WAKE UP! Week 5 schedule, viewing guide, why-to-watch and morning open thread

Last night/this morning was hella’ entertaining in Pullman, eh? Wazzu’s 30-27 win — punctuated by overcoming mistakes, RTDB, and harassing Sam Darnold — has easily been one of the season’s games of the year. And, on paper, there are several other ranked vs. ranked matchups today which have the potential to be just as entertaining.

College Gameday is in Blacksburg for tonight’s big Tech-Clemson game, if you’re the morning type.

Below is your schedule for the day, all times Eastern. Here’s what we’re going to be keeping an eye on the first half of the day (we’ll be back to drop an afternoon thread that is might’a bit similar to this one):

Vandy at Florida -9 (12 EST)

Somehow, the Gators just keep winning. Then again, there’s a reason Stoops and Butch perpetually stay on the hot seat. Florida is down 12 scholarship players and simply can’t move the ball...they also have one of the conference’s worst defenses, mainly because of youth, credit card fraud, and losing Geoff Collins to Temple. Vanderbilt is licking a lot of wounds after Alabama exposed this teams flaws, particularly up front. Do Nuss and Mac try and RTDB and make this a tidy, low-scoring home win? Can the ‘Dores rebound and have Shurmur/Webb finally live up to their veteran potential, or was that 3-0 start illusory?

Indiana at Penn State -18.5 (3:30 EST)

This is our first common opponent between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions. We know OSU’s secondary is hot garbage; we suspect Penn State’s may be as well. Franklin also has a history of dropping inexplicable games following a big win. Are the Hoosiers still the most dangerous .500 team in America, as they’ve been the last 4-5 years?

Georgia at Tennessee +6.5 (3:30 EST)

Butch Jones teams have a way of overperforming at home. They’ll need it today. The matchup of John Kelly vs. the UGA front seven is strength on strength. Georgia has a history of playing down in this game, particularly in Knoxville. Have the Dawgs been reading their press clippings all week? Can Kirby Smart put Jake Fromm in position to win a tough road game? More importantly, can his team finally show the consistency they’ve been missing in the first dozen-and-a-half games of his coaching career? This would be a huge setback for the DWAGS, but for Jones, a lopsided loss here almost-certainly puts the final nail in his coaching coffin. Put up or shut up time in Knoxville.

Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Conference games the “favorite” can absolutely lose if they play like crap:

Maryland at Minnesota -13 (12 EST)

The Gophers are undefeated. We rowin’ the boat or not, fam? I’d like the upset potential more if the Maryland weren’t on its third quarterback. Are the Terps the team that got blasted by UCF last week or the one that kicked Texas’ teeth in? The Terps still have a vast talent edge.

Florida State at Wake Forest +7.5 (3:30 EST)

Jimbo is always good for a flat game or two -- he just cannot motivate guys extrinsically. The ‘Noles already let Alabama beat them twice and the defense has some issues up the middle. Wake has no business being in this game, but Dave Clausen has done a great job with limited talent: Sound defense and just enough offense to win a bowl game last year. Weird that this is a must-win for FSU, but it is.

UNC at Georgia Tech -9.5 (12 EST)

Tennessee lit up the Jackets secondary; a recurring theme for all Atlanta teams, amirite? They face the ACC’s most pass-happy crew this week — a team that also happens to have one of its worst defenses. GT should get this one done on the ground, but if the secondary hasn’t improved and they’ve not limited the turnovers? Yuck. In Chapel Hill, it’s safe to say that the natives are getting restless. So much wasted potential in the Research Triangle by Larry Fedora, now in his 6th season.

Baylor at Kansas State -15 (3:30 EST)

This may be one of the day’s most intriguing games. Did a switch flip last week for Matt Rhule’s Felony Academy? (What? You think we’re all forgive-and-forget, Baylor? Hell, this is the first time in two years we’ve even spoken about a Baylor game.) Or, is Oklahoma’s passing defense as bad as it looked the first half in Waco? (Hint: Probably the latter.) K-State is coming off a weird loss to Vandy where they simply could not move the ball. Having seen that ‘Dore defense up close, it begs the questions as to how bad the Wildcat offense is. If this one starts turning into a track meet, will KSU be able to keep up? Even against one of the nation’s worst P5 defenses?