker’s record of 13 consecutive games with 100 or more rushing yards. This won’t be a small feat. Alabama hasn’t allowed a team to rush for 100 yards on it this season let alone an individual rusher. There’s a lot of talk about whether Chubb or LSU’s Leonard Fournette is the best running back in the country. This game would go a long way toward making Chubb’s case.

Game to Watch:
No. 23 West Virginia at No. 15 Oklahoma, noon ET
West Virginia leads the nation in scoring defense. Let that sink in for a second. The Mountaineers, who are known for their offense, are allowing just 7.7 points per game. However, that number will be put to the test Saturday against an Oklahoma team that is averaging 41.3 points per game and boasts a Heisman hopeful in quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns.

This is a big game for both teams as they try to assert themselves as contenders for the Big 12 title. To this point, all eyes have been on TCU and Baylor.

Also check out…
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 12 Clemson, 8 p.m. ET
Clemson hasn’t fared well in these types of program-defining games, but this is a big opportunity for the Tigers to assert themselves as a potential College Football Playoff contender. Notre Dame has played well despite major injuries at the quarterback and running back positions, but its defense was exposed in the first half against UMass. The Irish defense is going to have to be more consistent if it wants to shut down Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Similarly, Watson will need to win one of these signature games if he wants to be considered among the elite quarterbacks in the country.

Channel surf through…

Texas Tech at No. 5 Baylor, 3:30 p.m. ET: Neither of these teams plays much defense, which should make this a fun one to watch. Baylor is trying to keep its perfect record and stay in the race for the College Football Playoff, but getting past the Red Raiders is no easy feat. Just ask TCU.

Washington State at No. 24 Cal, 4 p.m. ET: This is another game for lovers of offense. Last year, these two teams played to a 60-59 slugfest. This year’s game offers a similar promise of offensive fireworks. Also, it will be interesting to see how Cal responds to being ranked for the first time since 2009.

No. 3 Ole Miss at No. 25 Florida, 7 p.m. ET: Florida is 4-0, ranked and on its way to an SEC title. OK, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. This game against Ole Miss will be a monumental task for turnover-prone quarterback Will Grier. If Grier can keep his composure, Florida might have a chance. If not, Ole Miss will run away with this one.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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