Week 5 Predictions – 2022
Last Week: The Buckeyes continued their first half dominance and this time it was against conference power player Wisconsin. The 52-21 victory over the Badgers was additional proof Coach Day has this team going in the right direction. I am confident they will keep this momentum going into the second month of the season. As for our staff predictions, John had his first 5-0 week of 2022, and Jason’s 5-0 gives him a 10-0 record the past two weeks and puts him on top of the leaderboard. Five individules were 4-1 so overall, another solid performance from our staff.
This Week’s Games: Ohio State completes their 5-game homestand, in their game with Rutgers. This week, the university will recognize the 100 year anniversary of Ohio Stadium. No one expects the Scarlet Knights to slow down this Buckeye offense, can they keep this close into the second half? …. Alabama may have their biggest test of the season so far as they go to Fayetteville to face the Razorbacks. Will they remain unbeaten or will Arkansas be able to pull off the upset? …. Michigan ‘survived’ Maryland last week, do they still have something in the tank to defeat Iowa? …. Clemson will be glad to be back home after escaping Winston-Salem last week with a double OT win. But NC State is playing strong and will give the Tigers another strong challenge. …. Oklahoma State is still unbeaten and that will be at risk as they hit the road to face th Baylor Bears. Can Baylor defend home turf?
Buckeye Greats: As in the past, we will continue to include former Buckeye players in our prediction fun and we are thrilled to have Vaughn Broadnax back with us as a regular participant for the eighth straight year.
Here we go with our Week 5 Picks – Good Luck to All – Gregg
Rutgers @ (3)Ohio State
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83) Hopefully, Ryan Day will have enough faith in the backups and has them playing early in the 3rd quarter as the Buckeyes joust the Scarlet Knights 57-13.
Coach Rick: Ohio State
Cory: If you thought the score of the Wisconsin game was bad, just wait until you see the final score of this week’s game between Ohio State and Rutgers. Let’s state the obvious here – there is a supreme talent gap between these two teams. Rutgers simply will not be able to keep up with Ohio State. If Rutgers is to keep this close they’ll need to do better at protecting the football than they did in last week’s loss to Iowa, in which three turnovers were turned into 14 points. Ohio State 52, Rutgers 10
Dave: Ohio State 52 Rutgers 14
Gregg: The Buckeyes were clicking like a will oiled machine last week. They have 129 points in the last two weeks and I do not see that slowing down against the Scarlet Knights. Ohio State won 52-13 last year, they will do even better than that in the ‘shoe this year. Amazingly, they have had a very balanced offense which is basically a sign of just how much they are impressing their will on their opponents. Expect CJ Stroud to have 350+ yard passing, expect at least one running back to eclipse 100 yards, and 4 different receivers to catch a TD pass. I still don’t believe Rutgers deserves to be in the Big Ten, just think of them as that MAC type school that comes in and take a beating but OSU doesn’t have to pay them $1.5 million for the visit. Ohio State 63 Rutgers 10
Jason: The Scarlet Knights of Greg Schiano come to Columbus looking to pull off a monumental upset…ok…maybe just try to keep it close. They rank 2nd nationally against the run but they haven’t faced an offense like they are about to see in Ohio State. Their best chance is to play ball control and shorten the game. If Ohio State jumps out early, they don’t have the weapons to score in bunches. The Buckeye defense is much improved and can get in the backfield and the Rutgers offensive line has struggled at times so far this season so that’s a recipe for disaster. Let’s be honest, this game will be over quickly. Ohio State will score quick and often and Rutgers will be staring up at a massive hole by the end of the first quarter. C.J. Stroud and that offense is playing at too high of a level for Rutgers to keep up and the Buckeye defense is playing almost as well. It will be a long day for the Knights as Ohio State finishes their run of 5 straight home games to open the season at 5-0. Ohio State 63 Rutgers 10
Joe-S-U: Ohio State over Rutgers – Greetings from Las Vegas, Buckeye50 prognosticators! I will admit taking the Bucks and giving the 40 1/2 is tempting the way the offense is playing. I mean, Cade Stover is actually a vital cog in the show, for crying out loud. Buuuuuut, I’ll simply take CJ and Co. for our picks and look elsewhere when I play my parlay. Head and heart don’t mix well when it comes time to lay down the funds out here.
John: Ohio State
Josh: All indications based on the trajectory of these teams is that the Buckeyes will blow out Rutgers, and there is a good chance that will happen. With the exception of the 2020 season, the games between these two teams has been all Buckeyes, and scoring for the Scarlet Knights has been as scarce as Excalibur. Ryan Day respects Greg Schiano for helping him in 2018 transition when Urban Meyer was suspended, and this will be more of Ryan Day might score 50 points in the first half, and just sit. The only way this game looks closer is if Schiano pulls out trick plays and force Ohio State to keep scoring. Ohio State 63 – Rutgers 7
Steven: It is now the point in the season where deep analysis is probably unnecessary. Still, Rutgers comes into Columbus with the second ranked rush defense in the nation and 9th overall defense. This, of course, is subject to change. Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano has done a masterful job getting Rutgers back to respectability and a 3-1 record this season. Unfortunately, he’s about to come back to Columbus to face a buzz saw of an offense in Ohio State. Even with a little sloppy play last week, CJ Stroud could not be stopped. There’s nothing to indicate there will be much difference this week. Looking for at least 60 this week. OSU 63-14.
Trout: I think Ohio State will win by a pretty comfortable margin. The Scarlet Knights are definitely heading in the right direction with Greg Schiano back as their head coach, but they are nowhere near as talented as the Buckeyes. The Ohio State offense is just too powerful for Rutgers to handle. I see Stroud having another 4 or 5 touchdown day. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Henderson and Williams both go over 100 yards again. I think Rutgers will get some scores. The Buckeye defense is vastly improved, but they still have a tendency to make mistakes. Rutgers will take advantage of that, but it won’t be enough for the Scarlet Knights to pose any kind of threat. Ohio State’s offense will score early and often. The game should be pretty much decided by halftime. Ohio State cruises to another victory. (Ohio State, 49-17)
Final Score: Ohio State 49 Rutgers 10
(2)Alabama @ (20)Arkansas
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Alabama ekes out a close victory with assistance of the SEC refs to win a closer than expected one at Fayetteville 37-28.
Coach Rick: Alabama
Cory: Arkansas was looking like a top contender until they got upset by Texas A&M last week. The Razorbacks have a terrific offense led by their dynamic quarterback KJ Jefferson, but is he enough to beat Alabama? Last year against the Crimson Tide he had three touchdowns and no interceptions but Arkansas ultimately fell one touchdown short. As much as I like the Razorbacks at home, it’s hard to see them pulling the upset over Alabama. Alabama 38, Arkansas 28
Dave: Alabama 38 Arkansas 14
Gregg: Both Alabama and Arkansas have had one solid test. The Tide, barely survived against Texas, while the Razorbacks came up short against Texas A&M. Last year Arkansas came up one touchdown short in a a high scoring shootout. We may see that again this year, but with the game in Fayetteville the final should be even closer. Bryce Young has had a nice start but with the exception of one scramble saving the game late against the Longhorns, he has not done nearly enough to earn a second Heisman. However his counterpart for Arkansas, sophomore KJ Jefferson has put his team back and still has visions of playing spoiler in the SEC. For me, this game is simple, if you can’t but Jimbo Fisher, you can’t beat Nick, at least not this year. Alabama 41 Arkansas 38
Jason: The toughest challenge thus far for the Tide will be in the form of the Razorbacks. Arkansas is an eyelash from being unbeaten, missing a game winning FG in a loss at A&M a week ago. Hogs QB K.J. Jefferson is good enough to expose a rather weak Alabama secondary, who was lit up in their only true ‘challenge’ of the year at Texas. They also boast the 2nd best ground attack in the SEC so Arkansas should be able to put up some points utilizing balance and ball control. On the other side, Alabama QB Bryce Young will have to deal with the 2nd best pass rush nationally so he will be pressured and will have to use his feet to get out of the pocket and make plays with his arm and feet and he has shown that ability time and again. The Tide have struggled to find consistency at wideout but the Arkansas secondary is not their strength. Alabama will need to run the ball effectively to come out on top in this game. Both QB’s will make some plays and it will likely be a back and forth battle all day long, but in the end, the Tide make a couple more and avoid the big upset. Bama 31 Ark 28
Joe-S-U: Alabama over Arkansas – yeah, boy, that “brutal” SEC West. Razorbacks will probably move up 2 spots after they drop this one. Nolan Richardson’s “40 minutes of hell” roundball defense is literally the only meaningful thing Arkansas athletics has done in my lifetime.
John: Alabama
Josh: Arkansas lost last week in one of the worst outcomes for themselves in a game where they had a double digit lead for the majority of the game. Alabama did some score checking and tried to keep up with Ohio State’s scoring against Vanderbilt. The biggest issue for the Crimson Tide still is the lake of depth at wide-receiver, and a secondary that has given up some chunk yards. Arkansas though plays a very Wisconsin-esque game plan with a power run game behind KJ Jefferson, and his performance will determine how close this game will be. I believe that Alabama won’t get trapped and pull away late in the 2nd or 3rd quarter, and making this game non-competitive in the box score. Alabama 42 – Arkansas 17
Steven: I love Razorback QB KJ Jefferson, but I don’t think as good as he is, he can get the Hogs over the hump. Bama’s defense looks really solid this year and it will be tough for any team to break through. But, Alabama has made a bit of hay against lesser teams in Utah State, Louisiana Monroe and Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide were lucky to escape from Austin with a win against the best team they have faced in Texas. If you feel Arkansas is close to the same level of Texas, you might come to the conclusion they have a shot. I’ll say it winds up close, but Darth Saban wins again. Bama 33-28
Trout: I think the Razorbacks make this a game for a while, but will fall short against the Crimson Tide. Texas showed that Alabama is not invisible and with the right game plan , that they can potentially be beat. However, they are still alabama. beating them is not small feet. And as improved as Arkansas is, I don’t think they are there just yet. They will be in it for a while. I can see the game going back and forth throughout the first half. But after a certain point, Alabama’s superior talent will start to show, and the Crimson Tide will start to pull away. The Razorback will put up a very good fight, but they will fall just short of taking out the Crimson Tide. (Alabama, 38-24)
Final Score: Alabama 49 Arkansas 26
(4)Michigan @ Iowa
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Iowa finds a way to slow down Michigan’s offense, but still cannot find an offense themselves and the Hawkeyes Lose to the Weasels 14-3.
Coach Rick: Michigan
Cory: If you only saw the score from Iowa’s 27-10 win over Rutgers you might be inclined to think the Hawkeyes finally found some offense. They didn’t. Iowa got two defensive touchdowns against the Scarlet Knights. Though Iowa’s defense may be legit it won’t be enough for the Hawkeyes to overcome Michigan. The Wolverines are well rounded and will be able to out sustain Iowa in what is sure to be a grind-it-out game. Michigan 24, Iowa 13
Dave: Michigan 38 Iowa 14
Gregg: If the Hawkeyes can hold Michigan under 17 points they can win this one but I don’t see this happening. The Wolverines stay unbeaten for one more week to keep their dream to repeat as champions alive. Keep Dreaming Harbaugh. Michigan 20 Iowa 6
Jason: Everyone knows the Iowa offense has struggled despite scoring 27 in back to back weeks, but the defense may be the best in the Big Ten. That Hawkeye offense however has struggled mightily, yet to pass for over 175 yards and inconceivably rank last in the country in total offense. The defense is carrying them, leading the nation in scoring, but if the Wolverines get a multiple score lead, Iowa will have a hard time mounting any sort of comeback. Michigan, on the other hand has been able to run the football, however, they haven’t played exactly a murderer’s row schedule. The Wolverine offense begins and ends with RB Blake Corum, but will he have the same type of success on Saturday if QB JJ McCarthy continues to struggle throwing the football with consistency? The Michigan defense is clearly a far weaker group than took the field a year ago so this will absolutely be a game of strength on strength, the Michigan O vs the Iowa D. There won’t likely be many points scored in this game and Iowa is just fine with that. They will play very methodically and make it a 4-quarter game and McCarthy will struggle against their pressure. That will be the difference. A late turnover will turn into field position and points for the Hawkeyes and Iowa pulls out the victory in front of a raucous home crowd, sending Michigan to their first loss of 2022. Iowa 24 UM 17
Joe-S-U: Michigan over Iowa – Like Georgia, TBGUN showed they were human last week. People who wanna bitch about college football coaching salaries should look at those games as proof that getting 18-21 year olds to focus every single week is impossible. Blake Corum is carrying UM’s offense, the Hawks are giving up next to nothing on the ground. What gives?
John: Michigan
Josh: Iowa still continues to have an inept offense, with their defense outscoring their offense in a win last week against Rutgers. They are averaging 232.5 yards a game, which is less than what Michigan averages in both rushing (234.3) and passing (254.8) yards a game. This is a rematch game of the 2021 Big Ten Championship game (ugh, this is painful to write and immediate frustration with The Game outcome) where the Wolverines got to play on a fast track in a route. The Hawkeye defense will be the only thing that can keep Iowa in it, but I don’t see a Kinneck miracle happening in this game, as the offense won’t be able to get any type of drives consistently. Michigan 35 – Iowa 3
Steven: Iowa’s defense is legit good, almost as good as their offense is bad. We’ll see the 6th ranked rushing defense against Michigan’s 11th ranked rushing offense. I expect them to bottle up the run a bit, but it just won’t be enough because Hawkeye QB Spencer Petras and the Iowa offense will not be able to take advantage of their possessions. The Hawkeyes could keep Michigan to 24 points or less and still lose by double digits, which is probably what will happen. UM 24-10
Trout: The Wolverines will win this game, but it’ll be close. Iowa is terrible, but Kinnick Stadium is a hard place to play, especially at night. Iowa has a history of beating teams that they had no right to. Ohio State even had that happen to them a few years back. Michigan is clearly the better team, but I can see the Hawkeyes making it interesting. Iowa’s downfall will be their inability to move the ball consistently. And even though there are still looming questions for Michigan, their offense is clearly superior to anything Iowa has brought out in the first four weeks of the season. I see the game being pretty low scoring, with both defenses causing issues for each other’s offense. But Michigan finds a way to score and pulls off the narrow victory. The Wolverines remain unbeaten and still in contention for the playoffs. (Michigan 13-10)
Final Score: Michigan 27 Iowa 14
(10)NC State @ (5)Clemson
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Clemson wins at home over N.C. State 35-24.
Coach Rick: Clemson
Cory: Clemson somehow found a way to escape Wake Forest with a win last week. If the Demon Deacons had any semblance of a defense they would’ve pulled the upset. For Clemson, the same questions still remain: Is the offense good enough? Is DJ Uiagalelei the guy at quarterback. Having watched the overtime win over Wake Forest last week I am not sure those questions have been answered yet. North Carolina State is undefeated but their best win so far is over Texas Tech. The Wolfpack are a pass-heavy offense, and will need to find some balance to get past Clemson. Clemson 31, North Carolina State 17
Dave: Clemson 28 NC State 21
Gregg: This one will likely be for the Atlantic division crown, too bad they play this so early in the season. In fact, they may be playing for a playoff spot as well. Clemson survived their Wake up call against the Deacons and will be more than ready this week. In fact they may have been looking ahead a bit. The Wolfpack keep it close but don’t have enough to close the deal. Clemson 38 NC State 31
Jason: Clemson is out for revenge, while NC State is playing with confidence. The Pack upset the Tigers a year ago, thanks to the play of QB Devin Leary, who threw for 4 tuttys and 240 yards. The Tigers are weaker in the secondary by far in 2022 so if NC State has a shot, they will need to take advantage. The Pack D will be a challenge for Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei, who had a huge game in the OT shootout at Wake Forest last week and has been solid most of the year. However….enter Hurricane Ian and the forecast is for rain and muddy conditions, so advantage defense. The Clemson front is their strength and if it turns into a battle in the trenches, advantage Tigers. It is likely there won’t be a lot of offense in this game due to the weather and the Clemson defensive front has been quite good despite the secondary issues. Clemson will make enough plays on both sides to edge out a sloppy win at home. Clemson 21 NC State 14
Joe-S-U: Clemson over NC State – Last September my lovely wife and I were heading home after a week at the beach and listened to the ‘Pack pull off the OT upset on ‘ol Dabo while we cruised up I-77. We’ll be coming off of vacation again this weekend, but not so sure they can do it again. As long as SOMEONE in the ACC remains unbeaten, that’s fine so we don’t have 3 SEC teams in the @#$%&^ playoff
John: Clemson
Josh: The Wolfpack won this game last year, and this game could really dictate the ACC outcome in who has the fast track to the ACC’s best College Football Playoff representative. The Tigers showed they can play offense, but Wake Forest isn’t known for its stout defense, so the scoring could be a bit of a red herring on how good Clemson really is. The Tigers should be getting a few key players back o defense which is a a solid unit, and NC State has a lot of experience back for their team. If NC State can confuse DJ Uiagalelei, they have a chance of getting more chances to get back on offense and score. I see this game being close, but Clemson finding a way to win at home. Clemson 24 – NC State 21
Steven: I called for Wake to win last week’s contest against Clemson, and the Deacons came within a whisker of pulling off the upset. NC State is not quite on the same level offensively, but they do have an excellent defense, (13th nationally in total defense and 8th in scoring defense). I’m not sure if there’s going to be any hangover from last week, but Clemson has shown that this is not your normal Clemson defense. Now that DC Brent Venables has moved on to Oklahoma, the Tiger defense is not where it was. While they will now give up yards and scores, I think last week showed that it is going to be tough to outscore them. Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has emerged as a difference maker, just when the Tigers need him most. This one shouldn’t be such a nail-biter as Wake, and the Tigers get another win to keep their Playoff hopes alive. Clemson 41-31
Trout: It’s hard to judge how good the Wolfpack really is. They haven’t really played anyone of note. Their best victory is against Texas tech, who is a middle of the road Big 12 team. I just don’t know if they are a true contender for the ACC this year. Granted, I don’t think Clemson is good either. But I do give them the slight edge in this game. DJ Uiagalelei has seemed to improve slightly from his disaster of a season last year, and love him or hate him (mostly hate him), Dabo is a good coach. I see the game being very close. There is definitely a difference in talent between these teams, but not enough for the Tigers to be overly dominant. I honestly see this game going down to the wire. And DJ having to to pull out some last second heroics for the Tigers to win the game. Clemson pulls off the win and remains the team to beat in the ACC. (Clemson, 24-22)
Final Score: Clemson 30 NC State 20
(9)Oklahoma State @ (16)Baylor
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Baylor’s home crowd advantage goes to waste as the Cowboys crush the Bears 48-21.
Coach Rick: Baylor
Cory: It’s hard to take Oklahoma State seriously when their three wins have come over Central Michigan, Arizona State, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Baylor may enter this game with a loss on their record but at least the Bears have played an actual schedule so far. Oklahoma State has reverted to the same pass-happy offense we’ve known them for whereas Baylor is a very balanced team. I’m not sure it qualifies as much of an upset, but I’m picking Baylor to pull the upset this week. Baylor 41, Oklahoma State 30
Dave: OK State 32 Baylor 21
Gregg: Oklahoma State comes into this game unbeaten at 3-0 but I am not that impressed with Central Michigan, Arizona State and AR-Pine Bluff. Meanwhile, the Bears are coming off a nice win over Matt Campbell. Baylor holds serve in this one and gets the win. Baylor 38 Oklahoma State 28
Jason: A huge battle in the Big 12 on Saturday in Waco as the Cowboys come to town. Oklahoma State hasn’t had much of a challenge as yet so this will be their biggest test to date. QB Spencer Sanders has been good and the defense has been able to get after the QB, but again, the Bears provide a different level of challenge. The Bears have not allowed much of a run game and offensively QB Blake Shapen can fling it around a bit, but Baylor relies heavily on their defense and even in the loss at BYU, it has been terrific. The offense doesn’t turn the football over much and should be able to control the tempo. The ‘Pokes have a remodeled defense under first year DC, Derek Mason, that’s about to be challenged for the first time. This game will likely be tight, but the Bears defense and an improved passing game behind Shapen is the difference and at home Baylor gets a big conference win. Baylor 31 OSU 28
Joe-S-U: OK State over Baylor – When I think of Baylor, I harken back 40 (shudder) years when big Vaughn Broadnax hammered in for a couple of scores to help OSU handle the Bears in the season opener. Then that night, me, my dad and Gregg’s dad and brother traipsed down to Channel 10 and sat in the audience for the “Earle Bruce Show”, back when the coaches’ TV shows were “must-see TV” around Columbus on Saturday nights.
John: Baylor
Josh: This is an interesting game in that we still font know how good these teams are based on who they have played up to this point. Baylor lost on the road at BYU in overtime, but their non conference schedule was pedestrian at best outside of that. Oklahoma State had a bye week leading into this game, so they had an extra week to game plan against Blake Shapen, who has done well this year. Spencer Sanders though has average over 300 yards passing in their three games this year, and I think Oklahoma State will win a key game on the road. Oklahoma State 35 – Baylor 28
Steven: I’m not sure either of these teams are that good, yet. They’re both scoring a ton but have also not played anyone decent, save for Baylor who played BYU to overtime and an eventual loss. The pundits and Vegas have Baylor winning this one, but I’m not sure the Bear defense has enough on the back end to solve Cowboy quarterback Spencer Sanders. My gut says he has enough of a day to pull off a slight upset on the road. OSU 33-29
Trout: I am giving the edge to the Cowboys in this game mostly because of their superior offense. I don’t know a lot about either team, but just looking at their stats, it’s clear that Oklahoma State has the better offense. They currently average over 50 points per game, while the Bears only average around 40. I think this will be a classic Big 12 game and it’ll turn out to be a shoot out with both teams scoring a lot of points. The lead will change numerous times during the game. Oklahoma State should be able to get a last minute touchdown that puts them ahead slight, and the Bears will fall just short trying to respond. It should be a good match up with both teams moving up and down the field, but in the end, The Cowboys slightly better offense allows them to prevail. (Oklahoma State. 52-45)