An extensive Week 5 College Football Viewing Guide for Wisconsin Badgers fans
The Wisconsin Badgers enter their bye week with a 3-1 record and 1-0 mark in Big Ten play.
This bye week is a clear line in the schedule, with out-of-conference play on the front end and now a Big Ten gauntlet on the horizon. The Badgers return to a matchup with Rutgers, a huge game against Iowa, a sneaky trip to Illinois and then a season-defining battle with Ohio State.
Hopefully for Luke Fickell, this bye week gives the team additional time to figure out its occasional issues on defense and continue to get Phil Longo’s offense operating on all cylinders. The team will need to round into form starting next week for a Big Ten West title to be realistic.
For Badgers fans still wanting to spend all day watching another great college football slate, here is your viewing guide:
Friday Night
Game: No. 10 Utah at No. 19 Oregon State on FS1
Secondary: None
The Pac 12 is currently playing like the best conference in America in its final year of existence. Utah enters Friday undefeated, but still yet to have starting QB Cam Rising healthy under center. Meanwhile, Oregon State lost to Cam Ward and Washington State last weekend but still projects to factor into the Pac 12 race.
This is a terrific matchup for a Friday night.
Saturday Early Window
Game: No. 8 USC at Colorado on FOX
Secondary: No. 6 Penn State at Northwestern on BTN
The world will be tuned in for the next chapter of the Deion Sanders saga at Colorado, this time against Caleb Williams and USC. This game has no bearing on Wisconsin’s season, but will undoubtedly be the subject of water cooler talk around the country on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Penn State does visit a Northwestern team coming off a miraculous comeback win against Minnesota. The Nittany Lions should take care of business easily, but they’re currently the caliber of team where it’s worth tuning in anyway.
Nothing gets a bye week Saturday started better than a sleepy matchup at Ryan Field.
Saturday Afternoon Window
Game: No. 2 Michigan at Nebraska on FOX
Secondary: No. 1 Georgia at Auburn on CBS, OR No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas on ABC, OR Illinois at Purdue on Peacock
This is a loaded window on Saturday. First, Michigan faces its first pseudo-test with a road trip to Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have a bit of life after inserting QB Heinrich Haarberg into the starting lineup, and continue to have a stellar defense. Meanwhile, Michigan has looked a bit sloppy in decisive wins against nobody opponents to start the year. Michigan likely wins, but this could be closer than people expect.
Then the rest of the window is just fun viewing. CBS will have Georgia’s first road test of the season at Auburn — that after the Bulldogs were tested against South Carolina a few weeks ago. And Lance Leipold’s undefeated Kansas team travels to face a Texas group that could contend for a national title.
All three games here have spreads of more than two touchdowns. But this could be a fun upset window if things fall right.
Plus, if you have a Peacock subscription and want to watch a bad game, 2-2 Illinois does travel to 1-3 Purdue. This viewing would be to watch Wisconsin’s Big Ten West counterparts, and for nothing else.
Saturday Late Window
Game: No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 17 Duke
Secondary: No. 13 LSU at No. 20 Ole Miss, OR Michigan State at Iowa on NBC
We live in a world where Duke football is undefeated and ranked No. 17 in the country, and hosts a gigantic game against Notre Dame this weekend. This contest will be the biggest spectacle of the night. Either Notre Dame will re-enter the College Football Playoff picture with a win, or we’ll need to start considering Duke a real player in the ACC.
LSU at Ole Miss also has some intrigue as the SEC West looks to be wide open. But diehard Big Ten fans should turn on NBC, where we see whether Michigan State has any life after Mel Tucker’s firing against an Iowa team that is squarely on the ropes.
What a great Saturday of college football.
